When traveling, you may have noticed that WiFi connections still tend to be unreliable and slow, and in many circumstances you can’t get online at all. That’s why is handy to have access to offline apps, and offline media.
An Offline Wikipedia
You can download the entire Wikipedia to your mobile device (Android or iOS.). The text-only version of Wikipedia takes up only 4GB of space. Lots of useful information for travelers in there.
Use A VPN (Virtual Private Network) To Encrypt All Your Connections
A VPN (or virtual private network) is a service that encrypts and redirects all the internet connections on your computer. This means all the data leaving your computer is encrypted, which adds a layer of protection against hackers and eavesdroppers. This is really useful to have, especially if you use WiFi connections that you don’t trust.
Many services (such as Netflix) restrict access based on geography. You can avoid this by using a VPN — a VPN allows you to appear to be many different countries around the world.
I recommend using ExpressVPN — a reliable VPN provider with good customer support. See my full recommendations in my article The Best VPNs Providers.
Keep Your Passwords and Notes Offline and Secure
Bitwarden is now my recommended password manager. This free, open source application is a replacement for proprietary password managers like Lastpass and 1Password.
Bitwarden syncs your passwords across multiple devices, and the browser extensions fills in your logins automatically.
Offline Media (aka Your Entertainment)
Streaming video or music is too slow and troublesome when traveling. So, before you go, I recommend that you:
- Download all your media to a notebook computer or mobile device
Even if you have an iPhone or iPad, with the right apps, you can play almost every video or audio format. The secret is to use a cloud-based player like pCloud.
- You can transfer your media to your devices using these services
- They will play almost every type of audio or video file
- You can “favorite” the files you need offline on your device
If you can’t get access to your content in file form, you should probably look into Usenet.
If you need a universal media player, try VLC — a reliable open source video player.
If you need an open-source ebook reader for the iPhone, try YiBooks.
Plex: A Media Player For All Your Devices
Plex is a robust media cloud player, but you may find it takes some technical ability to get it working. But once installed, it generally works well.
Plex supports media downloading for offline use.
I noticed you recommended Express VPN over Private Internet Access, any reason for the change up? Btw, it’s good to see you back and posting again was starting wonder if the Trolls got you.
ExpressVPN tends to a bit faster and more reliable overall. PIA is still a good choice if you need all their privacy features.
ExpressVPN has also released some very useful apps for mobile devices and desktops (including a version for the OS X).