We’re approaching the busiest travel time of the year. The number of travelers is expected to rise significantly this holiday season from Thanksgiving and New Years, especially after the past 2 years when travel was at its lowest.
If you’re planning to visit family or friends in a different city or state this year, be sure you’re prepared for the chaos that will likely ensue. Here are CyberGuy’s top 5 tips for traveling this holiday season.
Top 5 tips for this year’s holiday travel
1. Use a VPN to protect your privacy
Whether you’re logging onto the WiFi at an airport, a hotel, or somewhere else while you’re away from home, your privacy and information are at high risk if you’re not using a VPN. A virtual private network helps encrypt your data so hackers sharing these public WiFi networks can’t access it as easily. Unless you’re at home on your own safe WiFi network, you can’t be sure that you’re on a secure network so make sure you’re browsing with a VPN and have an Antivirus software set up.
You can use a VPN with some online banks while traveling (click here for more on that) and we’ve rated our top ones for the year over here. Our top pick is ExpressVPN and right now you can get 3 extra months FREE with a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s just $6.67 per month, a saving of 49%!
2. Get the latest travel accessories
From the travel tech to stay connected no matter where you are to the must-have coziest gifts to make those long trips easier, we’ve gathered the best travel gear right here.
Some of my personal favorites include the best Travel Dual USB Charger which is this Anker 36W dual USB-C charger. Plus these compression sac sets will CHANGE your packing game completely and make it a breeze for the whole family.
Get all of our top travel gear here:
3. Convert currency right on your smartphone
If you’re traveling internationally, don’t worry about the stress of having to mentally convert different currencies. You may want to check the price of something before purchasing it abroad, but you’re not sure how much it costs in USD. Instead of looking up the conversion rate and figuring it out yourself, use your phone’s camera or a simple app to get all of your currency conversions right on the spot.
iPhone currency converter
If you’ve updated your iPhone to iOS 16 (which you should! find our how-to update here) you now have a Live Text feature in the camera. That means if you open your iPhone camera and point it at any text or number, it can read it live. Use this feature for currency conversion by opening your camera app and pointing it at the price tag. Once the camera sees the numbers, tap the live text key which looks like this: 
. Then on the bottom left you’ll see a box pop up that contains the number – tap that, and you’ll see a conversion right there.
Android currency converter
If you’re traveling with an Android device and want to stay up-to-date with the latest currency conversions, download the Google app. It’s available for free on the Google Play Store and has lots of tricks your regular browsers don’t.
Just open the Google app, type “Convert [insert the price of what you’re converting here] to USD” and the number will pop up automatically based on the current global market.
4. Be ready to rebook a flight if you’re delayed or canceled
Have you ever wondered how certain people always seem to be able to rebook a canceled or delayed flight way more easily than you? You can also be a travel-tech geek and never miss that next flight again. We’ve gathered our top 4 tips including apps and insider information so you can always be ready in a pinch if your travel plans go awry.
5. Set up a personal hotspot wherever you go
The world has become more remote-work friendly, but there are also just times you need to browse the web in a more remote area. If you’re traveling somewhere off the grid and want to stay in touch with your family and friends, you’ll want to follow our tips for setting up a hotspot in all sorts of locations.
You may be able to set up a hotspot through your phone carrier or turn your phone into a hotspot itself. Either way, be sure you never get disconnected again!
How to set up a personal hotspot so you can stay connected from anywhere
More Gift Ideas from Kurt
- Best Holiday TV Deals
- 10 ways to upgrade your Christmas stocking for under $30
- Best gifts for women
- Best gifts for men
- Best Travel Gear
- Best gifts for keeping cozy all year long
- Best wireless earbuds you can find
- Best Bluetooth speakers
- Best gifts for teens for under $50
- Best tools for that handy person in your life
- 24 Most Amazing Gifts for Kids
- 21 Most Amazing Cooking Gifts
- Best Pet Tech Gift Guide
- Best Car Accessories Gift Guide
- Best Laptops
- Best Accessories to get for your laptop
- The best way to buy gift cards ever
- Protect your privacy and take advantage of these new savings on VPNs and Antivirus software.