While visiting new places is wonderful, going through the airport isn’t always the most pleasant experience. Between lengthy security checks and long, uncomfortable flights, we often use our gadgets to help pass the time. Here are some helpful tips for flying with electronic devices that can make your next travel experience a more pleasant one.
1. Pack All Electronics Together
A regular part of getting on a plane is going through the security checkpoint, where you typically need to take laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices out of your bag and put them in separate tubs before you go through the checkpoint. You can make this process a bit less chaotic by packing your electronic devices together and ensuring you have easy access to them.
2. Know What You Can Bring
Most consumer electronics use lithium batteries that are small enough to bring on commercial airlines, but knowing what you can or can’t bring onto an airline is always beneficial. There are special rules for flying with larger lithium batteries. If you’re ever unsure about a specific device, you may want to check ahead and get confirmation from the airline.
3. Avoid Public Networks
Many public Wi-Fi networks are less secure than home networks, and airports are a common place for hackers or other people to collect valuable data from publicly connected devices. As tempting as it may be to get on your laptop while you wait for your flight, we don’t recommend this. If you must connect to the airport Wi-Fi, we suggest having a virtual private network (VPN) to protect your data from potential threats.
4. Pre-Install Entertainment
You’re probably going to use your phone or other devices on airplane mode while you’re on your flight. Many planes currently offer Wi-Fi, but that may come at an additional cost. A helpful tip for flying with electronic devices is to have some entertainment options on your phone ahead of time, such as podcasts, movies, or games that you can play offline. Long flights go by faster with entertainment, and for a particularly long flight, you may also want to bring a portable charging bank.
