Traveling essentials are crucial to the survival of a modern-day traveler. Sure, you still need clothes, plane tickets, passports, and visas to get by, but technology has evolved far enough to provide you with convenient companions. Whether it’s a smartphone or a credit card, there are a lot of things you can make use of to travel with ease. After all, a trip is supposed to be your reward after saving up and taking off time from work. You should feel relaxed, not stressed out by your next big adventure. Here are some things to bring with you on your next trip to make things a bit more streamlined.
1. Smartphone
Being a traveler is the perfect excuse to ditch your feature phone. It’s outdated and can’t be much help when traveling. Making calls and sending messages to people back home will be ultra-expensive, since feature phones require you to activate the roaming feature. And while some feature phones are equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity for internet browsing, they can’t be used to make free internet calls or send free text messages.
A smartphone allows you to stay connected to friends and family both effortlessly and free. All you have to do is install free IM and call services like Viber or Skype on your smartphone and connect to a free public Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi isn’t available, a smartphone gives you the option to use mobile data. Phone companies offer travel-friendly data packages for those traveling to foreign countries. Check out Rebtel as well, it’s an app that you can make cheap international calls with 3G or WiFi using VOIP (Voice Over IP) technology. It’s very stable and can save you some big bucks if you have to call work, friends or family while abroad.
A smartphone can also connect to the internet at greater speeds than a feature phone thanks to 3G and 4G technology. If you need to look up some information on the internet, a smartphone can do that in a jiffy. The smartphone’s quick access to the internet can be incredibly helpful if you need to make adjustments to your itinerary, change hotels after some setbacks and disappointments, book tickets to a museum, art gallery, theatre, or concert you decided to visit, and so on. Moreover, a smartphone gives you access to countless applications that can be used for navigation and reference. You can also buy RV internet plans if that is how you travel, this will allow you to have great signal no matter how remote you are.
Finally, a smartphone may be used as a camera. Most smartphones are equipped with cameras that can snap photos in an instant. Indeed, a smartphone is one of the modern traveling essentials.
2. Travel applications and reference guides
Who says you need to bring those bulky travel books during your trip? A smartphone can store the same books as weightless digital books. Digital book providers like Amazon and Kobo sell travel books in these convenient formats so you can read them anywhere without having to connect to the internet.
Travel apps like Google Maps are also considered modern traveling essentials because they can help with navigation, bookings, and reservations among other things.
3. Debit and credit cards
Having money on you when you travel is a good idea. Taking your debit and credit cards for travel is even better. It’s not wise to just have cash because you’ll never know when you will need that extra money. If you have debit or credit cards, you will have a sense of financial security during your trip.
If you left your personal credit card behind, you can always use your business credit card. But only use this as a last resort if you don’t have anything else on you. Unless you’re on a business trip, you have to inform your superior about using your business credit card for personal matters.
If you happen to be on a business trip, you are free to use your business credit card for the hotel, plane tickets, and other leverages allowed by your company. A business credit card usually has greater credit limits and other perks.
Before your next trip, make sure to secure these modern traveling essentials. They make great companions for today’s traveler. Smartphones, travel apps, and debit and/or credit cards are not luxuries but necessities for travel.