Jet… set… and we’re off!
Today me and the family set off for our family break to get away and relax for a couple of weeks. I always love family time, as life is so busy, work, school, out of school activities, and all the other things we have going on.
When we arrived at the airport and we were relaxing, waiting for the plane in the lounge it was amazing to see was how many mobile devices are now going on holiday with people, as we all take our tech away with us. Phones, tablets, watches, and other wearables.
It’s amazing that we don’t want to be disconnected from our digital world. Not only do we want to stay connected but as I now sit on the aeroplane I see people using their devices for so many reasons. Gaming, reading, listening to music, watching films, and so many other amazing things.
How prepared are we when going on holiday?
Our devices are brilliant, and what a big part of our lives they are. All this to help make the journey go faster and keep you occupied, to help make the journey seem shorter, as we are excited to get to our destination. It got me thinking how prepared are we when we go travelling abroad. I thought this little blog may help some of you prepare for your hols, and not get caught out.
CEO Dan’s Top 5 Holiday Tips
- Make sure you download all the music / digital books you need before you depart. With music set your music app to play in ‘Offline Mode’ to make sure you have the music on your device when you get on the plane. We use Spotify, you flick the switch for offline mode, and it stores the music on the device… clever ?
- Make sure you download the games you want for the journey. Make sure they don’t need an internet connection to play as you won’t have any signal up in the sky!!
- Make sure you check with your airtime provider about using your device abroad. If you are going to an EU country (which we are) you should be able to take your tariff with you. You will possibly want to push your tariff up for just this one month, to make sure you have enough data for all that extra social media use. Snap-chatting by the pool or showing all your friends back at home your holiday pics of the weather, the cocktails or what you’re getting up to on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels.
You can increase your tariff by calling or visiting your local airtime provider store. It’s always better, I think, to pop into the store to see your local team, you never know what special offers they might have for you to travel with. This should not be a permanent thing as you can always reduce your tariff back down to your original plan when you return. You should always be able to go up in tariff range and reduce back to your starting plan. Also make sure you add the correct bolt on if you are travelling outside the EU and make sure you are aware of all charges you at risk of. - Make sure you are aware of your data over usage charges as some network providers will bill you, for out of bundle usage, just like the UK. I am biased to O2, however, on this occasion, I believe this is the right network to be with as they text to inform you when you have used the allowance and then stop your usage. This only happens on refresh and other consumer plans, business plans are a little different. This is great especially if you have a teenager like me. You can let them get on with it, and use their phone as they need to. Trust me, £5-10 extra to increase your tariff is cheaper than bill shock when you get back home.
- Make sure you have the correct app or the best way to check your bill while away. Stay in control, of any charges, or check to make sure you are not being incorrectly charged. Most network providers should have this facility on their app, or you can send a text to find out. Again, O2 have the MYO2 app, it’s great for this exact need.
So there you go, some top tips for your holiday to make sure you don’t have to change what you do with your device or have to potentially change your behaviour. The best bit is, we should now not need to hunt for a WIFI hotspot. We all know this can dictate your plans on holiday…