Stay Connected During Your Labour Day Camping Trip
By Mike Agerbo
August 27, 2013
Lifestyle
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Technology has allowed us to be connected 24/7, which some might not see as a benefit. Especially when it comes to vacations. To be honest, I see it as a tremendous benefit. As a business owner, it has allowed me to extend my summer vacations by giving me the opportunity to connect with customers and the office for a couple of hours during the day. A couple of hours a day spent addressing urgent emails and supporting my team on big projects often means I can add an extra couple of days to my camping trips. While being connected when you’re among nature on a camping trip may seem impossible, I have some tips to make it a reality.
First, you need to be able to get connected to the Internet. From my experience, most campgrounds provide some type of WiFi access. While they may charge for this perk, it’s a small price to pay. Using an app like Camp Finder for iOS will allow you to search more than 18,000 campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada to make sure you can get WiFi and more importantly – power! Another option for connecting to the Internet is to use your smartphone’s data connection to supply Internet access to your computer. This is known as tethering. In many cases, if our campground is close enough to civilization, I'm able to tether my smartphone to my laptop and just use my existing data plan.
Another great tool I rely on during camping trips is the Blueant T1 Bluetooth headset. This is great for keeping me hands-free if I'm Skyping on my computer or making calls on my smartphone. It will also reduce the sound of wind noise up to 22mph so no one needs to know that I’m out camping – a great feature!
Now chances are that if I’m on vacation, I’m with my kids. Keeping three teenagers entertained often means that I’m out and away from my access to power for long periods of time. This can become challenging when my phone dies. That’s where my favourite Mophie products come in. The Mophie Juice Pack Reserve or Mophie Juice Pack Battery cases will extend the life of my iPhone making it possible to use my GPS for directions and still have enough juice to have a client call after.
Finally, when we’re camping or vacationing, I always teach my kids to think about safety first. Of course, this applies to my trusty devices as well, which is why the Otterbox defender series cases for iPhone, iPad, or Samsung Galaxy are my go-tos while I'm roughing it. Not only will they protect your smartphone and tablet form the occasional fall and bump, they'll also protect them from water and sand!
What tools do you use to stay connected while you’re out camping or on vacation? Tell us about them in the comments section below.
First, you need to be able to get connected to the Internet. From my experience, most campgrounds provide some type of WiFi access. While they may charge for this perk, it’s a small price to pay. Using an app like Camp Finder for iOS will allow you to search more than 18,000 campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada to make sure you can get WiFi and more importantly – power! Another option for connecting to the Internet is to use your smartphone’s data connection to supply Internet access to your computer. This is known as tethering. In many cases, if our campground is close enough to civilization, I'm able to tether my smartphone to my laptop and just use my existing data plan.
Another great tool I rely on during camping trips is the Blueant T1 Bluetooth headset. This is great for keeping me hands-free if I'm Skyping on my computer or making calls on my smartphone. It will also reduce the sound of wind noise up to 22mph so no one needs to know that I’m out camping – a great feature!
Now chances are that if I’m on vacation, I’m with my kids. Keeping three teenagers entertained often means that I’m out and away from my access to power for long periods of time. This can become challenging when my phone dies. That’s where my favourite Mophie products come in. The Mophie Juice Pack Reserve or Mophie Juice Pack Battery cases will extend the life of my iPhone making it possible to use my GPS for directions and still have enough juice to have a client call after.
Finally, when we’re camping or vacationing, I always teach my kids to think about safety first. Of course, this applies to my trusty devices as well, which is why the Otterbox defender series cases for iPhone, iPad, or Samsung Galaxy are my go-tos while I'm roughing it. Not only will they protect your smartphone and tablet form the occasional fall and bump, they'll also protect them from water and sand!
What tools do you use to stay connected while you’re out camping or on vacation? Tell us about them in the comments section below.