TRAVELLERS have discovered a nifty hack that means they can use their phone abroad, without having to pay costly data roaming fees.
Not having access to certain phone features can make life difficult for holidaymakers trying to navigate a new country.
GettyPeople have been told to download maps on Google Maps for offline use[/caption]
But the alternative can often result in a pricey phone bill, with roaming costs for international data sometimes very expensive.
Luckily there are ways around that with one very clever function in particular allowing users to access maps on their phone, even while they’re offline.
Certain maps on Google maps can actually be downloaded and made available for offline use, meaning users don’t need to be online to find their way around.
They simply need to open the Google maps app, zoom in to select the area or search for the city’s map that they want to download.
Then they are able to access it, even while in airplane mode, to prevent those costs from piling up.
In a list of useful 21 travel hacks, Acko listed it as the number one hack travellers should be utilising when travelling abroad.
They wrote: “This is a great travel hack as you might not have continuous internet access while travelling to a new country.
“Even though offline maps offer limited features compared to online maps, they come in handy while navigating in a new city.
“You can now access the marked area even when you have patchy internet or even in aeroplane mode. Make sure to download offline maps when you have access to a good internet connection.”
Google’s support page explains that once downloaded, “your offline maps will guide you to your destination as long as the entire route is within the offline map”.
It’s not the only nifty phone app that can help travellers abroad, without them needing to spend loads on data.
Tiktoker and travel expert Lexi (@travel.w.lex) showed how she always gets her orders right when going to restaurants abroad, by using her phone.
In a video, she showed off the Google Translate camera function, which she uses to change the language of any menu she’s looking at.
Just like Google Maps can download certain cities’ maps, certain languages can be downloaded on Google Translate, meaning the app can be used offline too.
The Sun Travel team’s holiday essentials
WITH decades of experience and hundreds of countries under their belt, the Sun Travel team have shared some of the essential items they always pack on a trip.
Here are some of the game-changing items we always pack – and some will barely cost you a thing.
Lisa Minot, Head of Travel – Global travel plug with USB (£64 from One Adaptr)
Caroline McGuire, Travel Editor – Hotel Slippers
Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor – Pack of 40 earplugs (£40 from Amazon)
Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor – 1 litre water bottle (£8.99 from Amazon)
Ryan Gray, Travel Reporter – Bluetooth eye mask (£16.50 from Amazon)
Giuli Graziano, Travel Writer – AirTag luggage location tracker (£29.99 from Amazon).
Therefore both communication and navigation no longer need to be a problem for tourists, who also don’t want to spend a fortune on roaming costs.
Other cool phone hacks also include the popular iMessage function that lets people track your flights.
Simply sending them your flight number invites them to access information about when you’re due to arrive, if there are any delays and how long the flight will take.
This is useful for people who might be picking others up from the airport – and will have no communication with them while they’re flying.
Sun Online Travel’s resident flight attendant revealed that passengers should use their phones at airports before they go on holiday – instead of relying on the information from the screens.
They said: “Waiting for the information to be updated on the board cuts into precious time that you might not have in the airport, when it’s important to get to your gate as soon as you can.
“That information is coming from the airlines, but it’s not coming as quickly as it could.
“What I always do instead is Google the flight number and prefix – there are several websites that provide up-to-date information long before it appears on the departures board.”
Meanwhile, this frequent traveller revealed their favourite phone hacks when going abroad.
And people have been warned against using this phone flight hack.
GettyUsing Google Maps while abroad can help people navigate new cities[/caption]