Anyone who needs or wants to travel frequently dreams of on-the-go entertainment. The desire to watch TV shows on the go is understandable and logical, but streaming services interfere with this. After ISPs and site owners got the right to restrict access to their resources, watching videos abroad became a difficult task. We’ll show you how you can watch videos during travels without paying extra for additional streaming services.
1. Download and Stream Content Offline
Streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime allow downloading movies and TV shows for offline viewing. Some services offer offline streaming, others just download content to a tablet for travel. This will enable you to create a playlist of videos before your journey, similar to Spotify’s offline playlist feature. Regardless of your preferences, a streaming service is available to cater to your needs. For instance, Crunchyroll provides a download service to catch up on your favorite anime films. Remember that offline smartphone entertainment requires a large amount of free memory.
2. Invest in a Portable Media Player or Tablet
For those who would instead not rely on streaming services, a portable media player or tablet can be an ideal solution. In addition to downloading videos from streaming services, these devices provide the capability to store and playback content directly. Upload content to the portable media player and enjoy in-flight entertainment. This is an affordable travel entertainment option that supports USB sticks and DVDs.
3. Optimize Your Smartphone for Entertainment
Smartphones offer access to entertainment content anytime and anywhere. You can easily download films, music, podcasts, and other content directly to your phone via apps. Additionally, streaming services such as YouTube or Vimeo offer offline viewing capabilities so you can watch videos without worrying about an internet connection. Friendly advice – offline TV apps consume a lot of battery power, so be sure to take a power bank with you.
4. Leverage In-Flight and In-Train Entertainment Options
Long flights and train rides are boring. You are not the only one who knows about this. There are airlines and trains that already have entertainment systems built into them. This is the perfect opportunity to stay entertained while travelling without draining your devices. There are aircraft models that allow managing entertainment on journeys. In others, you will have to look at something on a general topic. If you’re travelling by train, check out in-train entertainment too.
5. Utilize Public Wi-Fi and Hotspots
The main problem with travel is the high price of mobile services. Roaming can cost not 2 or even 5 times more, but dozens of times. Yes, it is convenient to use hotspot devices for travellers, but not economical. There is a solution – public Wi-Fi for streaming. You can find the hotspot in most public places: cafes, hotels, parking lots, business centers, and shopping malls.
Just remember to take precautions and follow security measures to protect your personal information. It’s tempting enough to use entertainment subscriptions on the go over public Wi-Fi, but be careful. The owner of the network can intercept your data and use it against you.
Advice! Use public networks only for activities that do not convey important, private information. If you want to go further and use public networks safely, use a VPN. Optionally, you can find BBC iPlayer VPN and unblock the service. The same is true for other streaming services. A VPN encrypts traffic so you don’t have to worry about it being intercepted.
6. Consider Offline TV Apps and Services
Traditionally, television works in real time, but not always. There are applications that can broadcast programs offline. Naturally, these will be those programs that you have downloaded in advance. Here are some of the best apps in the offline TV segment:
- PadTV HD. PadTV HD is a fantastic Android app that grants you access to a wide range of channels worldwide, from the UK to the USA, completely free of charge. With its user-friendly interface, you can effortlessly watch live TV and enjoy on-demand videos on your Android phone or tablet. The service offers an array of channels, including popular ones like Fox News, CNN, and Al Jazeera.
- iDTV Mobile TV. iDTV Mobile TV is an Android app that lets you watch live TV channels from across the globe on your mobile device, including sports events and news broadcasts. iDTV comes with various features that make it super easy to find your favorite shows and movies. You can effortlessly browse through different genres like comedy and drama or simply search by title or genre.
- TDT HDTV. With TDT HD TV on your smartphone, you can access numerous free-to-air channels without an internet connection, saving your data. The app also offers extra features like a recorder and an EPG view for checking TV schedules. For optimal performance, you’ll need an Android smartphone with a 1 GHz Dual Core processor or higher. Additionally, the operating system should be version 4.1 or higher.
- Home free tv. HomeFree TV is an excellent free-to-air app made for Android users using an AVerMedia Tuner device. This incredible app lets you effortlessly watch and record free-to-air TV channels wherever you are – be it at home, the office, or even while you’re travelling. With the largest collection of free-to-air channels available on Android, HomeFree TV also comes packed with a built-in EPG (electronic program guide) to make it super easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.
7. Entertainment for Children During Travel
Gadgets are practically the only source of entertainment on the road while parents are busy. It is better to collect travel entertainment for kids from home. There is a lot of child-friendly content on the Internet: movies, cartoons, games, videos, etc. It’s even better if you use educational apps for travel. With them, your child will be able to develop, and not just waste time. Before passing the device to the child, make sure that parental controls are active on it. You can connect it to your parent account and control how much screen time your child spends and what they do.
Conclusion
Travelling can be a great opportunity to explore the world and relax. However, it also requires patience and the right entertainment options. You don’t have to suffer through long plane rides or train journeys with boredom – take advantage of the many available travel entertainment options!
