Seniors have the wonderful advantage of being able to travel in the fall, winter, and spring when the kids are in school. This opens. Whether you’re traveling abroad or at home, here’s some general cellular and Wi-Fi information to help you use technology effectively and keep your data safe anywhere in the world.
General
Before you go, check your local cellular and Wi-Fi conditions and restrictions. We know we’ll be dealing with restrictions when traveling abroad, but you can also face them at home. If you plan to drive through remote areas and plan to use a navigation app like Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze, you need cellular service. This may interest you : Larry Ellison’s latest ambition: to create a national health database. Before you leave, check with your carrier to see if you’ll have coverage where you’re going. Be prepared to have no cell service, Wi-Fi capability, or neither.
Your phone communicates in two basic ways. One way is through cellular signals; another way is to access the Internet via a Wi-Fi network. Although they are different, today’s mobile technology blurs the line between the two. Some carriers’ technology seamlessly switches a phone call between cellular and Wi-Fi if Wi-Fi is available—allowing you to use cheaper technology when possible. Check with your carrier to see how your service works and how you can use your phone or tablet settings to control whether you use the mobile network or Wi-Fi when making calls, checking email, or using a web browser.
When you use a mobile network to browse the Internet and access websites that require passwords, you are mostly safe. No one will guarantee absolute security. When you’re using a public Wi-Fi network, even one that requires a password, it’s still public and not as secure as your home network. You can add security by using a VPN (virtual private network).
A VPN creates a secure connection between you and the internet. When you connect to the Internet through a VPN, all of your data traffic is sent through an encrypted virtual tunnel. This has several advantages:
The latter benefit comes in handy if you are abroad and want to access subscriptions such as newspapers and entertainment services, e.g. Netflix that are blocked on foreign Wi-Fi connections or are different. We suggest you do some online research to learn more about VPNs, including their costs. One comprehensive link is https://vpnoverview.com/privacy/anonymous-browsing/hide-or-change-ip-address/.
Learn how your phone stores and backs up photos and videos. Your device has limited physical storage and cloud storage for additional items, but purchase more cloud storage. Many of you have an iPhone and use iCloud. If that’s you, we suggest buying 50GB of iCloud storage for 99 cents a month before you go. Google has similarly priced options, and there are services, including Dropbox, that let you save no matter what device you’re using. Just remember that if you delete a photo or video from your phone or tablet, you’ll also delete it from iCloud. There are ways to get these deleted items back within 30 days, but you can avoid problems by being careful about what you delete. You can avoid problems by buying enough storage space before you travel.
Domestic Travel
While traveling in the US, you can keep all the electronic comforts of home, including streaming services like Netflix, as long as your lodging has TVs that give you access. In all likelihood, you’ll probably just need to enter your username and password and start watching. Read also : The best mobile games of 2022 (so far). It’s crucial that you remember to log out of every service on every TV you use.
Otherwise, you will remain signed in on this device, and the next user will be able to watch movies and shows on your dime.
If you rent a car, it may have technology to connect your iPhone or Android phone to the infotainment system. It has many advantages, including voice driving directions while displaying a map on the car’s screen, which is usually much larger than your phone. This is useful when you’re navigating places you’ve never been before. It also provides access to phone contacts for hands-free calling and access to music playlists. Make sure you delete the data from the car’s infotainment system before returning the car at the end of the trip.
If you’re visiting a city, Google Maps and Apple Maps can provide you with walking or public transportation directions.
International Travel
If you’re traveling abroad and NOT driving, you can probably get by with Wi-Fi to check email, find information about sites you want to visit, and even make restaurant reservations. You can even use an app to download a footpath map and simply refer to your phone as you follow the route. This may interest you : The brands of TikTok Music have been seen in many countries, which is indicated on global launch plans. Think of it as a map replacement.
Consider an app like WhatsApp—the popular service from Meta, the people who brought you Facebook—to use your Wi-Fi internet connection to talk and send messages. In short, WhatsApp allows you to make voice or video calls or send chat messages (just like text messages) over the Internet to anyone on your contact list. And the service is free – apart from any usage charges you have to pay to use the Wi-Fi. This cost should be much lower than the cost of mobile service. Learn more about WhatsApp and how to install it on your mobile device – or computer – by clicking here.
If you’re traveling abroad, Western Europe is light years ahead of the US when it comes to Wi-Fi security. However, to be as secure as possible, you should have strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
You have two options for mobile services abroad. One is to get a SIM card for the country you will be traveling in, especially if you are renting a car. This will allow you to access GPS systems and make phone calls in an emergency or if you need directions. Even in most modern countries, you can buy a SIM card from a vendor at the airport when you arrive. They should install it for you and make sure it works before you hit the road. Some phones can use eSIM cards or have a slot to install a second SIM card. Research your phone and check with your carrier for options.
SIM cards abroad have some major drawbacks. First, if you do not have an activated US SIM card, you will not be able to receive voicemail or text messages associated with your US phone number. If your phone supports two SIM cards, you’ll need to switch between the two in order to receive messages in the US and use cellular capacity in the country you’re visiting.
We prefer the second option: get a second phone for local use. You can buy a second phone just for the trip and get a local SIM card at the airport if you are traveling to multiple countries. You can also keep it permanently for use in a country you visit frequently. You will be able to use Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze for driving directions and you will have all the necessary telephone capabilities.
Check with your operator for roaming options abroad. Some have packages that give you access to local networks – either as part of their available service or as a separate daily fee. Make sure you understand how the fees and rates are structured. The costs can be quite high and you don’t want to be surprised when you receive the bill. One way to avoid roaming charges is to put your phone or tablet on airplane mode. This will allow you to use your camera and read books without worrying about accidentally using expensive data.
Travel used to be a way to disconnect from the world. We now depend on technology to improve our journeys, prevent catastrophic events or share our experiences in real time. By planning your technology the same way you plan your wardrobe, you can have a digitally safe and enjoyable trip.
Do I get charged for receiving texts while abroad?
Customers are charged for receiving messages abroad only if they are outside the country in which they have a telephone contract, i.e. if they are “away”.
How much does Verizon charge for international texts? A monthly surcharge and overage rate of $0.10/message sent or received applies to all other text, picture and video messages sent and received within the National Enhanced Services plan and coverage area, except for international text messages which cost 0, $25/message sent and $0.20/message received .
Can Verizon users text internationally?
When you sign up for Verizon Wireless, your account is automatically enabled for calling and texting in over 200 countries.
Can I use WiFi internationally for free?
You can basically do anything for free with WiFi, including texting. However, you can’t use regular messaging apps for this. Sending text messages from a smartphone in another country means that you will pay to send and receive text messages if you send a traditional SMS message.
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What counts as data usage?
Data usage is how much data your phone uploads or downloads using mobile data. To make sure you’re not using too much data in your data plan, you can check and change your data usage.
What uses data on a mobile phone? Most often, mobile data is consumed in one of three ways.
- Email, SMS and instant messages. All of these use mobile data. How much depends largely on what you’re sending and how you’re sending it. …
- Browsing the web. Browsing the web on a mobile phone requires quite a bit of data. …
- Applications. Apps are probably the biggest users of data on your phone.
What uses the most data?
The apps that use the most data are usually the ones you use the most. For many people, it’s Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Snapchat, Spotify, Twitter and YouTube. If you use any of these apps daily, change these settings to reduce the amount of data they use.