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At a client visit this week, we discussed the issue of online safety when travelling. I mentioned that the best solution for staying safe online was to install and use a VPN on any device/computer that you use on a public Wi-Fi network.

​I promised to include details of recommended VPN services for this client in this week's newsletter - I figured some other readers may also be interested.

Here are some articles I have recently curated on this topics. The one I have used for several years is Private Internet Access (PIA). I have found it has worked really well whenever I have travelled and when on public Wi-Fi networks in Australia.

​As mentioned in the earlier post Lend your mobile internet to your Wi-Fi only device - using your Personal Hotspot, client Chris K is off overseas this week, and will be purchasing and setting up a TravelSim before she goes (with assistance from iTandCoffee). 

This TravelSIM will give her access to a data bundle that offers 1GB for 30 days - so she CAN choose to use mobile data while she travels.  (If she was just leaving her Telstra SIM in the iPhone, she would definitely NOT be using mobile data as it would cost $3 per MB!)  

The TravelSIM will also allow incoming and outgoing calls for only 25c per minute (much cheaper than Telstra's $2/minute).

The trick is understanding what to do to minimise the cost of using this TravelSIM when traveling, and to avoid unintended use of the Mobile Data allowance.

I promised Chris I would write up some (hopefully) straight-forward rules about the settings that she needs to turn on and off at different times, depending on whether she wants to be making/receiving calls and texts, and whether she wants be using her 1GB allowance of mobile data (vs just using Wi-Fi).

So, here goes Chris!  I hope it makes sense.

In general, leave Mobile Data and Data Roaming OFF to avoid unintended use of the 1GB mobile data allowance

• Data Roaming is turned on/off at Settings -> Mobile -> Mobile Data Options
• Mobile Data is turned on/off at Settings -> Mobile

If you really need internet but there is NO access to Wi-Fi:

• Turn on Mobile Data at  Settings -> Mobile
• Then turn on Data Roaming temporarily at Settings -> Mobile -> Mobile Data Options
• Use the internet to retrieve emails, Google, get directions, etc.  
  
• Think twice before doing any video/audio calling using Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or FaceTime as this will use a lot of your data allowance.
• When done, turn Data Roaming OFF 
• And then turn Mobile Data OFF (in that order)

Block phone calls and texts (incoming and outgoing):

• Turn Airplane Mode ON (this disables phone calls and texts, Wi-Fi, and mobile data)
• When Airplane Mode is ON, Wi-Fi can be turned back on when required.  (This means that phone calls and texts CANNOT be sent/received, but internet is still available using Wi-Fi.)

Allow phone calls and texts (incoming and outgoing):

• Turn OFF Airplane Mode

Chris K has visited iTandCoffee over the past couple of weeks to discuss travelling with her technology.  We have discussed her options for phone, SMS and internet while travelling overseas this month.

The option that best meets Chris's needs is to purchase and set up a TravelSim (which she will get from a Post Shop) for her iPhone.  

Travelsim currently offers 1GB of mobile data with any activation (valid for activations before 16/7/17).  (This data allowance expires 30 days after activation.)

While 1GB is not a huge amount of data for 30 days, it certainly will give her enough to allow her to regularly check her email, look up maps, and do a bit of Googling when she does not have access to Wi-Fi.

Chris will also take her iPad mini. She wants to be able to manage her emails and look up websites using the larger screen offered by that device (instead of always using her iPhone 6).

Rather than buy another SIM for her iPad, I have suggested that she utilise the data allowance of her iPhone's TravelSim when accessing the internet on her iPad.

She can do this by enabling her Personal Hotspot on her iPhone, and connecting to this Personal Hotspot from Settings->Wi-Fi on her iPad.

Find out more about using a Personal Hotspot in the below Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members.

• ​Use your Personal Hotspot to provide mobile data to your Wi-Fi only device

Many of you have attended our 'Travelling with your iPad and iPhone (and other Technology)' class, in which we look at (amongst other things) the options for keeping in touch via phone and internet while you are away.

We talk about the risk of 'bill shock' from using mobile data while travelling, and the options that you have for avoiding this nasty experience.

One of the options discussed is purchasing and using a 'travel SIM'.  These special SIMs provide you with relatively cheap call rates and, in many cases these days, also offer 'data packs' and 'bundles' that can give you access to reasonably priced mobile data.

​One such 'travel SIM' is actually called TravelSIM, and is available from Australia Post outlets or online.

Just today, I received an email from TravelSIM (as we have used this SIM previously in our travels), advising that there have been some changes to their 'Data Packs' - changes that are really worth a look!  

See below for the content of that email, which I thought many iTandCoffee subscribers and clients would find of interest.

At the 'Travelling with your iPad and iPhone' class held in June, we discussed some issues that you may incur with Messages and iMessage when you travel.  

We also discussed the issue of how best to protect yourself when travelling, and the option of using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing the internet while away.

The information provided to attendees at this class is provided below, just in case anyone else has plans to use Messages to communicate with those back home or wants to learn how ensure safe online browsing

(Contributor: Jim Coulston)
When I think of travel and my technology, I find myself reminded of the iconic catch-phrase from the ‘80’s AMEX advertisements; “Don’t leave home without it”.
 
