Travel Hack Of The Day: Charge Your Phone Quicker When Travelling

You’ve just returned from a seven hour hike around your destination city and you’ve got exactly 15 minutes to shower, change and get ready for dinner out on the town. You glance down at your phone to find bad new – you’re dangerously low on battery. How will you use Google Maps to find the restaurant? How will you keep yourself entertained on the public transport to get there? How will you take a photo of your delicious plate of fancy foreign food?

While the sight of your batter in the red can cause panic in many people, there is another way – here are some handy tips on how to turn that 15 minute charging window into a power-saving wonder station. You won’t have to postpone dinner plans to wait for your phone to charge ever again.

First things first, try popping your phone on Airplane Mode. This way all wireless and cellular signals are shut off, so it won’t start updating apps or anything when it should be recuperating. Your phone can now focus on charging more efficiently since its consuming a whole lot less power.

Then there’s the added advantage of not using your phone while it charges. It may seem obvious but when you mindlessly scroll on Facebook it slows down the charging process, instantly making it take longer. So pop it down, leave the room and go check out the rooftop of your hotel/hostel for a few minutes. You’ll clear your mind, too.

Some say using a wall charger works a hell of a lot faster than charging through your computer, or even those portable battery packs. Wall chargers have a stronger output than USB ports on your computer or laptop, hence more power. If you’re stuck in a hostel with little to no power points (a sad reality at some places), and you’re forced to use a shared computer or your own laptop to charge, there is such a thing as charge boosters. These devices claim to boost the power from your laptop port towards your device so that it charges in half the time.

Try taking your phone case off too. Sure that gaudy Hello Kitty plastic case is cute, but it could actually be making your phone get too hot. Just like our bodies in the summertime, our delicate smart phones usually have to work a whole lot harder when they’re overheated so it might be easier to let it breathe for a while without its handsome case. Strip it down.

If all else fails – be sure to turn that brightness down. Nothing drains your battery more than lighting up that big, bright screen every two seconds. Learn to live in a faded darkness – you’ll be better for it.

Now you’re loaded up with these simple tricks, go forth! ‘Gram that exotic dinner ’til your hearts content.