Ask most modern travelers these days what’s the most useful thing in their backpack and I think the answer wouldn’t be surprising. It’s “the Internet.” I’m no scientist but sitting in the lobby of just about any hostel you”ll spot 2 out of 3 people on a computer or a smartphone. In fact, wifi and/or my iPhone are probably the two things that most consistently show up on my list of “things to bring to a deserted island.”
For my most recent backpacking adventure in Israel I had the opportunity to try out the mobile wifi service from XCom Global. The company offers portable wifi devices (my exact model shown above) which have a local SIM card inside giving you access to a wifi hotspot. I used the device above to stay connected on my iPhone during all my walking tours and other activities while sightseeing. For $15 a day I was connected 24/7 during my trip! My kit came with an extra battery as well, so I could stay connected even longer.
All-in-all the service worked pretty well. There were a few times where the connection was spotty—for example on a bus in the Negev desert—but they were times I probably should’ve been enjoying the scenery rather than playing Words with Friends anyways!
If you’re anything like me and need a way to stay connected while traveling, XCom Global’s service was easy to use and reliable. Even though Israel has pretty decent wifi connections, I found myself using the portable @xcomglobal wifi more regularly. It often took a minute or two to connect fully, but the service worked and it worked in places I didn’t always expect. I had wifi service on quiet roads in Palestine and inside the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, in the underground bars in Jaffa and on the beach in Tel Aviv. My biggest trouble was keeping my iPhone fully charged!
[box bg=”#c0c0c0″ color=”646464″]I mostly used portable wifi in Israel to check-in to places on Foursquare so that I’d remember all the amazing places I’d been. Check out my Foursquare guides to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv online![/box]
Learn more about XCom Global’s service and how you can use it on your next trip at their website www.xcomglobal.com. They offer the service in countries across the world so you never have to be without wifi while traveling!
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