Travelling Tech – 5 Ways to Make Your Everyday Devices More Versatile

The other day, someone mentioned that you can use your smartwatch to find your phone, even when it’s disappeared down the back of the couch. Handy little trick, that. Especially if you’re the sort of person who spends half their morning looking for things that were in their pocket five minutes ago.

It does make you wonder what else you’ve been missing, though. Between all the apps, accessories and settings available these days, there’s an awful lot you can do with a few everyday gadgets. Some of it’s useful, some of it’s a bit gimmicky, and occasionally you’ll come across something that makes you think, “Well, why didn’t I know about that?”

1. A Different Strap Can Make a Big Difference

Smartwatches are a slightly odd fashion accessory when you think about it. You can spend ages choosing an outfit, getting the shoes right and deciding which jacket to wear, only to leave the same rubber strap on your wrist that you wore for a muddy trail run last weekend.

Not that there’s anything wrong with rubber straps. They’re comfortable, easy to clean and generally pretty good at putting up with whatever you throw at them. But they’re not necessarily what you’d choose for every occasion.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of Apple Watch bands to choose from. Some are sporty, some are fairly understated, and others look more like traditional watch bracelets. Personally, the appeal is being able to wear something comfortable during the day without being stuck with it when you’re heading somewhere a bit nicer in the evening.

And there’s not much to it. Pop one strap off, click another into place, and you’re done. You could even throw an extra one in your bag when you’re packing for a weekend away. It’s hardly going to take up valuable luggage space.

2. Your Phone Can Do More Than You Think

Ever found yourself dragging a laptop around all day, only to open it once to reply to three emails? It’s a familiar scenario, particularly if you work remotely or spend a lot of time traveling.

Next time, try packing a folding Bluetooth keyboard instead. Pair it with your phone, prop the screen up on a little stand, and you’ve got a perfectly workable setup for emails, documents and general admin.

Obviously, there are limits. Nobody’s suggesting you abandon your laptop altogether. But for a quick afternoon working from a cafe, or catching up on a few things while waiting at the airport, it’s surprisingly convenient.

And you’ll have considerably more room in your bag for the important stuff. Snacks, for instance.

3. Stop Making Your Devices Work Separately

It’s amazing how many people own several expensive gadgets without ever exploring how they work together.

If you’re using devices from the same ecosystem, you may be able to share files, copy text between screens, answer calls from your laptop or switch your earbuds between devices automatically. Even mixing different brands can work well with the right apps.

The catch is that some of these features need to be enabled first. So next time you’ve got twenty minutes to spare, have a proper look through your settings.

You might discover that the little annoyance you’ve been putting up with for the past year already has a solution. Which is mildly irritating in itself, but better late than never.

4. Make Charging Less of a Drama

A dead battery is annoying enough at home. When you’re out exploring a new city, relying on your phone for maps, tickets and payments, it becomes a rather bigger problem.

A decent power bank is worth its weight in gold on those days. You don’t need anything enormous, either. Unless you’re planning to spend several days away from civilization, a pocket-sized model should be plenty for topping up your phone while you’re out.

Hotel rooms can be a bit of a lottery when it comes to power outlets. Sometimes there’s one beside the bed, sometimes it’s hiding behind a desk, and occasionally you have to unplug a lamp just to charge your phone. A charger with several USB ports is a useful thing to have in your luggage.

One little tip: keep a spare charging cable permanently in your everyday bag. Don’t borrow the one beside your bed, because you will forget to put it back. And there’s nothing quite like discovering that halfway through a long train journey.

5. Put Some of Those Smart Features to Work

Most phones have a ridiculous number of features that never get used. Some are admittedly a bit pointless, but others can take care of small everyday hassles without much effort.

Take reminders, for instance. You know that thing you keep forgetting to buy, even though you’ve walked past the store three times this week? You can actually tell your phone to remind you when you get there. Assuming you’ve enabled location permissions, of course.

Then there are all the little settings that tend to get overlooked. Maybe you’d rather your work notifications didn’t follow you into the gym, or you want the lights on when you arrive home after dark. Depending on what devices you’ve got, there’s probably a way to arrange it.

The trick is not to get too carried away. Spending an entire weekend programming your lights to flash whenever someone sends you a message probably isn’t the best use of your time.

A couple of genuinely useful shortcuts are plenty to begin with. After all, the whole idea is to spend less time fiddling with your technology and more time enjoying whatever you’re using it for.