I have been spending literally hundreds of dollars while travelling on data through my cell phone provider, but that’s changing moving forward and I’m going to share how so you too can spend less while getting fast and reliable WiFi!
I travel about once a month and usually outside of Canada (if you’ve been to my blog before you’ve probably read about some of the places I’ve been too or if you’re new here feel free to check out my other travel posts), but when I’m travelling I need to get online and that has been either difficult, or expensive, or both.
While I’m travelling I want to get my messages, I want to keep track of the social media comments I’m getting, I want to post my Instagram stories as I go… there is a lot that I need to do throughout my day while travelling around and if you’ve ever tried to just rely on free WiFi spots then you know the frustration that comes with that.
You might find a WiFi spot and then you have to stay there to stay connected – as soon as you move you have towait until you find another spot with WiFi. Many places have their WiFi password protected and I’ve even gone to a coffee shop and bought a drink just so I could use their WiFi only to find that it’s down. Or I’ve connected to some that are so incredibly slow you wonder if they’re still using dial up.
If you don’t want to struggle with finding random WiFi spots and want to actually have reliable data, consistently, while you’re on the go, then you might just use your cell phone while travelling like you would at home and have data roaming on, but does that ever add up. My cell phone provider charges $5 per mb if I just leave it on, on a pay-per-use kind of basis. If I watched a few minutes of an HD video that could be a few hundred dollars! You have to be really careful with how much you’re using it and what for with that option.
They also offer daily packages where I can use my usual amount of Canadian data while I’m travelling and while that is much better and what I was doing, it still adds up quickly. I recently went to Puerto Rico and I went to Orlando on the way so I was out of Canada for almost 2 weeks – my cell phone bill ended up being over $150 more than usual. That wasn’t any phone calls – just using my data to do the things I normally do at home, but while I’m on the go. Better than the pay-per-megabite option, but especially with travelling often that end up being a big added expense.
There’s also the option to get a SIM card when you’re travelling, but I’ve found that to be a headache because you have to go find it somewhere, pay for the SIM card, pay for a data plan with it… I tried that on a previous trip overseas and trying to find a store that had one, then getting to the store, then communicating with the clerk about what I wanted – it was such a pain. Plus that wasn’t a long trip, but I had a lot to do, so I wasn’t thrilled about wasting time trying to get all that sorted.
So here is the solution that I now have moving forward for any time I’m travelling where I will be able to instantly get fast, reliable data on my phone as soon as I land and until I leave, at an affordable price, so there’s no bill shock when I see my next cell phone service statement. It’s a magical little device right called the Numen Air from GlocalMe.
It is a portable hotspot that my phone connects to through WiFi, just like it would connect to any other WiFi, except this device travels around with me so I’m not tied down to any one location while being connected. It’s fast and reliable, and there all kinds of data plans on the GlocalMe website so you just add whatever is best for the kind of travel you’re doing. I already have a plan added for the next time I go to the States and then whenever I go somewhere else abroad I’ll just look at the packages they have for that particular place because it can be used in over 140 different countries. I can just pick whichever plan fits best with what I need for that trip in terms of how many gigabites I want, for the length of time I need, and for the place(s) I’ll be in.
I actually found a package on their website that would have been less than half of what I ended up paying for that trip I recently took to the US. That’s huge savings and then when I think about every other trip I’ve been doing to there and overseas it definitely makes me question why I didn’t look into this sooner.
Besides looking at the packages on the GlocalMe website their mobile app is also really easy to use so I can just open it on my phone and look through the different packages to find the perfect fit for my needs. I can turn on the pay-as-you-go option if I just want to use a few megabites at the time to do something that I haven’t bought a package for and I can see how much data and how many days are left on any packages I have already purchased. It just makes it really easy to monitor and control everything so I’m just using and paying for what I need.
The Numen Air device works so well because it’s a 5G global hotspot that doesn’t require a SIM card or any sort of cell phone provider for roaming. You can connect up to 16 devices at the same time so I can use it for my cell phone, my laptop, my iPad if I brought it… and my fiancé can use it for all those things too, with still room for more.
It has a large touchscreen so I can see things like how much data I have and my connection speed, and it’s got a rechargeable battery in it that can last over 12 hours so I can just charge it up at night like I do my cell phone. It’s also really fast – did you know that 5G is 15 times the speed of 4G with 30% lower latency? Over 50 countries so far have 5G so basically everywhere I go to I’ll have the ability to keep track of everything on my phone quickly, easily and affordably.
The way it’s able to work without a SIM card is because it has CloudSIM technology, which chooses the best signal from multiple operators, without needing to pay for a card, top it up and change it out if you’re moving around. There are no contracts to sign and no roaming charges. You just turn it on and the plan you’ve already added is good to go.
So I could have been saving myself a ton of money and headaches with my previous trips if I had known about this sooner, but the important thing is moving forward I don’t have to worry about paying way too much through my cell phone service provider, or the hassle of getting a SIM card from somewhere, or the annoyance of needing to find random WiFi spots. This solves it all for my future trips and for yours too if you get one – click here to buy a Numen Air and get a special bonus!
Pros
- Works in over 140 countries around the world
- A pay-as-you go option any time it’s needed
- The 5400mAH battery also works as a power bank
- 5G speed that’s 15 times faster than 4G with 30% lower latency
- 2.4″ touchscreen that’s easy to operate and shows a lot of useful information
- Battery can last for 12 hours while connected (or even 50% longer when off 5G)
- No sim card needed so you can just start using it as soon as you land
- Supports up to 16 devices at the same time so you can share the connection
Cons
- You need to figure out which plan would be best for your trip(s)
- Although it’s not very big, it is something extra to carry around
- You need to purchase the device so there is that upfront cost
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by GlocalMe and includes affiliate links, but the thoughts and opinions shared are my own.