The Best Wi-Fi for Travel + How To Fly First Class for Less

Sneak Peek:

Kristin:    00:00:00    If you're flying with international airlines and you wanna buy business class, but you don't wanna pay retail price, then keep an eye out for any bidding opportunities and you could just get lucky.  

Introduction: Welcome to Badass Digital Nomads, where we're pushing the boundaries of remote work and travel, all while staying grounded with a little bit of old school philosophy, self-development, and business advice from our guests.

Kristin Wilson, Host:    00:00:37    Hey there, Kristin Wilson from Traveling with Kristin here and welcome to episode 236 of Badass Digital Nomads. Today I wanted to talk to you about the Best Wi-Fi hotspots and really the best ways to have internet with you when you travel because in today's modern age, you know how frustrating it is to have slow Wi-Fi, and that's an experience that I'm having right now. So I was inspired to share this topic with you as I am at a really nice hotel actually in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the Canary Islands. It's called Hotel Taburiente, and I'll link to it in the show notes because it is a lovely hotel. It's a boutique hotel right by the park in downtown Santa Cruz, just walking distance from the coastline. But it's one of those hotels that you've probably stayed in before that has an internet service where you log on with your email and it seems like it has limited bandwidth to where at certain times of the day when the hotel is rather empty, the internet works decently, but come 5:00 PM when people start checking in or people are hanging out before they go to dinner, it just completely stops working because everyone in the hotel is on the internet at the same time and it pretty much stays like that through the night.  

Kristin:    00:02:09    I checked in last night and the internet wasn't working for me at all. I couldn't even log on. Then I got up early this morning to work, it was working fine until around four or 5:00 PM and then it stopped working again, <laugh>. So it's such a frustrating experience, especially if you're working remotely. And since I've been in Europe this year, I didn't have all of the Wi-Fi devices that I usually bring with me. And so that's what motivated me to even create this video and podcast to share the best tips, even if I don't follow my own advice. Sometimes I just got here from Miami and was clearing things out of my storage unit and just didn't bring my Solis hotspot with me, which is what I always use as my backup internet. And I'll tell you all about that here in the podcast. But since I didn't have it with me and since the sim card I have from the UK, it doesn't work as a hotspot.  

Kristin:    00:03:10    And uh, also some of the E-sims don't work as hotspots either. My only option is to find a hotspot here in Spain that would let me tether to it so that I could actually work today <laugh>. So don't be like me. Be prepared as I usually am 99% of the time and have your high speed wifi hotspot with you when you travel so that when you step off the plane, whether you're just using the internet on your phone or whether you need to connect to a device to be able to work from your laptop, you can do so hassle free. Solis is currently offering a great deal for Black Friday or Cyber Week. Right now they're giving 30% off of all hotspots, plus 60% off of all data packages. So if you can catch that deal in time, go ahead and grab it, but if not, it's still a worthwhile investment as just one day without internet or even an hour in many cases can often pay for the cost of these hotspots.  

Kristin:    00:04:18    And the cost of a data package. So if you're not familiar with Sole, it's a device that you can use either with your own SIM card or you can use their data packages and it's a way to get super fast, four or 5G Internet in hundreds of countries. You can get a plan for one day, one week, monthly. And there's also annual plans. These hotspots also double as power banks so you can charge your devices as well. They even have unlimited subscriptions in different countries. I've been an affiliate for Solis since it was called a different company. It used to be called Sky Rome. It's probably been about 10 years now, maybe more. So I definitely swear by their products they've worked really well for me over the years and I'll link to my refer a friend link in the show notes, so you can check those out.  

Kristin:    00:05:15    I'm looking at the website now and it looks like they're going to be having these deals through the holidays. So check out their site and see if you can get these end of the year discounts and get ready for your travels in 2024. Speaking of travels, I am about to head to my final destination of the year. I am boarding the Nomad Cruise tomorrow and I'll be sailing with at least 400 other location independent lifestyle enthusiasts to Salvador in Brazil. We will land in Salvador on December 11th and then I'll be hanging out there in tropical, sunny and hot Brazil until Christmas when I'll fly back to Florida to hang out with my family. So if you're listening to this and well if you're listening to this on the Nomad Cruise, then I'll see you there. <laugh>, I don't know if we'll have very good internet on the cruise.  

