Top Tips for Travelling with Your iPhone

Are you about to jet off on holiday? As well as packing your suitcase, organising your summer reading list and finding a place for the dog to stay while you and the kids are playing beside the pool, have you given any thought to how to use your iPhone while you’re abroad? Well, travelling with an iPhone can be an expensive business. If you’re not careful, data roaming, location services and push notifications could unexpectedly leave you with a hefty phone bill that will linger for longer than your lovely tan! So, follow these top tips as recommended by the tech-savvy team here at Sophie Allport to make sure your holiday is a blur of sun, sand and seaside, with no extra charges…

First, switch off your data roaming in your settings. Using your phone when you’re on holiday can cost a lot more than it does at home, as phones automatically seek out mobile connections and use them to update apps in the background (even if you don’t have the apps open). So, turn off your data roaming before you go so that you don’t pay to keep that Facebook wall refreshing!
Second, turn off your locations services and push notifications. In the same way that data roaming updates your social media feeds and emails, location services will be constantly scanning to decide whereabouts in the world you are, and push notifications will want to send information to your phone via pops and notifications, even when apps aren’t in use. Turn this kind of thing off in your settings, and save your cash for cocktails in the setting sun instead.
Then, if you plan on buying a prepaid sim card in the country you’re going on holiday to, make sure your phone is unlocked first. A local sim card is a good idea as it will give you access to calls and texts (as well as the internet, your emails and apps) but at a local rate. You might need to notify your service provider to let them know that you’ll be using another carrier so that your phone will work abroad, so do a bit of forward planning to make sure you can still keep in touch with friends and family in the UK.
Also, it’s worth checking what you’ll be charged by your provider before you go. Lots of service providers have good deals if you’re travelling inside Europe, and plenty will offer you a deal if you’re going outside of Europe too. However, it could also be a good idea to stay at a hotel that has WiFi. Checking into a hotel with WiFi means you can log in to the hotel’s internet service and completely bypass the need for local sim cards or international fees. You can catch up on what’s been happening back at home, and post some gorgeous photographs of the beach!
Finally, don’t forget your travel adapter. None of these ideas will matter if your phone runs out of battery as you won’t be able to use your iPhone at all. So, be sure to pack an adapter and your phone charger so that you can keep your phone on the go while you’re away.