Wifi on the road: Exploring Paris with ‘My Webspot’

Taking directions from an information office at a station, I was on my way to Rue de Rivoli, near the Louvre, when I found myself lost in the lanes of Paris. At times, I tried asking a passerby for directions to the location, but wasn’t really sure if I was headed on the right path. They say, getting lost in a new city is what you should do. However, that becomes a bit of a problem if you ought to reach some place at a fixed time and avoid skipping an appointment!

Just when I was thinking of getting back to an information point or so, I remembered that I was carrying the ‘My Webspot’ wifi device package in my bag, that had been delivered at my hotel reception. Why, of course! Google Maps could save the day! I switched on the device and connected my phone to the wifi signal (which was pretty strong by the way). As Murphy’s Law holds true, my phone decided to throw up a tantrum and would not let me use Maps due to technical errors. Good thing that the device lets one connect  multiple devices (upto 10) at the same time, I asked my friend to connect his phone and try navigating. Fortunately, that worked like a charm and I managed to get to the location before time, while also stopping to admire the Louvre pyramid!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Menorca@EuropeDiaries (@europediariesblog)

The 4G connectivity of the Webspot device was so strong and stable, that even after getting back to my room, switching to the hotel wifi didn’t really occur to me, until I turned on my laptop. The device needs to be charged for a few hours, so that it is ready to give all your necessary gadgets wifi juice the next day! Putting that as well as my powerbank on charge for the night, I slipped into my weird dream world that probably took me through the streets of Paris, looking for pastries and tarts that night 😛

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Menorca@EuropeDiaries (@europediariesblog)

For the rest of my trip, Webspot proved extremely handy; from locating points of interest and finding my way to staying connected on social media as well as connecting my laptop at times to do some work, I was glad that I decided to try it out.

https://twitter.com/EuropeDiaries/status/634618450619551745

Until a few months ago, I wasn’t really aware of anything apart from free wifi to connect to internet while travelling (especially because my network provider charged an unbelievable price of 19 CHF/MB for data surfing while roaming!). But, during my trip to Spain in May, I found out about the MTX Connect sim card and was happy trying it out. That single sim card works in most countries across Europe and has different packages to choose from. I still use it myself while travelling. However, I was interested in trying out ‘My Webspot’ too, as the idea of having a router in your pocket and connecting multiple devices to a 4G connection was intriguing indeed.

When I had read about this device a few months ago, they were operating only in France, but now you can rent the device in many countries across Europe. So, basically, you rent the device at your destination, recharge it online according to the package you like, and then return it before leaving. You also receive a charger for the pocket device.For me, they had already delivered the device at my hotel reception and had provided a self-addressed and stamped envelope too, that I used later to pack everything back. You can either drop it in any of the post boxes in the city or even ask your hotel/hostel receptionists to post it.

Depending on your need and usage, the Webspot allows 4 different connection plans-

1.  5 euros for 3G connection with a limitation of  500MB/day in France.

2. 7.5 euros for 4G connection with a limitation of  500MB/day in France.

3. 9 euros for unlimited data package per day in France

4. 10 euros  for  unlimited data package per day all over Europe.

For more details, you can check out their website.

How do you stay connected while travelling? Do you make use of free wifi alone or use other sim cards/devices? Do let me know!

A big thank you to My Webspot for letting me try out the device in Paris. All opinions, as usual, are my own.