Kristin:    00:06:11    Um, so it's possible that if you listen to this podcast normally you might not listen to this one until after the cruise, but um, I'll still be publishing podcasts and videos throughout the cruise. I actually bought an internet package with Starlink, which is another company that you'll be hearing about in the rest of this podcast. So Starlink is Elon Musk's company with a satellite internet that you can get all over the world now and including on boats and cruise ships. So the last time that I went on a cruise was in 2018 and we had no internet. So I am really excited to be able to stay connected while sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, but I know some people are using this as an opportunity to completely disconnect as they float past the equator. I'll be working if I can however, and uh, yeah, looking forward to it.  

Kristin:    00:07:07    Either way, I'm giving a talk on how to get started in the digital nomad lifestyle, but if you can't be there on the boat to listen, then you can also buy a copy of my book. Digital Nomads for Dummies also makes a great gift and many listeners and readers have been sending me pictures all over the world with their book, whether they're doing Van Life or they're on a trip or they're just curled up on the couch at home. I love seeing your photos with the book. So if you have a copy of Digital Nomads for Dummies, then tag me @TravelingwithKristin on Instagram. And another travel tip I have for you today, random travel tip that I talked about in my newsletter. So if you're not subscribed, you can subscribe to my newsletter at travelingwithKristin.com/subscribe. And you're really gonna like this one if you are a business travel enthusiast or first class flight enthusiast, I know I am and I don't always fly in first or business class because it's quite expensive, but if you do fly with a non-US airline, and there are quite a few of them that offer this perk.  

Kristin:    00:08:22    Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin, Atlantic, Air Europa, which is the airline that I just flew with, keep an eye out for an email or maybe when you're looking at your reservation or checking in for your flight, they should offer you an option to bid for an upgrade. And if the plane has an economy comfort or a premium economy section like on Virgin Atlantic, you can usually bid for that one or for business class or first class. They could also give you an option to simply upgrade your flight at the pay now price as well. So sometimes they offer both. Usually the Pay now price is higher than the price that you would pay to bid for an upgrade, but it could also be lower than the retail price that you would pay online. So it's always worth looking into that as well. But with the bidding for an upgrade, I've done it a few times and it doesn't work when the flights are very full, especially if you put in a low bid.  

Kristin:    00:09:28    But if you bid to an amount that's fair to a good chance of getting accepted and it will tell you on the website, then you really do have a good chance of getting that upgrade. So I was originally looking at first class flights from Miami to Tenerife because I knew it was going to be an overnight flight. I had a lot of work to do and I'm going to be giving a talk on the Nomad Cruise. So I wanted to be coherent, not jet lagged, feeling good and didn't have any time to lose to just feeling tired and jet lagged. So, uh, I looked into it, but the flights were pretty expensive, like 3000 to $7,000 one way. And so I didn't really think that was worth it. So I bought an economy ticket, but then I put in a bid on Air Europa to get upgraded to business class and I got that upgrade for $625, which is a really good deal when you think that the cost minimum would be around $3,000.  

Kristin:    00:10:32    Even when I was looking with some of these, um, discount sites where you can get discounted first class tickets, like I only fly first class is one of them, but any sites like that that you search on Google, they're slightly discounted from what you would find on maybe Google Flights or Skyscanner or directly through the airline, but they're still usually pretty expensive. So yeah, I got that upgrade for around $600 and was able to have some good food and sleep on the plane. And so if uh, if you're flying with International Airlines and you wanna buy business class but you don't wanna pay retail price, then keep an eye out for any bidding opportunities and you could just get lucky. The best way to get one of these flights is to choose either off peak times to travel off peak times of day off peak times of the year or to choose routes that aren't that popular. So a direct flight from Miami to Madrid in the middle of the week overnight is not a very popular flight and I was able to get the upgrade probably for that reason. That's my update for this week. So enjoy these tips on how to get the best wifi wherever you go and I'll see you on the flip side.

Kristin:    00:12:00    Whether you're working remotely online or just a human being in the world today, you need good internet everywhere and after traveling the world for more than 20 years. In this video, I'm gonna give you my top five tips for bringing high speed internet with you wherever you go. The most straightforward way to bring your internet with you is with your cell phone, and I have a whole separate video dedicated to that that I'll link in the description. But um, typically if you're bringing your local cell phone with you on an international trip, this is gonna be a good backup option for you, but you don't want it to be your primary option. I'm gonna have some more options for you on that, but uh, that's because your local plan is going to be more expensive for a slower and lesser amount of data compared to if you use some of the other options in this video.  

