Why use WhatsApp for traveling?

When you’re on the road—never knowing where Wi-Fi is going to come, let alone whether you have a data plan that’s going to support you—there are few things better than WhatsApp. Anyone with smartphones in this day and age knows that the messaging app can be a boon to your mobile device, providing easy text messages and video calls that keep you in the loop. But why is it so great for traveling?

No matter what your data plan, or whether you use Android or iPhone, you’ll find that WhatsApp makes for a flexible, powerful way to communicate. But it helps to know how to get the most out of WhatsApp when you’re on vacation. This way, you can stay in touch with your friends and not worry about where you are in the world. But WhatsApp and its benefits while traveling also goes beyond that.

Let’s explore.

The Benefits of Using WhatsApp While On Vacation

You probably already know the basics of WhatsApp: it uses an internet connection rather than your phone number to reach out to others. But what are the specific benefits of using this SMS-like application when you’re out and about—say, on vacation? Here’s what you can do.

• Group chats: When traveling with others, you need to handle logistics, group pictures, and more. The group chat feature with WeChat ensures you can do all of it in stride. You can share messages, photos, and videos—and do it with up to 256 people in a group chat all at once.

• Voice calls. Yep. Voice calls. Even though it seems like something you should only be able to do through an international plan, you can download WhatsApp and see how easy it is to contact others through the app. There may be some mobile data charges, so you will have to contact your provider for details, but this service highlights just how much you can accomplish in one app.

• End-to-End encryption. Security and ID theft are always top concerns when you’re on the road. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption on your messaging so that you can be confident that what you’re texting is in confidence. What does it add up to? With encryption, only you and the intended recipient of your texts should know what you’re talking about. This makes it easy to share contact information and itinerary details, which is so common with vacations.

• Document sharing. What if you’re on the road and need to get some work done? You can create a workgroup with WhatsApp and handle document sharing through the messaging service. That means PDFs, office documents, emails, slideshows—just about anything you might need to get work done while on the road.

• Share voice clips. Want to tell a joke to your cousin, but they aren’t quite there yet? Record it into WhatsApp and send it via text—you’ll give them the in-person experience. This is also a great feature for sharing the vacation with anyone at home who might be missing out.

But does it have to be vacation-specific? What is it about being out and about that makes WhatsApp so convenient for getting things done?

Making the Complicated World of Cellular Data Make Sense

One of the benefits of WhatsApp is that it doesn’t require a lot of technical know-how. You don’t have to be an expert in international text policy or understand what a local sim card is to figure out to communicate with a family group while on vacation—at least if you’re using WhatsApp.

Why not? It turns out WhatsApp is ideal for making sense of all sorts of disparate cell phone systems. For example, consider what it’s like to wrangle everyone together if half of your family has an Android phone and the other half has iPhone. Multimedia texting, sharing information, and sharing files can start to feel a little wonky—like you’re doing rocket science or brain surgery and not simply trying to communicate with everyone.

Stick to the WhatsApp messenger, however, and every mobile phone becomes a communications system. If everyone uses WhatsApp on their device, you can create a vacation group perfect for arranging an itinerary. It’s a great app to use if you aren’t even on vacation yet! Using WhatsApp messenger, you can get everyone on board before the holiday, which is great for planning. And considering the encryption protections that come with WhatsApp, it’s also a vital way to protect the essential information you share, such as payment details and when you’ll be on which flight.

Maybe you’re not so much about the technical details of WhatsApp—you want to hear about the dollars and sense. There’s good news here, too. If you use WhatsApp, you can save money on texting. After all, some phone plans charge higher rates for international texts. With WhatsApp, you send messages within the app, saving you money with every single text you don’t send via international SMS.

You might be thinking that there must be a catch. As it turns out, WhatsApp messages are simple to send and work, just like regular texting—you’ll get notifications when someone messages you on WhatsApp, just like you would if you were using iMessage. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection and WhatsApp, and you’ll be connected with the world as though you’re using a fancy International data plan. Except you won’t be paying International data plan prices.

We’ve done a lot of hyping up of WhatsApp in this post, and for a good reason. It’s a great way to save money and simplify how you communicate with people while traveling. So, where does having a number for WhatsApp using Slyfone enter the picture?
Simple: saving money. When you use Slyfone, you can set up a second number for your WhatsApp for just $3.99 per month or $43.99 per year.

Yes. With Slyfone, you have two options. You can use your existing cell phone number, or you can subscribe to Slyfone and receive a second number for your WhatsApp for $3.99/month or $43.99 per year. With that in your pocket, it will be like you have an entire communication system for traveling anywhere you go.