When many of us dream about escaping our everyday lives and travelling to exotic destinations, the majority will include leaving their technology addictions behind in those fantasies. However, if you can bear to log onto the internet or use a mobile phone every once in a while, there are some great ways in which technology can help you save money and enjoy a richer experience while travelling abroad.
Get the best deals on flights
Whether you’re planning a dream escape to a tropical island or a cosmopolitan city break, using the internet to find the cheapest flights is a great way to save money before you’ve even left home. With flight comparison sites like Skyscanner you can see the prices for all the different airlines serving your destination and find the best deal. You can even see the prices for different dates near your desired departure date, which is a great way to save if you can be flexible with when you leave.
Find free and cheap places to stay
Setting up a profile on coachsurfing.com is a great way to find places to stay around the world totally free of charge. The idea is that you crash on the sofas or in the spare rooms of members for a night or two, getting a fantastic insight into the lives of locals along the way. Or, if you’d like a little more autonomy, why not try airbnb.com? This popular website allows you to rent rooms or whole apartments in destinations worldwide for bargain prices.
Plan your travel while on the road
Particularly useful for long term travellers without a set itinerary, getting online every once in a while is essential for planning the next leg of your trip. While it’s certainly more adventurous to just turn up at a train station or port hoping to get the next ride out, the reality of that approach is that you’ll often end up waiting in the middle of nowhere in scorching heat for hours on end. When travelling, a little bit of research goes a long way.
Use the internet to stay in touch
Got a job back home that wants you to stay in contact? Or maybe you just have parents that are worried about you travelling the world? Whatever your situation, it’s important to stay in touch. As well as using the internet to send emails and update your social media, you can also use it to make free international calls to anywhere in the world. Most internet cafes in destinations popular with travellers come with software such as Skype installed, allowing you to enjoy face-to-face conversations with your loved ones totally free of charge.
Stay connected with your mobile phone
Many people assume that using your mobile phone abroad is prohibitively expensive, and that is often the case with ordinary contract phones. However those on shorter trips can usually add a roaming package to their monthly tariff for a reasonable fee, while those on longer adventures will find buying an international SIM a great investment. With a specialist SIM you can enjoy cheap calls to India, Eastern Europe, South Africa, India, South East Asia and other destinations, making it easy and affordable to keep in touch wherever you go.