Travel & Aviation
Review of the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 EDC backpack
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I evangelize the benefits of one bag travel. My go-to bag for the last ten years has been the RedOxx AirBoss, but I regularly get questions about Tom Bihn bags. My 5-11 Rush 24 work backpack was starting to fall apart, and in my quest to find the "best" bag for me, I spend three months reviewing various bags. Here is my review of the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 backpack.
Skyroam Solis Review: a traveller's best friend?
I've been using a Skyroam hotspot for many years now and my 2 most popular blog posts (for the old device and service) are here: Skyroam Global Hotspot review The hidden danger of using the SkyRoam global WIFI Hotspot They recently upgraded their back-end service and global WIFI hotspot, and I wanted to test and review it for you. Solis is the latest version of the Global WIFI hotspot sold by Skyroam. For those new to this company, they offer a small portable global WIFI hotspot that works in 100+ countries, costs $10US a day for unlimited data and is activated on demand.
New US Border Control rules for Canadians
Since the tightening of US border entry rules, readers have been emailing asking: “What should I do when crossing the USA / Canada border?” Canadian readers (and non-US) travelers to the US wanted to know what the new tighter controls mean when crossing into the US. The first important truth most travelers need to accept is that "entering another country is a privilege and not a right". Although the controls may have tightened a bit, they haven't changed materially. Having visited over 40 countries in the last 30 years, I accept the fact that anytime I cross a national border, I am subject to the controls of that country and prepare accordingly.
Toronto's KnowRoaming partners with TCL Alcatel for SIMFREE global phone
Related Articles: Free unlimited video calling when you travel KnowRomaing cuts mobile costs when travelling At Mobile World Congress KnowRoaming (a Toronto based telecom company) has announced a partnership with global handset producer TCL Communications. “The integration of our SoftSIM in Alcatel’s Pop 4-6 4G, A2 XL, and A3 XL handsets gives Alcatel’s customers a seamless way to stay connected and use their device as if they were at home” — Gregory Gundelfinger, CEO KnowRoaming Three upcoming Alcatel handsets will have the KnowRoaming SoftSim embedded in the phones.
Roam Mobility launches USA Monthly Plans
I've written about Roam Mobility before: Real World testing and Review of the Roam Mobility Service Roam Mobility now has US 4G LTE Service Roam Mobility Breeze unlocked GSM phone review Roam Mobility released new plans Comparing T-Mobile's Tourist plan with Roam Mobility Roam Mobility offers competitive US roaming for Canadians Today Roam Mobility is launching new monthly plans that include unlimited talk, text and data. It is a middle of the ground offering between their day plans and their 3-month snowbird ones.
7 airport lounge access secret you need to know
1 - Buy day-passes online Most airlines will allow passengers to buy a lounge access day-pass online. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1800"]<img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/123c0c408f.jpg" alt=" Toronto Air Canada Airport Lounge "> Toronto Air Canada Airport Lounge [/caption] As an example, you can buy a day-pass from Air Canada for access to their own lounge for $25 if you are travelling on a Latitude fare. United Airlines offers airport lounge access day-pass for $50 here. 2 - Buy day-passes at the airport Check directly with your airline.
Free unlimited video calling when you travel
In November, I wrote an article that explained the new free unlimited Whatsapp offer from KnowRoaming for travellers. “TL;DR: All KnowRoaming customers get free unlimited Whatsapp text, picture and voice messaging in any of the countries KR supports.” When you consider Whatsapp is the primary communication tool for most users and that KnowRoaming has an extensive global roaming partnership network, it was a great win for their customers. The only thing that was not free was video messaging. Video messaging was specifically excluded but this week, KnowRoaming added it to its free Whatsapp offering.
The hidden danger of using the SkyRoam global WIFI Hotspot
November 25 2016 update at the end of the article. TL;DR the service is still vulnerable. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/1f84a083ca.jpg" alt=""> Since I traveled a lot in the past, I am always looking for new tech to make travel simpler,. easier or more enjoyable. Since smartphones are indispensable travel tools, I was very excited when SkyRoam was released and wrote several articles about it. But as a security guy, there is a hidden danger that I wanted to share with my audience.
Public Mobile to launch US Roaming Add-on
Public Mobile is a low-cost limited network Canadian mobile service provider. It has recently announced in its forums that it will be adding a new US Roaming add-on (option) through new deals struck with T-Mobile and AT&T. The carrier has said this is in response to comments made in its forums and will come in 10-day chunks of phone only, text only, data only or a combo plan. Limited data is available but we expect the options to look like this:
Use Whatsapp for free next time you travel
Since Apple has decided to keep Apple Messages (iMessage) locked up to its platform, users the world over have chosen Whatsapp as the most common cross platform instant messaging platform. It allows you to send files and pictures. IT allows you to make Voice Over IP calls and is just an overall well designed easy to use tool. Whatsapp requires a data connection (3G/LTE) to work. This means using Whatsapp while travelling requires you to buy a local SIM Card (when you travel) or buy an expensive data pack from your home carrier.