Well, today I did it. I finally sprung for a trvel phone. It is a used iPhone 16 Pro Max from Best Buy but is in excellent shape. It cost a little more than I had planned to spend, but I figure, much like my MacBook Air, I would hedge my bets and buy now in anticipation of price hikes. Even used ones are all more expensive now, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more expensive yet and there’s also the issue of them being tied to the three big US carriers – carriers I do not use – so if you want an unlocked phone they are adding another $200 on some websites. Even buying them on Apple’s webite, which I usually prefer, the process is all convoluted and unnecessarily stupid Another reason I went used.

I did a lot of research before I decided to pull the trigger on this one. I knew I needed to have a smartphone and an iPhone was pretty much it – the model was the decision. Several websites said the best thing for a travel phone is a flagship phone from a few previous generations back. Newer will be supported longer, better cameras, maybe AI features if yu want that, an d other features. I wanted to go a little newer for my everyday phone since it will be three years old so I went one year newer than my 15 Pro Max. When I finish getting them set up tomorrow, my iPhone 15 Pro Max will become my really nice travel phone; it will support the latest OS, great camera and many other things plus I kike it a lot. The 16 PM is similar but a better camera and bigger battery. I can also use my travel phone for business calls and keep my personal number private on my everyday carry phone. Both of these phones will last many more years so it is actually saving me money since the next-gen iPhones will be much more expensive – up to another $300…BEFORE any other fees.

I am pretty excited because being so close I have really been wanting to go back to Canada but was waiting until I got myself a dedicated travel phone. It will be used for mapping, reservations & tickets, and boarding passes for airline, lodging & tranist, and any other things for travel. I will have my music, Apple Pay, and Proton Mail access along with Proton VPN for travel security. I can also use it for CarPlay in my truck since it is cheaper than getting the internet service turned back on in my truck it is more private. I also hope to be able to delete some apps from my everyday carry phone. I really would not need my travel apps on it since I will be carrying both phones with me when not going international. Not ideal, but it won’t be forever – just until I quit going to foreign countries.

A really cool feature is with my cell carrier. They are an MVNO and I can pick any (or all) of the three US carriers for service and it is very cheap. I will keep AT&T on my everyday phone as I have had good service most everywhere I have gone. My travel phone will probably be on T-Mobile since they have the best coverage – in 180 countries – and there are no roaming costs (AT&T international coverage is pretty lame so you have to use wifi in many places). It also helps that most everywhere you go, even on trains, wifi is available (public wifi is only one reason why I have Proton VPN). Having these separate phones on domestic road trips will be handy in that I will probably have service most everywhere I go plus I think they both still have satellite capability in an emergency. Nice to have that security in case of problems, too.

If you happen to be interested in saving some real money on your cell bill, I really recommend US Mobile. I have had them over a year. No problems, best customer service I have ever had wth a cell company, knowledgeable people (CS is over chat), never been throtted, and cheaper than most anyone else. You can pick a network, or you can have one, two, or all three and switch between them. They have many plan options to choose from.

Disclaimer: I will get a referral reward of $30, but you will also get $30 if you sign up and port your number. Here is a link if you are interested. Or, you can go to https://app.usmobile.com/dashboard/auth and use this referral code: 982746FC. Give $30, get $30. From their website: When your friend brings their number and activates an Unlimited or By the Gig plan. Referrals are unlimited. You share your link. They bring their number. Everyone gets paid, fast.

Not trying to sell anything here…just trying to help eveyone save a few bucks in these brutal economic times.

**********

My main reason for being out was to pick up my e-bike. I am anxious to ride it, but I took it to storage on the way back. Something came up last minute on the way back so I decided to drop it off and try again another day. It will give me a chance to look around for my helmet and see if it is still usable. Glad to finally have the bike fixed.

That is it for this post. Thanks for having a look.

Shawn