Kristin:    00:12:54    But it's still something that you should do. So if you're using a company like AT&T, you can add an international pass to your plan. You can also upgrade your plan with T-Mobile to getting an international plan, or you could go with Google Fi, which charges about $10 per gig of high speed data. But as you'll find out, you might be able to get a much larger amount of high speed wifi for the same price for $10 per month instead of $10 per gig. But this is a good entry level option. It's always something I do because you wanna be able to use your cell phone to navigate maps to call an Uber, whatever you want to do. And so AT&T will cap your monthly charges at a hundred dollars per month and they'll also give you your same plan that you would have back in the US with T-Mobile, it's a little bit different.  

Kristin:    00:13:51    They will cap your data and your speeds once you exceed a certain amount of data, but then you can also pay to increase that. A way to get around these expensive data caps with your home country cell phone plan is to either get an international eSIM or to buy a SIM card in your destination. And the benefit of getting an eSIM is that you can have it delivered before you actually leave home. And often you can also get an EIM in your destination as well. One company that comes highly recommended is called Airalo, where you can get eSims for more than 200 different countries and regions. People really like Airalo because it's easy to use and you can activate and install your eSIM before you leave home. You can get a local EIM by country, a regional eSIM or a global eSim. People really like it because it's usually cheaper than using your home country data plan, but it can also be more expensive than buying a physical sim card in your destination.  

Kristin:    00:15:03    And even though it can be a little bit of a hassle to change out your SIM card or to register a new eSim, you can save a lot of money this way because the sim card itself is usually free and then you just pay to activate the type of package that you want. And um, you can go with the tourist package that you might see advertised in the airport. But if you do a little bit of digging online and go to the sim provider's website or even go to one of the local stores, you can often find a much better deal. And so this can mean upwards of unlimited 4G, 5G high-speed data for about $10 to $20 per month. I'm currently in the UK and I pay 15 pounds per month for essentially unlimited data and I use my phone a lot for live streaming, for uploading videos and things like that.  

Kristin:    00:15:57    So, um, compare $10 or $20 per month to $100 that you could be paying if you're depending on your home country plan. Now if you're from Europe and you're traveling around Europe, then you might already have a SIM card that's gonna give you that high speed data in other countries. But if you're coming from abroad, from the Americas, from Asia, from Australia, from Africa, anywhere else in the world, then um, you'll want to get one of these eSims or physical sim cards in your destination. You could thank me later. My third tip is using a wifi hotspot. Now there are a lot of different hotspots out there, but I'm gonna tell you which ones are my favorite and why. So one that I've been using for as long as it's been available since it was called a different company, Sky Rome is the Solis hotspot.  

Kristin:    00:16:49    And what I like about this one is that you can have it with you as a backup and you can activate a day pass, you can get a monthly pass. It's really flexible and you don't need to get an extra sim card to be able to use it. You can have that just built in right there and you can activate a day pass in a matter of seconds. So you can just create an account there. If you need it, you have it. The Solis has gotten a lot better in recent years. They keep improving it. It has 5G speeds now and it also has a 16 hour battery life. Another one that I really love is called EZ Mobile. And I first found out about this one when I was traveling in Norway with a friend and she was using this thing to work at the top of mountains and fjords.  

Kristin:    00:17:36    I mean this thing worked everywhere and it was fast. Now, EZ Mobile is traditionally created for RVers and Van Lifers, but it also works for tourists and digital nomads and anyone who needs internet when you're traveling around the world. So I highly recommend this one. You can get an 800 gigabyte plan for $120 per month, or unlimited plans from $140 to $160 per month. This device is a little bit more expensive per month than other options, but it's very reliable and it's very fast. The Numen Air device by GLocal is a 5G worldwide hotspot with a 12 hour battery life that connects up to 16 devices simultaneously. This one has some of that same cloud technology that the sole lease has where you don't need to swap the physical sim card, you can just activate the packages as you go. But I checked out the packages and they are a bit expensive.  

