Good morning everyone, happy Friday! I just got back from a 2 week trip to Greece and Malta and I had a great time. Even though I like to “disconnect” from real life while on vacation, I still like using my iPhone for Google Maps, taking photos, checking emails, reading travel blogs, etc. So when I travel internationally, I always take these 4 travel products / services with me. I have written about all of these travel products / services on my blog before, but I thought I would put them in one post so you don’t have to look around the blog to find them. Without further ado, here are the 4 travel products / services that I use on international trips:
SkyRoam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot with 24 Hour Daypasses
Whenever I travel to a new place, I rely on Google Maps, Uber, Trip Advisor, and Yelp to help me get to where I want to go. Unfortunately, all of these iPhone apps require an internet connection to work. There are WiFi hotspots all over the world, but they never seem to be just where you want them, or they are painfully slow, or they only work for 30 minutes before requiring you to pay for them. Forget those public WiFi hotspots and create your own WiFi hotspot wherever you are. I used the SkyRoam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot everyday in Greece and Malta and it worked really well. Each daypass works for 24 hours and you can connect several devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) to the same hotspot. I would turn the hotspot on in the morning, put it in my backpack and be connected to the internet all day long. Then I would charge the SkyRoam Solis at night so that it had a full charge for the next day. It definitely made my trip to Greece and Malta a lot easier. Click here to learn more about the SkyRoam Solis Global WiFi Hotspot.
ExpressVPN – Securely and Anonymously Surf the Internet (& Stream Netflix / Hulu / Xfinity Internationally too)
Online privacy is very important to most people. If you like to keep your private information private, you should be using a secure internet connection whenever you are online, especially when you access social media accounts or financial accounts. This is where a VPN (virtual private network) comes in handy. I have been using ExpressVPN for more than a year and have it on all my devices (iPhone, iPad, laptop, and desktop). You can easily turn a public WiFi network (like at Starbucks) into a private network just by activating ExpressVPN on your device. There are VPN locations all over the country and world, so I just select the location that is closest to me. If you are outside the country, most websites will redirect you to the local language version of their site (just try going to Google or eBay outside the US to see what I mean). That might not be that a big deal, but what if you want to access your Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity, or other audio/video streaming service outside the US? In most cases, those service will not work internationally due to usage rights and copyrights. But by using a VPN that is connected to a location in the US, the audio/video streaming service will think you are in the US and work perfectly. Click here if you want to learn more about ExpressVPN.
The Jolt All-In-One Portable Charger
The Jolt is the latest edition to my international travel bag. Actually, it goes with me everywhere. My girlfriend swears by hers and bought a few more for her family since they are always on their phones. Quick question for you: do you ever run out of power midday and wish you had an easy way to charge your device? The Jolt is the answer for you. You can easily charge your iPhone or Android phone with the built in cables and you can easily charge The Jolt with the built in power plug. The Jolt is very small and lightweight and easily fits in your backpack, pocket, or purse. At full capacity, The Jolt can charge 2-3 phones from 0 to 100%. Never run out of power again! Click here to learn more about The Jolt all-in-one portable charger.
Image source: https://www.getthejolt.com/
International All-In-One Travel Adapter with 2 USB Charging Ports
Have you ever traveled internationally and forgot to bring a power converter with you? Or are you the type of person that has 10 different attachments for the same power converter? There is a simpler way. All you need is an international all-in-one travel adapter. Wait, it gets better. All the plugs fold in compactly and there are also 2 USB charging ports on the side. While in Greece and Malta, I used my international all-in-one travel adapter to charge The Jolt, my iPhone (using the USB port) and my SkyRoam Solis (using the other USB port). So instead of needing 3 travel adapters, I was able to charge all 3 devices with just 1 adapter. I always bring 2 of these travel adapters with me and they work extremely well and take up very little space. Click here to learn more about the international all-in-one travel adapter.
If you have any questions about any of the travel products / services, please leave a comment below. Have a great weekend everyone!
You should try Maps.me from the app store. You can download maps for your destinations before you leave and then access the map without needing an internet connection. We have used this app all over the world and would not leave home without it!
Good tip, thank you. Can you get directions with the map without internet? Does it have public transportation options?
Yes. It’s all off-line. Shows bus stops, subways, etc and you can plot a route from one point to another on it.
Really a great app.
Bill
That’s great, I’ll have to check out that up. Thanks for the recommendation.
You can download areas on google maps and not need an internet connection. Most hotels, restaurants, airports, etc. etc. have free wifi which is a good reason to use VPN but not need a hotspot usually.
That’s true. I usually let Google Maps load for the area I plan on visiting then I use the GPS to walk around the without getting lost.
I looked at The Jolt and I like the idea of a plug-in power bank. My current power bank only recharges from USB, and recharging is SLOW. Can’t find it on Amazon, though there are competitors. Your discount code no longer seems to work. Can you ask them to reinstate a discount code and maybe I’ll buy one. Then pass the code along in a post.
I just added The Jolt to their shopping cart and entree the code TRAVELWITHGRANT. The discount drops the price of The Jolt down $14.98 from $59.95. Try the code in all caps and it should work. Let me know if it works for you :)
Are you trying to buy the Apple version of the Android version? My phone is an Android, and the code isn’t working for Android.
The Jolt has a cable for iPhone and a cable for Android phones built in. There is only 1 version. This is the link I am using: https://www.getthejolt.com/products/the-jolt-all-in-one-power
I’ll probably have to call them and ask. We’re looking at the same web page. First you choose a color. The, under “Cables,” there are 2 boxes (“iPhone/MicroUSB” and “Android Only (Type C + MicroUSB)”). The price for those is different. The TRAVELWITHGRANT discount seems to be working with the “iPhone” box. Maybe I’m misunderstanding and trying too hard…
Oh, I see what you are saying. I don’t think the Android only Jolt was available when the code was set up, so let me contact them and see if they can apply the promo code to the Android only Jolt. I’ll keep you posted.
Hi Ed, I emailed my contact at The Jolt and the code should now work. This is what the email I received said:
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