Download your destination map and pin your accommodation
I can barely get home without Google Maps in my own city, so I would never be able to find my way back to my accommodation if I didn’t have this clever piece of technology to assist me. If you are equally as reliant on maps as I am, this trick will change your holidays. Before travelling, download an offline map of your destination on Google Maps or Apple Maps, so you can still find your way around without an internet connection. While you’re there, save or label your hotel, Airbnb or villa too so you can always find a way back home, even with no Wi-Fi or data.
Download the local language for offline translation
We are extremely lucky that many people working in hospitality, especially in Europe, speak English very well – but that’s not always the case, and language barriers can make travelling considerably trickier. Google Translate is incredibly useful abroad, and you don’t necessarily need an internet connection to use it. Before your trip, download the language spoken at your destination for offline use. For supported languages, you can even use your phone’s camera to translate signs, menus and other text without being connected to the internet. It takes a minute to set up at home and could save you a lot of frantic miming later.
Turn on your phone’s anti-theft protection
One of my top worries while abroad is the possibility of somehow losing my phone as my whole life is packed into this small device, and I only seem to remember my Italian grandma’s landline number – which isn’t very useful when I’m in a pickle. Nobody wants to think about having their phone stolen on holiday, but there are settings worth switching on before you go. On iPhones, Stolen Device Protection adds extra security if your phone is taken by someone who also knows your passcode, requiring biometric authentication for certain sensitive actions. You can also set it to ‘Always’ rather than ‘Away from Familiar Locations’, so the additional security measures apply regardless of where you are. Android devices have similar Theft Protection features, including Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock on supported phones. It’s worth checking exactly what’s available on your device before travelling rather than after your phone has disappeared.