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Your Tech Makeover is a practical tech podcast for everyday people who want clearer answers about phones, passwords, Wi-Fi, smart home devices, online safety, and AI, without the jargon.
If technology often feels harder than it should, you are not alone. Frank Bravo breaks down what matters in plain English so you can make better choices, avoid common mistakes, and feel more confident day to day.
Each episode focuses on one topic you can use right away: backups, scams and phishing, subscriptions, cloud storage, video calls, travel tech, accessibility, and more. The goal is simple: help you get more out of the tech you already own.
New episodes drop every two weeks. Listen wherever you get podcasts, and visit YourTechMakeover.com for show notes and links.
00;00;00;09 - 00;00;19;00
So picture this. You just landed from a long flight. You're a little exhausted, a little disoriented, and you need to find your hotel. You pull out your phone to open Google Maps and you realize your data is not working for some reason. Then you notice your battery is already at 22%. You dig through your bag for the charger and you realize you pack the wrong one.
00;00;19;00 - 00;00;42;27
Or maybe you pack the right one, but the outlet in your room uses a different plug. And then the hotel WiFi is asking for a password that is printed on a card that is sitting on the front desk, which is on the other side of the building. None of this is a disaster, but all of it was completely avoidable.
00;00;42;29 - 00;01;05;03
Welcome to your Tech Makeover, the podcast that gives you tips and tricks to help you simplify and get more out of the technology in your life. I'm your host, Frank Bravo. Today's topics are about travel tech preparation, specifically what you want to pack, what to download before you leave, and what settings you have to make sure you turn on or change or turn off so that your device actually works well while you're away.
00;01;05;03 - 00;01;28;01
Instead of becoming one of those more stressful things that happen when you travel. This is another one of those checklists episodes. You know, I love checklists episodes because you can listen once and come back wherever you want into the list and be able to get ready for that trip right away. It seems like I've been talking a lot about airports lately or travel, but with summer right around the corner, this stuff is super important, so let's get into it.
00;01;28;04 - 00;01;49;04
So first talk about the physical gear, because no amount of setting changes will save you if all your devices are dead when you get to where you are going. A single most important thing you can bring on any trip is a portable battery, also called a power bank. These are small, rechargeable devices that hold extra power to charge your phone, your tablet, your earbuds without needing an outlet.
00;01;49;05 - 00;02;11;06
If you do not have one, you need to go get one right now. They range from very small and affordable to very large capacity. So for most travelers, you want to get a mid-size power bank that has 1 or 2 ports on it so that you can charge wherever you are. Now, I did an episode a little while ago talking about airports and airplanes and traveling with these devices.
00;02;11;06 - 00;02;30;13
You're going to want to go back and find that episode so that you understand what is too small, what is too big, and how to really use them on a plane. So next, think about your charger situation. If you're traveling domestically, you probably have everything you need, but you want to consider maybe a multi-port USB charging brick. So these are one of those things that you plug into the wall.
00;02;30;13 - 00;02;49;17
And then you can plug one or 2 or 3 different things into it. Instead of fighting for outlets in a hotel with your travel companions, sometimes this is the best way to do it, so you can charge everything from one adapter. Angler has one, and it's a brand that I see come up repeatedly really well, and it's widely available, but there's a lot of really solid options out there.
00;02;49;18 - 00;03;21;27
If you're traveling internationally, you're going to want to make sure you have a universal travel adapter. Countries use different shaped outlets, and some of them even use different voltages. A universal travel adapter lets you plug all your devices into these foreign outlets without having a problem. Note that travel adapters are not all the same voltage converters, so you want to make sure that wherever you're going, you understand what kind of power you need to transfer your hotel room into your hairdryer, your appliances, your phone, whatever it might be.
00;03;21;27 - 00;03;41;22
So you want to check those labels. Also, take a moment to look at the cables you're packing if they're for the right devices. Now, this might sound obvious, but it's a common mistake that I actually had made this last time I traveled. If you pack USB-C cables for your phone that takes a lightning connector, or if it's the other way around, you may end up with the wrong cable.