We have all become more reliant on technology to manage our daily work and private lives.   

In an increasingly connected, on-line world, the relentless pull toward ‘mobile’ technology, whether in the form of the almost ubiquitous smartphone or tablet, seems unstoppable.
 
For the traveller, the attraction of staying connected with loved ones at home is obvious but the pleasure that comes with the freedom of being relieved of all those bulky paper itineraries, maps, guidebooks and the feeling of empowerment that comes with having the internet at your fingertips adds to the joy of modern travel. 

Of course, these feelings are reserved for the well-informed and well-prepared traveller. 
 
Like me, you probably know of travellers who’ve returned home to a horror phone bill because they didn’t have an appropriate phone or data plan for their travels.  Unfortunately, it's not necessarily a simple matter of taking your device with you!

Don’t let that happen to you, come along to iTandCoffee's 2-hour Travel with your iPad and iPhone session to find out about the best (and cheapest) options for staying connected while you travel, for both phone and internet.
 
If you’re planning a trip, whether for business or pleasure, Travel and Your iPad and iPhone offers great tips about using your iPhone and iPad to plan, hold your itinerary and plans, then all the things you need to know about using it when you are away - including great apps that are 'must-haves'.

Find your way around, find out what to see, book tickets, learn how to ensure that your carefully laid plans are stored and accessed securely and STAY SAFE while you’re on-line. 
 
Here are details of upcoming 'Travel with your iPad' sessions at iTandCoffee.  Just choose 'Sign up' to book!

(Contributed by Jim Coulston)
It’s coming up to 2 years since Lynette and I travelled to Europe, leaving our 4 children (aged 12 to 21) at home to fend for themselves.  The fact that we felt confident enough to leave the children had as much to do with our confidence that we could stay in touch as it did with our confidence in their capability and responsibility.  Our technology was such a key contributor to the success of our trip – in more ways than one.
 
We were in daily contact with our children via face-time, telephone and texts thanks to the modern technological wonder of the internet and travel SIM’s.   It cost us less than $150 for the entire 7 week trip.  Gone are the days when a trip to Europe meant being out of reach for all but the most serious and urgent matters!
 
While planning to be away for so long we had anticipated the possibility that there may be a crisis at home while we were on the other side of the world.  When our (stoic) older boy broke a bone in his hand the day after we had visitied the Colosseum, a Facetime video chat with him allows us to see that he needed medical attention.

While we weren’t there for the emergency hospital visit or the subsequent surgery and the various follow-up appointments (how lucky were we!), we were able to provide support and advice via phone, text and video calls whenever it was needed.

Like many travellers, we had planned our itnerary and booked our accommodation before we left, with the exception of our first week in Provence and our last week in England, which we planned on-the-run using some very useful travel apps.
 
While we were away, we used our iPhones (we didn't take a camera) to capture some magical photos of some of Europe’s iconic destinations.  These photos were then included in a series of photobooks (my therapy after every major holiday) which now grace our coffee table.
 
Some of my favourite photos:

​If you’re contemplating an overseas trip soon, why not join us for the ‘Travelling and your iPad/iPhone’ class on March 24? You'll hear also sorts of useful tips and information about taking your technology on a trip, and using it beforehand to prepare for that trip.
 
Travellers may also be interested in one of our favourite classes, the ‘Make a Photo Book’ class on May 2nd.

Each time I travel overseas, I find I discover a few new handy tips for travelling with an iPhone (or another mobile device). 

During our family trip to Vietnam in June/July 2016, I utilised a different option for phone/text access to that which I had previously used.  It was very easy and ended up very cheap.

I also discovered a great new feature of a popular app - one that gave a great 'photo journal' of our trip and mapped all the places we visited.

I'll be sharing these tips in the next 'Travelling with your iPad and iPhone (and other technology)' class on Friday August 5th, 11am-1pm.  

For those who are interested in reading about about these tips now, I have added them to the iTandCoffee Club Clubhouse, for iTandCoffee Club Members.  Here are the links to the relevant articles:

• Phone and text access while travelling overseas
• Have you discovered this great feature of the TripAdvisor App?

If you are interested in reading great tips like this, why not join The iTandCoffee Club today?  It is only $30 per year.  Find out more here.

A client who is travelling contacted iTandCoffee this week about a Hotmail issue she suffers when she travels.

This very same issue - where Hotmail locks a mail account if the user is more that 300km from their 'usual' location - happened to my daughter only recently, when we travelled to Vietnam during the June/July 2016 school holidays.  

Whenever she went to use her Mail app, her Hotmail emails could not be retrieved.  Additionally, she would get an email sent to the account's 'rescue email', saying that the account had been locked for security reasons.  She got a new email each time she move to a new city during out trip

This problem is not unique to Hotmail.

Find out more about this issue, and what you can do to ensure that you don't lose access to your email, in this Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members.

• How I ensure that I am not 'locked out' of my mail account when I travel?

Not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club?  It is only $30 per year.  Not only does it help fund this free newsletter, it also gives you access to a huge library of handy hints and tips, videos of iTandCoffee classes, free guide offers, and more.  Find out more here.