Unlimited WiFi when Traveling Overseas

Every time we travel, we have to do research how to stay connected with our family and friends back home. This includes the usual social media channels, emails and various chatting apps. We’ve tried so many options that we know what would work for us, and what is the most cost efficient method!

Long ago, we would get a Data Bridging Plan from our current telco, and activate it when we start our holidays. How this works is paying a premium price for our current Telco & their partnering company in the foreign country. While the connection was relatively stable (dependent on the foreign Telco’s, it had a limit on the data. And when we received a call from home, it was quite expensive!

Then we tried getting an Unlimited Data pre-paid SIM card from the foreign country. This worked out really quite well. It was cheap, and we could use our phones like how we would back home, and not worry about additional cost. However, all phone calls made to the Singapore number would not go through. You are only contactable via the foreign pre-paid number. You can of course subscribe to the Call Forwarding service which costs a bomb for every phone call that comes through!

This June, when we went London/Paris, we tried something new! The WiFi router from Changi Recommends. This is how it works. I rent the router for the duration of our trip, and bring it with me everywhere I go. When we are in the foreign land, the router taps on …..

And voila! We get unlimited data as long as the router is switched on. Oh wait, it’s not just me that gets to tap on the router. Up to 8 users can do so. Thus, the entire family had no issues tapping on the Wifi! It was perfect for our family holiday!

Here’s how it worked out for our family! When we landed in London, I switched on the router. We waited for about 15 seconds for the router to get connected to one of the UK’s WiFi network. Then I switched on my phone, and searched for the router’s WiFi point. I typed in the given password and I was connected! I started receiving the 47 emails, 23 Whatsapp messages and could surf my Facebook and Instagram to keep myself updated!

The next step, I got the husband, my dad and mum to do the same! They keyed in the password and they could start surfing too!  No disruptions, totally smooth for every one! We added in the tablet and laptop when we reached our hotel too. We could hook up to 8 devices at any one time! Amazing! And it was secured network too!

The router is small (like an iPhone 5) and very light (120g). In fact, when I went for a run, I had my phone in one pocket and the router in the other. I did that to keep my phone’s GPS switched on to track my run. I didn’t feel any extra weight, and the run was tracked without any interruptions.

 

Needless to say, when we toured the city, we could stay in touch as a family (as long as we stayed together). We could post our photos on Social Media in the far out remote places like Stonehenge. When we had coffee breaks at Mac’s or a Café, we saw many logging on to the Free WiFi available. And we also saw many frustrated faces because of the slow connection. Our family had none of that. Our connection remained stable and secured. Out in the far out country, prehistoric Stonehenge, and we had stable WiFi! Woohooo!

And what I really liked was how I could keep my Singapore number. I remained contactable for any emergencies back home. There was no call-forwarding and I didn’t have to get people saving a strange foreign number to their contact list.

So how do we get this router?

Simply pick up and drop off the Wi-Fi router at any Changi Recommends booths located in Singapore Changi Airport

• For Online Reservation

• For Walk-In Customer

And what’s the cost like? It’s a per day charge. This is updated as of 30 Jun 2015:

Now this is going to be our choice when we are overseas. It may add up significantly if you are away for a long trip. But if it is a short holiday, this is without doubt my choice. Get more information here

 

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored conversation for Changi Recommends. But all opinions are 100% my own.