1. Watch out for data roaming
Though you’ll pay no data roaming charges in the EU, you most definitely will when travelling anywhere else in the world. And there are some real shock stories out there, like the woman who paid over £2,000 to download a Neil Diamond album while on holiday in South Africa.
So, our advice… turn off your data roaming setting, and go hunting for Wi-Fi instead.
2. Wi-Fi to the rescue
You may be surprised where you can pick up Wi-Fi these days. Even beachfront bars and the like tend to be connected. Do make sure the network you choose is protected by a password, just to be on the safe side. And if you’re using things like banking apps, it’s probably best that you’re familiar with the owner of the network.
3. Download your maps offline
No-one wants to get lost when they’re on holiday, but using map apps on the go all adds to data drainage. So here’s a great idea – why not download your maps offline before you go on holiday, or when you’re connected to Wi-Fi when you’re there.
Head to Google Maps, clear the search bar and type ‘OK Maps’ – you’ll then be given an option to save that area offline.
4. Backup before you leave
The holiday’s over. You’ve taken hundreds of awesome photos – memories you’ll never want to lose. So, the worst thing would be losing them, right? So before you leave, why not back everything up to a cloud storage system (Dropbox or My Knowhow Cloud, for example) or an external hard drive. Better safe than sorry.
5. Waterproof wonders
It always pays to be careful when using your phone by the pool, or at the beach – sand and water can play havoc with a phone’s insides. You might just get away with the odd splash, maybe even a quick dunking (depending on the phone), but anything more could spell curtains for your phone. Take a look at some of the best waterproof phones on the market, just for that little extra peace of mind.
Those are our holiday smartphone tips. If you’ve got any of your own, be sure to tell us below the line.