00;03;41;23 - 00;04;06;13
Lay everything out before you pack. Plug things together to make sure that everything works the way you think it should. One more physical item worth mentioning. If you have earbuds or headphones, make sure they are charging with that necessary cable as well. And if you need an adapter for the airplane, make sure they're in your bags. Losing the flights worth of entertainment because your earbuds died is not the end of the world, but it's completely avoidable.
00;04;06;15 - 00;04;26;01
So now let's talk about what you want to download before you leave. Because this is the part most people skip and then they hugely regret it. One of the biggest things is online maps or online maps for offline. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps let you do this. They let you download a map to an area that you're going to on your phone.
00;04;26;02 - 00;04;46;17
That means the map will work even if you have no data or no Wi-Fi. Before the trip, open whatever map app you're using and download the area that you're going. If it's Google Maps, tap the profile picture and then select Offline maps. Choose the region to download and then you're all set. In Apple Maps, the process is pretty similar, where it's under your profile settings.
00;04;46;17 - 00;05;04;27
You want to do this on Wi-Fi the night before, before you leave, so that you are knowing that you have maps. If you're going to drive when you get there, you're also going to want to make sure you download your airlines app if you've not done already. Most airlines let you save boarding passes directly to the app or into a wallet, even if you prefer paper boarding passes.
00;05;04;27 - 00;05;26;13
Having the app as a backup, it has saved many times people before. If you're going somewhere where English is not the primary language, make sure you download something like Google Translate before you leave. Actually, Apple iPhones have the built in now as well. It works really well offline for many languages, and there's a camera feature in a lot of them that you can point your phone at.
00;05;26;15 - 00;05;46;21
See a text translation and make sure that you understand exactly where you're going before you go there. Next, if you use Spotify or Netflix or other some streaming services, you're going to want to download your content before you leave. I do this before I get on a plane, so that I know that if the Wi-Fi in the plane is not working, I can still watch the things that I want to watch.
00;05;46;22 - 00;06;00;20
You're going to want to look for that download icon next to the content you want to save. And again, you're going to want to do this the night before you get on your flights. And finally, if you don't have a currency converter and you're going to a place that needs to have one, you want to make sure you download one.
00;06;00;20 - 00;06;18;16
You can also ask your voice assistant to do the conversion for you. Either of those work, but the goal is not to have to do mental math at a restaurant counter while people are waiting behind you. A quick shout out to listeners like you help your tech make over possible. Your support helps keep this podcast going and I truly appreciate it.
00;06;18;17 - 00;06;37;04
Want to contribute? Just click the link in the show notes or visit your Tech Make Overcome Plus as a special thank you support who give $25 or more will get $25 off a one time consultation with me to help you simplify your tech. Thanks for being part of the Your Tech Makeover community. Now back to what I was saying.
00;06;37;07 - 00;06;59;29
So here's a section that most people don't think about until something has gone wrong. The settings you should change or turn off before you leave the house. First and foremost, make sure you back up your phone before you leave for your trip. I cannot stress this enough. If your phone gets lost, stolen damage, whatever while you're traveling. A reason backup means that you're not losing your photos, your contacts, and everything else.
00;07;00;03 - 00;07;15;23
I've had episodes about this already, but I'll mention it here as well. On an iPhone, you're going to want to go to settings. Tap on the name and then iCloud, and then iCloud backup. And you want to make sure that that backup now is either done or it says that it was done really recently on an Android device.
00;07;15;23 - 00;07;34;21
The path varies by manufacturer, but usually it's under settings, under Google, then back up. If you don't do this the night before, make sure you do it. When you get to the airport and you're on Wi-Fi, you want to make sure you're plugged into because it's just better that way. It may take a few minutes to set up, but it could save you a lot of heartache later on.
00;07;34;23 - 00;07;54;21
The next thing you want to do is check your data roaming situation. If you're staying in the United States, you can skip this step. But if you're traveling internationally, this is critical. Data roaming means that your phone connects to the network in the country you're visiting. The problem is that some international plans you may not have roaming or roaming charges may be very expensive.
