Spent $500 on a mobile hotspot and it just saved my trip in Portugal

I was in Lisbon last week and my Airbnb's wifi went down for three days straight. I dropped $500 on a GlocalMe hotspot before I left and honestly it paid for itself in that one week. Without it I would have missed a client call and lost way more than that. Has anyone else found a solid backup internet option that actually works overseas?

3 comments

3 Comments

val9743d ago

@the_felix nailed it about the unlocked thing. I learned that the hard way with my first hotspot in Japan, ended up stuck with a brick that only worked on one network. The GlocalMe saved me too in Italy last year when my phone got pickpocketed and I had to do a bunch of video calls for work. People forget that local SIMs can be a pain if you're hopping between countries or your phone's locked to a carrier. Those little boxes are way more reliable than hotel wifi, which always seems to crap out right when you need it most. I keep mine in my backpack now even for domestic trips, just in case.

the_felix4d ago

...and honestly I feel like portable hotspots are one of those things you dont realize you need until you're stuck desperately trying to use hotel wifi to upload a file. My buddy brought one to Morocco last year and it saved his whole trip after his eSIM stopped working on day two. Just gotta make sure the device is unlocked and compatible with local networks, otherwise you're basically holding a $500 paperweight.

kim_mason554d ago

Ugh, idk, I've never had a problem just using hotel wifi and my phone plan honestly.