I was provided with a complimentary TravelTab and/or compensation to facilitate this review. The opinions in this post are 100% mine. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
My family loves to travel! We always have the best time exploring new places together. Recently we took a trip to Kissimmee, Florida and had so much fun (stay tuned for more on that!). I use my phone a ton when we’re on the road. I take tons of pictures, use the GPS a lot when we’re driving in a new place, and I might have a little addiction to social media. This not only kills my data plan but also my battery. I’m constantly in need of a recharge and who has time for that when you’re having fun with the kids? On this last trip we were offered a TravelTab to take with us and what a huge difference it made. The TravelTab is a device, the size of a Samsung Galaxy Note II, that you can use as a GPS, phone, camera, Internet, wi-fi hotspot and more. So while you’re using it to do all those things, you’re NOT draining the battery and minutes on your phone!
TravelTab Options
There are 3 different TravelTabs available. The Adventurer is the ‘fully loaded’ model and the one we used so I’ll show you more on that one further down the post. It includes Navigation (your GPS), a Wi-Fi Hotspot, a phone, and entertainment options (games, park maps, etc). The next level is the Roadster that includes Navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, and Travel Assistant. The Voyager is the basic model with just the Wi-Fi hotspot and Travel Assistant. The Travel Assistant app provides access to roadside assistance, rental car customer service and product support.
Here’s the important thing to remember: When you rent a TravelTab Adventurer at your car rental desk, you pay one fee for an UNLIMITED use of the data plan, GPS, and Wi-Fi hotspot (which supports up to 5 devices!). If you use the phone option (and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t traveling internationally and have an unlimited plan on my phone…and who talks on the phone anymore?!) you’ll be given pre-loaded credits to use for calls and texts every day which you can easily add to for one low fee.
A Look At the TravelTab Adventurer
As I mentioned above, we took the TravelTab Adventurer with us on our trip and had access to all of the awesome TravelTab features. When you rent yours at the car rental desk, this is how it comes.
This is a nice, solid case so the device is really protected. Tucked neatly inside is the charging cable that attaches to the car charger and the wall charger. Then behind that middle flap the TravelTab device is held in place with some stretchy bands just to keep it secure. You can easily pop it in and out of there. Nice and compact, everything you need. Perfect!
The first thing I did was hop on the Wi-Fi at the airport. I had a blog post I wanted to publish that morning and wasn’t doing much sitting at my gate, so I loved being able to just quickly fire up my laptop, connect to the hotspot, and get that piece of work off my chest. You can see how simple the home screen is which I really like. It’s not meant to be a contraption you have to figure out. It’s only meant to be useful…and it is!
Next to the Wi-Fi the thing we used most while traveling was the GPS. My battery was low so you can see I had the cord plugged into the car outlet while we were driving. This little guy easily got us from one place to the next (and we went all over the place on this trip!) without getting us lost once. So handy!
What Did We Think?
I loved having the TravelTab with us on this trip. First of all, the device itself is really nice. It’s a large screen and I love that it comes with both a car charger and an outlet charger. It’s easy to use and very intuitive. I didn’t need to read any directions to figure out how to get started. The two features we used the most were the GPS and the Wi-Fi hotspot. The GPS worked great and was awesome to have while we were in unfamiliar territory.
And the Wi-Fi hotspot…oh how I love thee. Why is there not wi-fi everywhere? Especially at the gates in the airport. It’s a great time for me to catch up on some emails and work and with no wi-fi I can’t use my laptop. So I was thrilled that the TravelTab made it so easy for me to connect and get a couple of things done before we took off. Also, if you’re sucking down your data plan on your phone, connect to the hotspot and save your plan. Love that!!
Learn more about how the TravelTab options can save you money and time on your next trip. They have tons of great info on their website and you’ll stay on top of all the latest news by following along on Twitter and Facebook.
Next time you’re traveling, remember to look into the TravelTab to make your trip run smoothly…and save that phone battery for all the awesome pictures you need to take!
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