How to Prep Your Devices Before You Travel

Travelling internationally without a mobile device is not an option for most of us these days (even leaving home without one is rare!) so it is essential to prepare devices ahead of travel. Follow these tips to make sure your devices are well prepared for travelling and so you can have a safe and smooth trip...

prepare your devices for travel

Turn off automatic data
Some 3G and 4G devices will pick up data whether you have permitted them to or not. This can be particularly costly when traveling overseas as you will be charged at the country standard rate and often won't realize it until you are faced with an expensive data roaming bill when you get home. Make sure you switch off automatic data to stop this from happening. Find out how.

Set data limits
Before traveling, make sure that you check your data limit it is set at a monthly amount so you don’t go over budget. If you need to increase your data budget, then speak to your Internet/phone provider. You can also go into your settings and set a data limit so you get a notification when you reach that limit.



Do you need a data roaming solution?
If you need to be sure that you’re going to be able to get Internet access its best not to totally rely on free Wi-Fi as sometimes you can't find it when you need it most and the cost of turning your data roaming in could end up being the most expensive part of your trip. Having backup data roaming gadgets like a data SIM card (for tablets) or portable Wi-Fi hotspot could be a lifesaver and it won’t break the bank.

Get Your eSIM
Traveling internationally can present various set of challenges, and one of them is staying connected to reliable mobile networks. Traditional SIM cards require physical swapping and might not be readily available in certain destinations. This is where eSIMs come to the rescue. An eSIM, or embedded SIM, is a digital SIM card that allows you to connect to a mobile network without the need for a physical card. You just need to scan the QR Code, from your Phone and the eSIM will be uploaded into your compatible eSIM handset and connect to a local network within minutes, ensuring instant access to voice, data services.

Back up your devices
Prior to traveling it’s a good idea to back up your device in case of any problems that might occur causing you to lose data. If your phone or tablet gets damaged or stolen you don’t want to lose everything.

Be careful with Travel Apps
If you download travel apps make sure they will work offline – if your apps need to connect to the internet they could be very costly. Also, watch out for free apps as often they have ads, which use data. Here are 8 of our favorite ones. Keep your data roaming turned off and only switch it on when you need it.

Smartphone listing numerous countries

Ditch the contract SIM

The first step should be to get a pay as you go SIM or travel SIM. If you travel with your contract SIM you open yourself up to the risk of getting a big roaming bill when you return home, whereas Pay As You Go SIM enables you to stay totally in control of your spending. If you get a travel SIM you will also get free incoming calls in most destinations as well as worldwide calls and data at up to 85% less.

Update with patches/anti-virus
If you plan on using the Internet a lot overseas then make sure you take the precaution of updating your mobile device with antivirus and applying any security patches.

Lock passcodes
If your mobile device uses a passcode then it should be locked before you travel overseas just in case our mobile phone goes missing – if someone uses it you could get a massive roaming bill that’s not even yours!

Get a case
To prevent damage to your gadgets its wise to get a good case for your phone and tablet as when traveling they are prone to more knocks. If you plan to take them to the beach or the pool a waterproof case might be a good idea. In addition, screen protectors will keep your screen from getting scratched from the sand.

Traveling soon? Make sure you're not heading to one of the worst places in the world for the internet!

Back