In the days before digitality, all the world traveller needed was their passport, stout walking shoes and shiny beads to placate the indigents. Now, of course, things are way more complex, with biometric scans, odd-shaped plug sockets and, most inconvenient of all, lack of access to a handy roaming Wi-Fi gadget for out-of-country explorations, all combining to make you wish you’d stayed at home and watched a Netflix travelogue instead.
Help, however, may well be at hand. At least on the phone network front. For just US$149.99, you can be the proud owner of the internet-in-a-day-glo-orange box, a handy multi-country Wi-Fi gadget you can pop in your carry-on luggage. Officially known as the
Skyroam Solis, this indispensable little gadget is said to offer 4G LTE data connections in more than 110 countries, meaning that accidentally downloading half an episode of Game of Thrones in a Warsaw Travelodge will never again oblige you to part with your least favourite organ just to pay the roaming charge.
To be upfront, in addition to the one-off payment of $149.99, there is a pay-as-you-go charge for your out-of-country connectivity. This ranges from $9 per 24 hours to $99 for a whole month of Wi-Fi wandering. For those juggling a multitude of devices, the system can actually handle up to five simultaneous connections. It also comes with a built-in 6,000mAh powerbank, ensuring that you’ll have several hours of connectivity at least before you have to tackle that incompatible socket conundrum.
Images and video: Skyroam