The Internet has become almost indispensable in our daily lives. So when we go on a trip to the other side of the world, surfing the web has also become a necessity to properly organize your trip (book accommodation, find out about activities) but also to share it via social networks. Even if we like to disconnect for a few days when we travel, as travel bloggers it is essential for us to have regular access to the Internet to be able to share our adventures with you around the world. Internet when travelling, it has become a must-have in recent years!
So how can you get access to the Internet abroad without getting angry with your banker? Several solutions are possible.
Use a Wi-Fi box to have the Internet when travelling
For us, it is the ultimate solution to enjoy the Internet when travelling. We tested the Wi-Fi box for the first time during our trip to South Korea. Although we were sure we had access to a Wi-Fi network in major cities like Seoul, our itinerary also included visiting much more remote places, where we seriously doubted that we could connect for several days in a row. Here
https://www.my-webspot.com/ you can learn more about pocket Wi-Fi routers. Before leaving, we asked about the Wi-Fi boxes and decided to test the Phoenix Telecom solution. So here is the result of our experience with this box.
Before the trip: ordering and receiving the Wi-Fi box
The great advantage of Wi-Fi box is that it is sent by post one week before departure, so you can connect as soon as you leave the plane and not waste your time! Just order it online, and you will receive it a few days later at home. In addition, it works in more than 110 destinations, making it the perfect accessory if you plan to travel to different countries.
During the trip: use of the Wi-Fi box
The connection is easy, both with the smartphone and the computer, which recognize the network and connect quickly (up to 5 devices can be connected). Which is nice with the case and that it is thin and lightweight, so it can fit into an outside pocket of our backpack and provide us with internet access all day long. Above all, this box ensures you a 100% secure connection, because the data is encrypted and it is a private network that only you can use. You can therefore surf the Internet while travelling and in complete safety! The battery is quite resistant, we recharged it about every 3 or 4 days, leaving the case on all day and turning it off at night. You can therefore use the 4G network up to 300 MB per day. In concrete terms, 300 MB is more than enough for the use we have of the Internet when travelling: find your way, do research on local activities, send a few messages with Whatsapp or even share our trip on social networks. Nevertheless, it is impossible to do a video marathon on Youtube! Beyond this limit, you will still have an internet connection, but much slower (2G, 128Kbps).
In addition, for Asian countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam), the offer is even better: 1GB per day in 4G and reduced in 512 kbps (equivalent 3G). You will therefore have a satisfactory unlimited connection!
A warning email is sent when you have spent 70% of your daily package, to manage the end of the day.
After the trip: return of the Wi-Fi box
Once back home, we simply had to put the box and its accessories in the pre-paid envelope already provided and put it in a mailbox!
Receive a free Wi-Fi Network when travelling
We've all done it: walk the streets, smartphone in hand, in the hope of getting a Wi-Fi network. Often, your hotel and the restaurant where you have lunch offer you a more or less satisfactory Wi-Fi connection.
You can also find a good Wi-Fi network in public places such as airports and stations. Sometimes, the municipality even provides free Wi-Fi networks in parks and public squares, or even in some parts of large cities.
It is indeed a free and very practical solution to access the Internet, but it is not always optimal because the speed is often low (normal, we share it with dozens of people) and especially the connection is not secure. By using a free Wi-Fi network in a public place, you become the ideal prey for all kinds of hacking of your personal data from the most insignificant (social networks, email box...) to the most serious (bank details, personal or professional documents...). We advise you to consult this very well done computer graphics which gives an overview of the danger of connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, after that, you will think twice before connecting!
Buy a local SIM card to have Internet while travelling
When you arrive at the airport, you will surely find shops offering to buy a local SIM card, to have a 3G network during your trip. This is a solution that is suitable if you stay there for a long time. For example, we bought a Canadian SIM card during our 6-month stay in Montreal, which was indeed very practical to give our Canadian number to our new acquaintances and to have access to the Internet everywhere. However, for shorter periods of time, the purchase of a SIM card is quite restrictive; as it means that you must remove your French card from your phone (and therefore notify your family and friends of your new number). In addition, you may need your original number to make some important online purchases (such as airline tickets) if your bank sends you a security code by text message. If you travel to different countries, you will have to buy a SIM card each time, which can be quite expensive. This solution is therefore interesting if the proposed rate is particularly low and you stay in the same country for a long period of time.