00;07;54;24 - 00;08;18;29
Like I accidentally spent hundreds of dollars expensive. Contact your carrier before you leave and add an international plan if you need to travel abroad. Most carriers offer a day pass or a monthly international option, so that they are way more reasonable than paying this extra expensive. Another option might be getting a different SIM card or an eSIM, which is a digital SIM card that goes right into your phone.
00;08;19;01 - 00;08;44;08
Many travelers find SMS are way easier from local carriers than their carriers at home each other way. Make sure that your destination is set up before you land. The other thing you might want to turn off is automatic updates while you're traveling. By default, your phone downloads and installs updates from your apps in the background. If you're on a limited data plan or you're on hotel Wi-Fi, which may be really slow.
00;08;44;12 - 00;09;08;20
Those silent updates can eat through the data and slow your connection even further without realizing it. You want to go to your settings on your iPhone and go to the App Store and toggle off app updates under Automatic download. On Android, you want to go to the Play Store, tap your profile, go to settings, and under Network Preferences, change the Apollo Preferences to Wi-Fi only or turn it off for your entire trip.
00;09;08;26 - 00;09;27;23
You're going to want to make sure that your Find My or Find My devices on Android is also turned on before you leave. This is important because if you leave your phone somewhere, you can use another device to maybe figure out where it was. In some cases, if it gets taken, you can lock it remotely and make sure that nobody gets access to your data.
00;09;27;24 - 00;09;48;06
I've done episodes about this before, so go back in the feed or if you are curious about them, you can't find them. Send me an email at Franken Tech Makeover and I'll make sure I get you set up. You're going to want to make sure that you set up your phone to have a Pin or a passcode or face ID before you travel, because you're going to be in a lot of weird places and a lot of places you're not used to.
00;09;48;06 - 00;10;14;11
And in those public situations, you're going to want to make sure that if your phone does get taken, that it has an extra layer of security on it. And then finally, one other quick tip that is more practical than technical. Before you leave, take photos of your important documents and store them somewhere accessible, even without the internet. Maybe take a photo of your passport photo page, your travel insurance information, your hotel confirmation.
00;10;14;12 - 00;10;33;12
This way, you can make sure that it's saved in your library, on your phone, or maybe in a notes app. Even if you don't have cloud storage available, it's something happens to your bag or your wallet. At least you have a copy of the documents so that you can show them to somebody, which may make your situation a little more manageable.
00;10;33;14 - 00;10;50;12
So none of this really takes that long. The gear side of things is mostly a one time setup. Once before you leave, I put it in a special bag so that I know that I can pick it up and everything is in there. I got extra copies of cables so that I have everything I need when I travel.
00;10;50;16 - 00;11;10;23
The downloads may take a little bit more time on Wi-Fi the night before, and the setting changes is something that takes a few minutes. Just remember you to set them back when you get back the whole trip. Pre-trip tech prep system is something that you can knock out in an evening in less than an hour, and if you go do it a couple of times, it will become second nature.
00;11;10;23 - 00;11;31;19
I know that before I leave for a trip, I make sure I download those shows I want to watch on the plane and just make a quick trip and make sure that I make sure that everything in my bag is there. The bigger shift is remembering the things about your devices before you leave. Sometimes you may think about your clothes or your toiletries, but you don't think about your phone or your digital life.
00;11;31;20 - 00;11;51;22
A little preparation goes a long way towards making sure your tech is working for you on the trip, instead of working against you. So what's one thing from today's episode that you never thought about before a trip? I'd love to hear from you. Let me know. And as always, if you have ideas for topics you'd like me to cover, please feel free to email me at Frank at your Tech Makeover.com
00;11;51;25 - 00;12;09;16
That's it for now. Thanks for listening to your tech makeover, if you haven't already. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss an episode. And if you're on Substack, make sure you subscribe there to the newsletter so that you're alerted when new contact is posted. That is free, you know. So go ahead over to Substack and do that right now.
00;12;09;24 - 00;12;23;18
You can also check out your tech makeover, where you can find out more information about each episode. And if you want to find out more about me, please visit Bravo. Until next time, I'm Frank Bravo, and this has been your tech makeover.