Kristin:    00:18:36    So not only is the device pretty pricey coming in at $259, but also those data plans are as well. So let's take a look here. We have 30 days of high speed data in the UK that cost between $69 and $349 per month. Or you can get an unlimited pay as you go data plan with Vodafone UK for only 40 pounds. So as you can see, you're paying for the convenience here, but getting that local SIM card is always gonna be the most cost effective option. Another option when it comes to wifi hotspots is just getting a generic unlocked hotspot that you can put those physical sim cards into. Now the upside of this is that you can get one on Amazon for like 70, 80, less than a hundred dollars. But also the downside is that unlike the Numen or the Solis, you don't have any data plans that you can activate immediately.  

Kristin:    00:19:33    You're gonna have to wait to get a SIM card that you can put in there. This Huawei, one that I got from Amazon that I'll show you here on the screen is my favorite one. I've been using it for many years now, old Faithful. And yeah, you can pick one up for around $80 online. I'll put the link to this one in the description below. But with this next option, we are truly entering a new era of mobile internet. And that is with Starlink, Alla, Elon Musk and Company. You know that there was a lot of anticipation and hype around the launch of Starlink. I feel like it kind of happened overnight. Um, but these guys are really breaking down barriers when it comes to global internet because they're using all of their satellite technology. Now, Starlink has a few options for you, and this really works well if you have an RV or a boat or if you're gonna be somewhere for an extended period of time, like maybe a few months at a time because you don't really wanna be carrying these Starlink devices around with you, especially if you're traveling carry on only.  

Kristin:    00:20:39    But I did hear from some friends that they met a group of people who were traveling throughout Africa with no end date in sight, just trying to go to as many countries as possible. And they were all sharing a Starlink device so that they could have high speed internet in rural areas. So there's a lot of coverage around the world, and although it is a little bit expensive, this is gonna be a very reliable internet source for you and a game changer, especially if you're sailing or if you're doing van Life. So depending on where you are purchasing from, Starlink will charge you a one time hardware fee, which might be around $500 or $600, but it depends on the device that you buy. And then you've got the monthly plan, which could be around $120 per month for a fixed internet service, and then an extra 25 bucks on top of that if you want to be able to change your location and move your service around.  

Kristin:    00:21:37    But another benefit with Starlink is that it is month to month, so you can cancel any time if you don't like it. Typical speeds are about 50 to 150 megabits per second, which is not so shabby, but for a couple grand you can upgrade to a business connection where you can get speeds right now of up to 350 megabits per second. Although it's gonna cost you now, if you have one of these mobile roaming packages, you can get either a regional or a global plan. And Starlink is expanding their coverage as we speak. And so make sure to check their availability map to find out if they have coverage where you need it. So the first four options in this video are all about you being in control of your internet connection. You have the power, you have the speed, and then you don't have to rely on very slow and flimsy and unreliable public wifi networks.  

Kristin:    00:22:33    However, as a fifth option, you also can look to get a good cable or wired connection in the places that you're staying. So if you're gonna be renting at an Airbnb or a vacation rental, then make sure to ask your host what the internet speed is and if there are any caps on usage. We've heard of a lot of stories of people who went over their internet usage and it would cut off every few hours or every other day. And so ask about that and even ask for a speed test. If you wanna make sure that, uh, high speed internet is actually high speed, and I've even done this with hotels where I have emailed the hotel to ask what the internet speeds are, I will call the reception and have the receptionist at the lobby do a speed test from her computer. And so, you know, don't mess around.  

Kristin:    00:23:22    When it comes to internet, you definitely wanna ask before you book your hotel, before you book your vacation rental. And if you're out and about, then you can always use an app like Wi-Fi Finder to find wifi at public places like cafes and coffee shops and restaurants. Or you can also search specifically for places with wifi on Google Maps and see what you can find around you. But with all of these tips, you're gonna have high speed internet wherever you go. So where are you going next? Let me know in the comments below and make sure to subscribe for more travel culture and living abroad videos. I hope that today's episode gave you some new tips on how you can bring your fast wifi with you wherever you travel in the world. And again, I'll link to all of the companies, including Solis, which is having some great end of the year deals from 30 to 60% off of their devices and data plans respectively. So check that out, get your wifi and get ready to travel in 2024. If you want more tips like this, then sign up for my newsletter at travelingwithKristin.com/subscribe and I will see you again here next week.