“What’s the wifi password?”

Usually that is one of my first questions to hotel or restaurant staff when I am traveling solo anywhere outside of the US. As a proud Millennial and a travel blogger, I am not ashamed to admit my love for the internet. I grew up with the privilege of having so much information at the touch of my fingers. Just for this blog alone, I am constantly connected for social media, google searches for trip ideas, writing blog posts for my site, or uploading countless of photos.

But as you already can tell, my love of travel runs deep and sometimes, I am in the middle of nowhere like the Alps or the Italian countryside where I have zero access to wifi that I rely on so heavily when I travel. Since I am not a full-time traveler, I cannot justify paying for the international phone traveling plan. I do have the ability to use my phone data abroad if needed, but it truly is cost prohibitive. And I don’t even know where to begin with purchasing sim cards at each destination and getting them in my iPhone.

In enters the wonderful pocket wifi device from Tep Wireless. I discovered them quite by accident after reading a blog post or catching an Instagram post about it early last year. After a quick google search, I was deep into reading all the info, blogs, and reviews of the device. Check out my review of the Tep Wireless Wifi device and how to stay connected while traveling!

How to stay connected while traveling

What exactly is the Tep Pocket Wifi?

Would be it cliche to say the Tep Pocket Wifi aka “Teppy” is a lifesaver? Probably- but it truly is one of my favorite pieces of tech that has saved my hide a few times. According to the Tep Wireless site, the Tep pocket wifi is your “ultimate travel companion” and I love that! Much like your using your phone with data, essentially this little device is a personal hot spot that can connect up to 5 devices that have wifi capabilities. That can be anything such as a tablet, laptop, phone, or even a game console! All you have to do is turn on the Teppy, locate the wireless network, enter the password, and you have connection! Super easy and very convenient!

Another notable feature is it’s portability. See above for size reference to my MacBook air and iPhone X. I usually stick this in my small cross-body purse when I travel so it is within hands reach if I need it quickly!

How does Tep Pocket Wifi work?

Much like a wifi modem at home, the Teppy is essentially a portable modem that offers unlimited internet each day in over 100+ countries. It is constantly trying to find the fastest speed possible. When you are in populated cities and such, there is more access to data ergo faster speeds. In more rural places in say like the Italian countryside, it may not work or it may work slowly. But it has not failed me yet!

Also, it should be noted that the battery life is pretty fantastic. When connected to Teppy, you can get up to 6 hours! I am hardly ever connected that long and I have had the battery last a few days before. But don’t fret because if your battery is getting low, you can easily charge it with a USB drive or with a wall plug- just be sure you have the appropriate adapters and converters. There are also external battery packs available so charging Teppy is super easy!

Why I use the Tep Pocket Wifi when I travel

Now are you ready for some #RealLife examples of how I have used Teppy in my travels??

Imagine being lost in the Italian countryside attempting to follow the address provided in the listing of your Airbnb. After circling the same road for 15 minutes and not finding the villa that looks exactly like the picture on the listing, you frantically panic. That was me this past April. I was exhausted after driving over from France and I was so ready to just lay on the bed for a quick minute to catch my breath. After my mini moment of panic, I fired up Teppy and to check and make sure I had the information correct. Lo and behold, I had a message from my Airbnb host that was sent after I left France with direct coordinates to the Airbnb since she said that the directions via GPS always lead travelers astray for some unknown reason! I honestly don’t know what I would have done without being able to check my Airbnb messages and use my phone GPS for navigation of the coordinates. Surprisingly, this has happened more than you realized and it has saved my butt a TON!

Another example was when I was in the lovely city of Amsterdam. Such a vibrant place with seriously so many people! I was so fortunate to find a fellow travel blogger who lived in in the city that I met in the Girls Love Travel group. I had followed her on Instagram and she was just the sweetest when she volunteered to drive me around to see the tulip fields and then visit Keukenhof Gardens while I was in the city. Before leaving my hotel, we agreed to meet at a certain location. After arriving to the location, I realized there was so much construction in preparation for the very popular Kings Day celebrations that were happening a few days later. That made traffic INSANE and at a standstill. Immediately, I fired up Teppy and sent off a few messages to Aimee and we were able to change our meet-up points. I could imagine that I would have stood there for hours before seeing her if it wasn’t for the ability to connect and send her a message. And I got to experience one of the most magical days of my life!

With my past experiences, I don’t think I would ever travel without this valuable device. It truly has become my most faithful travel companion and I cannot wait to test it out in new exotic locations in the future!

Do you have a method with how to stay connected while traveling? Have you ever been in a situation where a Tep Pocket wifi device would have been great to have? Share your experiences below!

xx,
Sami

**disclaimer: Tep Wireless provided me a free device and rental for an honest review of their product/service!
All opinions are my own!**

Sami Mastrario

The cool aunt. Plant novice who loves to travel to cool places, eat unadventurous food, and take pretty photos.

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