Gear, accessories & essentials
Phones, network connections, gps
We always have at least 4 phones. Each of us has the main phone and the spare one. Nowadays, to lose a phone during a journey (we damaged 1, have stolen 1, very often simply one of the phones died or couldn’t find a network) is something you have to avoid. In some situations, it might be safer to use the older phone for photos – for many reasons.
To protect the phones we use have duty cases full-body Armorbox case from i-Blason. The cases save our phones everyday – drops on the floor, on rocks, into the water and the front cover works with fingerprint (setting though needs a lot of patience). i-Blason does cases for Samsung Galaxy, Iphones, Ipads, Google Pixel, Huawei and watches.
The phones are used as sat navigation and that’s another reason why the 2nd, spare phone is very useful.
e-SIM
e-SIM is a game changer for travellers – you get connected just after landing in the country. I’ve tried a few and stayed with Maya Mobile and I do recommend e-SIM for many reasons. The process of buying and setting up is very easy, without downloading an app, without stupid confirmations, passwords, authotisations – just chose the country or region, chose the the card, pay and it’s all – the QR code is sent to your email or avaliable online.
Maya Mobile offers the best network providers in each country, they do have humans working in 24/7 customer service, the e-SIMs work as promised and Maya has the best feedback score and they offer lots of plans depending on for how many days you need the data and how much data do you need. The best is to set up online account – it allows to buy additional data on the go if needed.
You can download the card and have it ready the same day, however I always buy in advance, set it up and then just switch on when already in the destination.
Travelling or at home I always use Nord VPN – works great and doesn’t slow the connection
Photos and Videos
Most of the photos and videos have been taken with our Samsung phones.
Underwater photos and videos:
We use AKASO V50 X Action Camera bought on Amazon. We have been using it for 2 years now and the protective case really deals very good with salt water. The camera is not so expensive, so if it will be lost or damaged it won’t be as bad as losing a phone.
Snorkelling masks
I start with a snorkell – the best is Cressi Alpha Ultra Dry not only for us but you can read all reviews online, the main feaure is a float mechanism which closes instantly to prevent water from entering the snorkel – it was a game changer for me as I was always worried about the open snorkel – water and all that can get there it always made me anxious and prevented from enjoing snorkelling.
Other features worth mentioning are angled mouthpiece and reduces jaw fatigue
Mask
We learned that the way the mask fits your face is the key, the bad quality of seals will make the mask leaking sooner or later. The small space inside is better for preventing fogging.
Again Cressi – it’s Italian, well known brand. They do high top masks but we are good with Cressi Big Eyes Evolution Mask – soft, wide skirt, very good headband and good view area.
” Dual-density silicone skirt flexes for a perfect seal along the face and full support around the frame
• Ribbed facial skirt provides support where needed for a soft, flexible fit
• Micrometric adjustable buckles allow precise headband adjustments • Possibility of mounting optical lenses”
If you’re looking for mask and snorkel the set is cheaper than both bought separately:
Full Face Cressi model Duke The full face mask allows to breath through nose, the seals on this mask are soft and comfortable (we tested some cheap ones first – we bought 2 , only 1 did not leak the first time, started to leak after a few days of using).
Please note there are 3 sizes available for the Cressi Full Face masks – there is an instruction how to take the measurement and chose the right size.
There is also an option of the mask with camera attachement Cressi Duke Full Face with Action Cam Holder
Swimming shoes
We take them always, they turned out to be usefull on white sand beaches when the sand was so hot it was impossible to walk. We buy the cheapest ones ! These can be fold and pack into the “under seat” baggage.
We don’t have fins or safety jackets, these are simply to big to carry and if needed we rent them.
Chargers, charging, power banks
Do not assume you will find USB slots in every hotel, airport, plane. Always check what power sockets are in your destination and buy an adapter!
Buying a few cheap adapters to charge a few devices at once never work – they’re charging very slow, don’t work at all, don’t fit, get hot and can damage your phone.
The best I’ve used are made by SKROSS . If you’re going to need a few different adapters you can try their multiadapters.
You will need powerbank when you will be going to sleep in lodges in national parks, campings or going out for all day – taking photos, using maps, searching for a newtwork, losing network and connecting again might drain your phone battery quite fast.
