there are iPhone features that are really helpful for traveling that you may have never used or maybe you never even heard about these before. But once you see this, you're going to use it all the time. I just got back from a trip to Europe, and I learned about a lot of these iPhone tricks for the first time. And it's more than just using translation apps. Like, did you know Apple Maps has a bunch of tourist guides, and you can create your own? Yeah, no one talks about this. So, of course, now I want to share some of these iPhone tips with you, and I hope you find it handy for when you find yourself in a new town. This is one more thing: there are things you have to prepare before you leave. If you're going to another country, make sure you have an international data plan. I didn't. I have Verizon, but the app made it easy in one minute to just add it to my plan for $10 a day. Now, data plans these days are a must when you're in another country because restaurant

menus are all QR codes. You have to scan, and you're going to want translation apps if you don't know the language. And it helps just overall knowing when a business is open. I went to Spain; the operating hours are all over the place because of midday siestas, and you need it for making reservations because everyone does everything online now. In addition, you have to pack the right gear. Now, I'm not just talking about European outlet adapters. You don't know what type of USB port might be available in a plane or hotel room. My flights all had those old USB-A outlets, and my stuff is half lightning port and half USB-C, so universal cables are very useful. Where you can get these different endings, like this one from Nomad, a lot of different companies make universal cords. That way, you're just not carrying too many cords with you. Folks are also using AirTags to track their luggage, but remember, you can also share that AirTags location with other family or friends in the Find My app. You want to go to items, go to tag.

and then add a person under share this air tag. That person will get a message inviting them to track the air tag, and you can do this with up to five people. If you're killing time at the airport, do some adjusting to your settings and the home screen. Turn off all notifications for your work apps. You don't need those pings. Go and add some big clock widgets so you can know the local time for where you are and what time it is for your family or friends. That way, when I message my mom at home, I quickly could tell what time it was for her so I didn't accidentally bother her in the middle of the night. Just long press your screen, then hit the plus button in the top, and pick your widgets. I also added widgets to make it easy to see the current weather, and I added apps that I would be using for this trip, like for translations. This is also a good time that you want to go to your maps and download a local map of the area to use offline in case you don't have internet.

for any reason you don't want to be stuck without a map. This is also helpful even in the United States. Maybe you're in a rural area or on a road trip through the mountains where connections can be spotty. Now Google Maps, of course, let you do this, but here's how to do it on Apple Maps. You're going to search for the area to save offline, and you can tap download, then adjust the size of the map depending on how much you need. The larger the map, the more storage it will take up, and then tap download again. Now let's say you land in your new town and you're heading to the hotel, and your mom is like, Text me when you get there so I know you're safe. Well, iMessage will do it automatically for you. It's called Check In. Now I was surprised some of my tech-savvy friends didn't know about this already, so I am teaching this to everyone. Now go to Messages, tap the plus sign, and you have to go to More, so it's a little hidden. Tap Check In, then Edit to

add your details you want to switch it to when I arrive and just plug in the address that you're arriving to and then send the text. Now both people have to be running iOS 17 or later, and if you want this alert to go to multiple people, you have to have them in the same text message, so like a group chat, because you can't have two check-ins going at the same time. In watchOS 11 later this year, you're also going to be able to do this with an Apple Watch, so if you're running at night, someone can keep tabs to make sure you're safe. Okay, let's get to the fun tools. Yono ablo español. I'm learning on Duolingo, so best I can do is order food in Spain. I needed translation tools. You will find Apple's translation app has a few things to try. Now, I use the conversation app, and I was able to show folks my phone screen a few times when conversations were complicated, but there's also a way to just point your

camera at text and get a real-time translation. I did this at museums, and you know what? You don't need the translation app; you could just use the main camera app. Just point the camera at the text you want to translate, then a little icon will pop up that gives you a translation. Also, a few restaurants didn't even give me a physical menu; I had to do the whole QR code scan thing and go to their website. But Safari also will translate a website for you. You're going to find that option where you have the URL. All right, let's go over some map tricks for getting around. Apple Maps isn't something I use all the time, but it worked great on this trip, and I discovered guides for the first time. Google Maps has local guides, but I liked how Apple Maps worked it into the app and made it easy to add places. Now here, users can make their own highlights of their favorite places and share it. Like, I found celebrity chef Jose Andres made a guide where his family eats in Spain, and you can make your own guide for the

places you want to see on a trip, but I did it in reverse. I made a guide of all the cool places I went to, and I saved it as I went to keep a record of my trip for when I want to go down memory lane later. And maybe if I know someone else also going to Valencia, I can share this guide I made with them. Let's talk about directions. When I used my map for directions, I didn't want to look like a tourist just staring at my phone, and you want to take in the surroundings and the sights. So if you have an iPhone, this is where it's helpful to have an Apple Watch. When you use Apple Maps to get directions, the Apple Watch will just give you a little buzz on the wrist when it's time to make a turn. So you can just casually glance at your wrist to see which way to go. If you're doing a lot of walking, go download the Strava app, and it can record a trail of everywhere you went in that day.

this is a very cool keepsake for me, but I also kept it private, so check your settings if tracking your location creeps you out. You don't want to go making your map public, but I would just open the Strava app, start my day by turning on tracking, and then end it by just turning it off when I got back to the hotel room. And I got this family circus-style record of my adventures for the day. Oh, and one more thing: when you're done with your trip and you want to share high-resolution photos with someone you know, maybe you don't just want to text it; you want to make sure they get the full resolution. Go to Photos, tap the photo you want to share, and scroll down to Copy iCloud Link. Now, this is also really handy if you send photos to someone with Android. They're going to get a link to download the photo, and that link expires in a month. Was there anything in my list you want to try out, or is there a tip you want to share with others? Just shout it out in

the comments. Thanks for watching, and I'll catch you next week for one more thing in the world of Apple.

My Favorite iPhone Travel Tips (That No One Talks About!)

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