Ah, the joys of a vacation. A little time to unwind and put your feet up. Or if you have kids, a chance to get moaned at in a new time zone. The nagging kicked off before my family left the airport on our last holiday and didn’t let up.
“Dad, my internet isn’t working.” “Dad, where can I charge this?” “Dad, what’s the Wi-Fi password?” “Dad, are we there yet?”
Luckily, this year I planned ahead, and you can too with our best travel tech guide to a harmonious family vacation. Disclaimer: I’ll show you how to keep everyone online and fully charged, but I can’t accept responsibility for non-tech-related family arguments.
The Internet
In theory, it would be great to leave your phones and tablets behind and immerse yourself in the vacation experience to “live, laugh, love” your way around the world. In reality, travel has dull moments and downtime, and teenagers cannot be separated from the internet for long. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by ensuring that everyone can get online.
A Travel Router
My top tip is to set up a travel router before you go. Plug it into your existing router and then connect all the devices you are taking on vacation, but most importantly, you, your partner, and your kids’ phones. Now, when you arrive at your apartment or hotel, you can plug in, connect the travel router to public Wi-Fi, or even connect your phone to the router and use it as a hot spot, so everyone is securely connected without needing any login details. Here’s the one I recommend in our Best Wi-Fi Routers guide.
Connecting Smartphones
You should check your roaming options based on where you are going, but it’s a safe bet that roaming charges will be a hefty unwelcome extra expense when you get home, especially if you allow your kids to connect to foreign networks. You have a few options to avoid this issue.
- Use your phone as a hot spot: I have certain roaming travel allowances on my phone contract that my wife and kids don’t have, so it made sense to use my phone as a hot spot for them to connect to when we were out and about. Check your contract before you do this, but even if you don’t have specific benefits, you’ll find it cheaper to get data for one device than more. Here’s how to use your phone as a hot spot. It will drain your battery faster, but I have a tip for that below in the charging section. Remember to turn off cell service or mobile data on the rest of your family’s phones.
- Buy a Travel SIM or eSIM: You can snag international SIM cards to switch into your phone when you land abroad. This can be a cost-effective way to make sure you have plenty of data and can connect to foreign networks, although it does mean using a different number for the duration of your stay. We have a guide on how to use an eSIM for international travel.
- Buy a hot spot: Instead of using your phone as a hot spot, you could always snag a purpose-built one for everyone to connect to. These portable devices need a SIM or eSIM and enable you to connect multiple gadgets via Wi-Fi. Some portable hot spots even come with service included. I recently tested the excellent but pricey Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro ($800) and the cheaper but inferior Acer Connect Enduro M3 5G ($356).
Download Ahead of Time
To prepare for the journey, you should download maps in advance and plot your routes. If you use Google Maps, you can tap your profile icon at the top right (bottom right if you use Apple Maps) and choose Offline maps to get started. Downloading a map of the area you are visiting is a good way to save data and serves as a backup in case there are connection issues when you arrive.
Courtesy of Simon Hill
Courtesy of Simon Hill
If you’re looking for directions in Google Maps, say for public transport from the airport to the hotel, remember you can tap the Leave drop-down box (Now in Apple Maps) and select a day and time to get the correct directions for your arrival.
It’s also a great idea to ensure you and your kids have some entertainment on your phones before you go. Pick a few movies or episodes of a favorite show and download them the night before. Here’s how to download videos to watch offline. Some of the best mobile games can also be played offline (I recommend Mini Metro).
Entertainment
Speaking of entertainment, you should take some with you. At the end of a busy day sightseeing or roller coaster riding, you might want to unwind with an hour of TV, and the novelty of Spanish soap operas or French debate shows will wear off quickly if you don’t speak the language. I always pack our Chromecast, but any of the picks in our Best Streaming Devices guide will do. This Roku stick is our favorite and plugs easily into any available HDMI port.
Just make sure that you are logged into all your streaming services and that you connect them to your travel router before you go. That way, you have all your favorite shows and the correct next episode lined up. If you get blocked by those annoying login screens for hotel Wi-Fi, you can always connect to Wi-Fi on your phone and log in, then use it as a hot spot for your streaming stick to connect to.
Travel Charging
It’s crucial to pack charging gear when you travel. You’ll want travel adapters, charging cables, and power banks. Make sure you have the right adapters for the country you are visiting, make sure you have a charging cable for every device you are taking, and test them all out before you leave home. Don’t forget about your smartwatch, fitness tracker, or smart ring. I also recommend taking at least one spare travel charger just in case. I run through various options in my Best Travel Adapters guide, but the top pick is ideal for family trips.
The top pick in our Best USB-C Cables guide will charge any device with a USB-C port, but this Nomad cable is a handy option for folks with an Apple Watch.
You can also find several options for different devices in our Best Portable Chargers guide, but this is the one I recommend for travel.
Security
One of our favorite password managers, 1Password, features Travel Mode, enabling you to delete any sensitive data from devices before you travel and restore it with a click after you’ve crossed a border. This prevents anyone, including law enforcement at international borders, from accessing your complete password vault. You may also be interested in how to protect yourself from phone searches at the US border.
If you are staying at campsites or rented accommodations and have concerns about anyone rummaging through your stuff, or you feel there’s a risk of theft, it might be worth packing a portable security camera. For Airbnbs and places with Wi-Fi, try a camera from our Best Indoor Security Cameras guide. Our top pick is compact and affordable.
If you need something that can go outdoors or connect to a mobile network because there’s no Wi-Fi, I recommend this Arlo camera in my Best Outdoor Security Cameras guide. But it is expensive and requires a cell service plan when Wi-Fi isn’t available.
Bonus Travel Tips
Here are a few bonus tips that might help your family trip go a little more smoothly. Bon voyage!
While it’s always a good idea to carry a little cash just in case you run into a store or service that doesn’t accept cards, you can also get plastic that’s widely accepted and enables you to change money with a couple of taps. I love the Wise card and use it on all my trips because it offers instant electronic currency exchange in the app with decent rates for many major currencies. You also get a contactless Visa debit card you can use on your travels. Remember, it’s usually best (cheaper) to pay in the local currency whenever you get a choice.
Photos and videos can help you preserve the highlights of your vacation to bore your extended family and friends with, but they’re also nice to have and look back on in future years. The best camera is the one you have with you, so probably your phone, but if you want to up your game, consider our Best Compact Cameras, Best 360 Cameras, and Best Action Cameras guides.
We always travel light because it means no waiting for bags at the airport and makes it much easier to hop on and off buses and trains. Check out our Best Carry-On Luggage guide for recommendations, but always check the airline’s rules for bag size before you go. On our last trip, I used the Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit ($129) to compress my clothes and squeeze more in. If you’re staying at an Airbnb or rented apartment, you can always wash clothes, so you don’t need to pack as much.
