Traveling With Tech - Perfect Blend of Tools to Stay Connected on the Road
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This is a guest post from Jody Halsted, a freelance writer and the owner of Family Rambling® Media. When she’s not traveling, Jody is homeschooling her two daughters (or shuttling them hither and yon to Irish Dance lessons, horseback riding and gymnastics). Jody and her husband, Doug, recently became proud owners of an RV and hit the road for the start of their #smartsummer. Follow Jody on Twitter - @iatraveler.
My husband and I are both contractors - me as a freelance writer, he as an IT consultant, so traveling with tech is a necessity for us. Between my social network postings as we explore new destinations to his need to be able to access client accounts if a problem occurs, we have found the perfect blend of tools to keep us connected on the road.
Traveling With Tech – The Tools
It is a rare trip that doesn’t include a laptop for each of us. Sometimes my husband has to bring two - one for each client. But, without a way to connect, the computers might as well stay home. With a little help from Verizon Wireless, we were able to find the tools to keep us connected when we’re on the go.
Verizon 4G LTE Broadband Router with Voice. When we travel in our RV, this is the tool I prefer. Though many private campgrounds offer free Wifi, it can be spotty at best. The 4G LTE router is as fast as our home network, and the only place I’ve not been able to use it was deep in Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. I admit that the voice part of the router was not something we utilized. With our Verizon Wireless phones, the additional voice connection wasn’t something we needed.
Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot. This little beauty fits in the palm of your hand, which makes it my go-to tech tool, no matter where we go. Since it can be charged in advance and used without being plugged in, I can connect as we drive down the road, or from my hotel room (because hotel Wifi, free or paid, is unreliable). No 4G LTE? No problem! It falls back to 3G when necessary. Portable and powerful; I love this unit.
Nexus 7 Tablet. I hadn’t purchased a new tablet since 2011. My 10” tablet still worked wonderfully and I saw no real need to upgrade...until I held the Nexus 7 tablet. My favorite feature of this tablet is I can comfortably hold it in one hand; the width is perfect. Also perfect is the thin body and light weight (about 12 ounces). It’s so easy for me to pack in my bag that I find myself reaching for the Nexus tablet before I reach for my phone to handle searches, browsing and email.
My Verizon Wireless smartphone to quickly check email, navigation, and, of course, phone calls. Not to mention the apps that keep my business running and monitor my home while I’m away. Though I may reach for the Nexus tablet quite a bit, my phone keeps me in touch and on track.
With these tools, traveling with tech allows my husband and I to handle business matters as they arise – quickly and easily – so we can get back to the real reason we travel: to spend time with family.
(Disclosure: We loaned the equipment to Jody for her RV trip, but she was not compensated for this post.)
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