We’ve entered peak journey season, the place many people flip to the skies, roads, rails and seas. And lately, preparing for a visit additionally means ensuring your tech is prepared.
Telephone plans
Let’s begin along with your cellphone. In case you’re headed overseas, be certain your plan works for the nation you’re visiting, or you could possibly wind up with an infinite roaming invoice. You possible have protection all over the place within the U.S. and, relying in your plan, presumably Canada and Mexico. However should you’re touring to different nations, you would possibly want a global plan to keep away from doubtlessly monumental roaming charges. Most carriers provide worldwide plans, comparable to AT&T’s Worldwide Day Go, which provides you all of the options of your property plan for $12 a day for the primary line and $6 a day for every further line in your account. You’re solely charged for days you employ texting, information, or voice calls, and also you solely need to pay for 10 days per billing interval. AT&T additionally affords a $20 plan for cruise ships.
These plans don’t cowl your entire world, however they do cowl the overwhelming majority of nations you’re more likely to go to. Make sure you contact your service (you possibly can name 611 out of your cellphone) to activate the plan and confirm it covers your locations. Different corporations might have comparable plans however all the time examine along with your service.
Different choices embody attempting to get a neighborhood SIM card within the nations you’re visiting, which can or will not be attainable relying in your cellphone and plan. You can additionally flip off worldwide roaming or disconnect from the mobile community completely and use your cellphone free of charge by solely connecting once you’re at a Wi-Fi hotspot. Many individuals world wide use WhatsApp for calls, texts, and video chats, which is free should you’re on Wi-Fi.
Plug adapters
Most nations outdoors North America use totally different plug sorts than the U.S., so that you’ll want a journey adapter to suit native shops. Nevertheless, you gained’t want a voltage or energy converter for telephones and laptops, as they’re designed to deal with a variety of voltages worldwide. You should buy cheap adapters for every nation or a common one just like the $26 Anker Nano Journey Adapter, which additionally has two USB-C ports, or any of the cheaper fashions you’ll find by looking for a common journey plug adapter. Continental European nations principally use the identical plugs, however it by no means hurts to examine, simply to make certain.
Tech for the flight
I all the time journey with a two-prong (ungrounded) extension wire, and I generally tape the journey adapter to it so it doesn’t fall off. I additionally carry a small three-prong energy strip. After I plug a two-prong wire into an airline in-seat energy outlet, it regularly falls out, however the three-prong adapter stays in place. Keep away from energy strips with surge protectors as a result of they won’t survive 220 volts, which is customary in lots of nations.
Airline in-seat energy may be unreliable, so think about a conveyable charger on your cellphone. It may also come in useful after you land, particularly should you use your cellphone for navigation, which attracts further energy. For heavy-duty wants, the Anker Laptop computer Energy Financial institution ($120) has a 25,000mAh battery, two USB-C ports, and a USB-A port, permitting you to cost 4 units concurrently, together with laptops. Along with being a bit dear, it’s additionally on the heavy aspect at 21 ounces, however I examined it and it really works effectively.
Planes are noisy, and whether or not I’m listening to music, podcasts, or the sound of in-flight motion pictures, I all the time put on noise-canceling earbuds or headphones — and never the free, low-cost earbuds that airways generally give away. Apple AirPods Professional 2 work effectively, however if you wish to remove much more noise, you’re higher off with noise-canceling headphones. There are numerous available on the market, together with the extremely rated $249 Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Headphones.
I just lately tried out the $99 Soundcore Area One Lively Noise Cancelling Headphones, that are quiet and cozy. These — and lots of different noise-canceling headphones — use wi-fi Bluetooth but in addition embody, or are suitable with, an optionally available wire that allows you to hook up with an airline leisure system. When searching for headphones, examine whether or not you possibly can hear with out turning on the ability (helpful if the battery is useless) and whether or not noise cancellation works in wired mode—which is normally, however not all the time, the case.
Telephone chargers, cables and baggage trackers
Don’t neglect cellphone chargers and cables. Newer telephones and laptops now use USB-C, which makes issues quite a bit simpler. I bought an Anker USB-C charger with two USB-C and one USB-A port, together with a 65-watt port that fees a laptop computer or pill. There are additionally charging stations that may energy an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods on the similar time—brand-name ones from Anker and Belkin.
Baggage can get misplaced or misplaced, so lots of people are placing Apple AirTags or different trackers on their luggage. The benefit of Apple AirTags is that they are going to be discovered anytime they arrive into contact with anybody’s iPhone. Even when the particular person with the close by iPhone doesn’t do something, their cellphone will anonymously inform you of the situation.
Android has an analogous know-how that works with its Discover My app. Pebblebee and Mili provide tags that work with each Apple’s and Google’s networks.
Apps
Wherever you roam, it’s a good suggestion to have a normal journey/resort app like Expedia, Reserving.com, or Trivago, in addition to navigation apps, translation apps (like Google Translate), communication apps like WhatsApp, and apps which may embody vital info comparable to healthcare information or monetary info that you simply would possibly want. Simply be certain your cellphone is locked when not in use, and that you’ve robust authentication on these accounts, comparable to Face ID or fingerprint unlock.
In case you’re touring outdoors the U.S., obtain the MPC app (Cellular Passport Management) from U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP). It streamlines the entry course of for eligible vacationers returning to the US. You may submit passport information, images, and customs declarations earlier than you attain customs. In my travels, there have been particular traces for MPC customers which might be a lot shorter than the common line and generally simply as brief as the road for International Entry.
I additionally suggest foreign money conversion apps for worldwide journey, in addition to ensuring you’ve downloaded your airline’s app earlier than takeoff—particularly with airways like United that require it for leisure or in-flight purchases.
In case you do journey this summer time, have a good time. I used to ship postcards to make family and friends jealous, however now you possibly can simply ship photos of your self and any companions from some wonderful locations.
Initially Printed: June 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM PDT
