In today’s digital era, traveling has come a long way. From getting directions to navigating, making bookings to keeping in touch with your loved ones back at home – almost everything can be done on the go. But there is a key to unlocking all this convenience – internet data.

The traveling of today seems almost impossible without data. Each time Matt and I leave Singapore and touch down on foreign soil, the first thing we scout for – a phone shop to get a local data SIM. That happened for all of the 10 countries we went to earlier this year, and we found it time-consuming and stressful (if we did not manage to find one, or if it was too costly, or if the queues were too long). But this year just before our road trip to the USA, we discovered a better way – Changi Recommends Portable WiFi. Now prior to our trips, we quickly reserve our portable WiFi router in 3 easy steps. Here are 9 reasons why you should too. 

9 Reasons Why a Portable Changi Recommends Wifi Router is a Must-Have for your Travels

1. Public WiFi networks can be very dangerous to log in

When you arrive at the airport, is logging into the public WiFi network the first thing you do? Or when waiting for a layover, you find a cafe or restaurant based on them offering a public WiFi network and hit connect faster than ordering a drink. That sounds like us, and probably every millennial out there. In fact, this year alone, we logged onto over 30 hotspots during our traveling. Little did we know how dangerous it was to do so, much less take necessary precautions to protect ourselves. 

We know the existence of hackers from movies, but often wipe the dangers of the internet from our daily lives. In actual fact, hackers are closer to our reality than we can imagine. Logging onto ‘open’ unsecured WiF networks is extremely dangerous and entail malicious cyber threats, leaving us susceptible to hackers, snoops, malware, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Shockingly, it costs as little as “$50 to get the tools needed” for hacking (source). 

“The information that you enter or access on your computer while you are using it is accessible to everyone on the network. What hackers do is to intercept the communication…. they can get your user names, passwords, you name it.” (source)

This made it compelling for me to get my own portable WiFi network. Not only do I benefit from the convenience, but more importantly, safety and security. Last thing I want is to have hackers obtaining access to my emails, bank accounts and more. 

2. Stay connected 24/7

When the idea came to get a WiFi router, I was all on board. It is hard to imagine traveling nowadays with no internet data, for staying connected makes it so much easier. From getting directions, navigations, making calls, booking a ride (Uber), to updating our loved ones, and of course, updating our social media – a WiFi router ensures you get that all from your pocket. Staying connected also allows you to do a quick check online to ensure you do not get cheated by local vendors, and also find useful history and travel information about the places you go to – no more uncertainty or insecurity. As much as some trips are for digital detoxing, staying connected is key to efficient and safe travel. 

3. Save time for what matters

When reaching a new city, is the first thing you want to do is to find a phone shop, change your SIM, and subscribe to a new telco? Absolutely not! Traveling is about exploration and adventure, which does not start at a phone shop. Also, what happens if you take a red-eye flight and land at ungodly hours to find phone shops all closed? With your portable WiFi router, you can avoid all the hassle, and get connected the moment you land in your new city and get moving to your hotel. Save time for what really matters, exploring the city! 

4. Perfect for road trips & multi-city trips

Unlike in Southeast Asia where phone shops might be an easier find, it is not the case in other countries like the USA and Europe. We were touring California on a road trip earlier in April, and we were so thankful to have our WiFi routers from Changi Recommends, as we did not have to worry about scouting for phone shops to get new SIM cards with every city that we reached. You are literally connected 24/7, whichever city you get to.

Changi Recommends Multi-City Plan allows you to cross borders without worrying about losing your connection. Choose from their SouthEast Asia Package from just S$8/day, the Asia package from S$10/day and further countries like USA, Australia, Europe from just S$17/a day! If you are on a road trip or backpacking expedition, this is a must-have! 

5. A seamless experience like no other

The reservation takes only 10 seconds 

The booking is quick and easy. Simply head to the Changi Recommends reservations page, at least 3 working days prior to your flight, fill in your destination, collection date and time and point of collection and you are done! I would suggest the moment you buy your flights, to make a reservation for your routers so you do not forget nearing the trip. Cancellation of reservation is free anyway. 

You can even select ‘insurance’ for your router in case of loss for just $10 extra – how easy is that. 

Collect your router from 24/7 booths

On the day of your flight, even if it is a red-eye flight (after 12 midnight), fret not, for the Changi Recommends booths are open 24 hours. All you need to do is head to their counter to collect. You do not even need to make payment (done on return), just a deposit of $1. That’s it. It was unbelievable how fuss-free the entire process was, and the alternative of scouting for local shops to get local SIMs just pales in comparison. 

A booth in every terminal – both arrivals and departure

Changi Recommends has a booth in every terminal, so you do not have to worry about even taking the Skytrain between terminals just to get your router. And if that was not enough convenience, they have a booth in BOTH the Arrival AND Departure terminal* so your pick up and drop off is literally, right before you step in and out of the customs. Going through the entire experience was so seamless, I felt like it was like a concierge service. 

*For terminals 1, 2 and 4. Terminal 3 is at Arrivals. 

6. Say no more to hefty data roaming fees 

Ever got that bill shock when your phone bill arrived, no thanks to hefty data roaming fees? Though I must add that this is not even an option for me, for it is way too expensive an option (the telco I am using charges me $10-30 for 100MB). But if you have been paying tons more for that added convenience of ‘instant connection’, it is time to discover a much cheaper solution – portable WiFi routers.

Did I mention the routers are small so they can fit in your pocket? Plus they come with good battery life (6-8 hours) too. 

7. Unlimited data usage with fair usage policy*

Unlimited data does not come cheap these days, but the routers provided by Changi Recommends provides just that! Though to prevent network congestion and potential ‘abuse’, there is a fair usage of 500MB for selected countries. It is stated that if you exceed the fair usage, you may face a slower connection. That being said, during our USA road trip, we were streaming music and despite probably exceeding the fair usage, we did not experience drop-offs in the connection. Click here for spec details. 

8. A router can pair up to 6 connections – great for buddymoons!

Buddymoons are on the increasing trend. With Changi Recommends WiFi routers, you can connect up to 6 devices which makes it great to share! 

9. Enjoy FREE rental for your first day

Great news! For all routers, Changi Recommends waives your first day of rental. 

It’s more than just WiFi

Apart from providing portable wifi routers,

Changi Recommends also provides tons of other useful travel services such as Overseas SIM Card, airport transfer, tours and activities, and travel insurance, with more offerings in store! Stay tuned here.

www.changirecommends.com
Find their outlets here
 contactus@changirecommends.com
+65 6701 1185

This post was brought to you by Changi Recommends. 

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