As a solo traveler, some of the biggest friends that you will have as you travel will be your gadgets, and whether you rely on your cell phone, tablet or laptop computer, there are ways that you can get the most of these tools as you travel. The best tech travel hacks will help you to extend the use you can make from your devices, and add functionality without increasing the costs of your travel. Here are six tips that can prove useful and help to make travel much easier without causing you great inconvenience in order to do so.

 

Save Your Google Maps Offline

Google Maps is a great tool for finding out where you are and for getting directions to your next destination, but if you are traveling internationally then you won't want to be using your cell phone to access maps all day, as this can get very expensive. The best way to avoid this is to use Google Maps offline and save the maps that you are looking at to your device before you travel. This is actually very simple to do, and all that you will need to do once you find the map you want to save is to type 'OK Maps' into the search bar, and it will save the map into the cache on your device, making it accessible even when you don't have internet access.

 

Find WiFi Passwords On Foursquare

If you are going to be spending time around a town or city, or even if you are going to be spending time in an airport, finding the WiFi password in a particular spot can be very useful. Many Foursquare users will post the passwords for airport lounges, cafes and hotels on the site, which can give you the option of surfing the web through that connection, without having to pay for a coffee or access to a particular part of the airport.

When you find out your flight is delayed for two hours, streaming something to watch this way can be a massive relief and will help to avoid hours of boredom.

 

Charge Your Gadgets From The Hotel TV

One thing that many people don't know is that most modern television sets will have a USB socket that allows you to view content from devices through the USB cable. The other use that the solo travelers can make of this is that if there is only one or two sockets in the room, you can also charge your devices by using the USB socket at the back of the television.

 

Scan Copies Of Your Documents And Save Them Online

This is the answer to a really important problem, which is what to do if the worst happens while you are traveling and you lose your passport or documents. By taking a scan of these in advance and emailing them to yourself they can easily be downloaded and printed off if they are needed. It is still worth taking a photocopy as well however, as this will allow you to leave your passport in a secure safe in your hotel.

 

Buy A Bluesmart Travel Case

Currently due for release in August 2015, this device is likely to be the gadget that will revolutionize travel for many people, combining a range of different features. Weighing in at under four kilos, the Bluesmart travel case weighs the contents for you, has its own battery pack that can be used to charge cell phones and other devices, and even sends alerts to your phone if you get too far away from the case.

 

Watching Your Own Entertainment As You Fly

Are you someone who gets bored with the regular range of TV and movies that are on offer with most airlines, but don't want to spend your flight with your neck stooped watching your tablet or phone? Take a simple transparent food bag with you that is large enough to hold your device, and this can be tucked into the top of the folding table to give you your own screen holder for the trip!