For us, maintaining a decent internet connection while travelling, is business critical. Not only do we have to continue to answer emails and run our business, but we also need to be uploading images and video of our travels all the time.
Most hotels these days offer Wifi, but it’s not reliable, and the upload speed is usually appalling. Using hotel Wifi also means we’re out of touch when travelling between them or just out and about. Data roaming and tethering our phones is one option, but it can get pricey, particularly when you’re outside of Europe.
We found a solution by buying a Mifi, which you can see in the image. The Mifi is a contract free 4g router, and we can connect up to five devices at a time to it. It charges up via USB, so wherever we are, we can use it – in the car, in a hotel, or in a lay by half way up a mountain. Because it runs on 4G, the download and upload speed tends to be excellent, anything from 20 to 100 MG per second!
Our process is simple – before travelling, we research who offers the best Pay as you go data sim package, and buy a sim card and pre pay for a package as soon as we arrive in country. In many places you can buy one at the airport. This is something we did in Cape Town, for example. It cost us about €50 for the card and more than enough data, we simply slotted the card in and enjoyed great internet for the whole trip! At the end of the trip, we store each sim card, marked with the name of the country, and when we return, we simple top it up, often online, so that we can use it again.
The unit is small enough to carry in a pocket or handbag, and a charge lasts most of the day.
Amazon sells the newer version and you can order it here: