Needs:
A reliable non-VoIP phone service which is available globally
Must: Receiving SMS
Must: Not closed when I don't visit the country

Current Device :
Iphone 15 pro ( 2 Esim activation available, 8 Esim can be stored )

Status:
US and TR are the only countries I visit consistently
Using Google Voice
It is blacklisted at some places
It gets phone calls and voicemails but it is VoIP
It does not receive SMS

Considerations:
Getting a non VoIP dedicated phone line
Contract or pay on the go options
US has problems like Switzerland banks don't accept it
Other countries might have other problems

Airalo gives you an Austrian phone number, and I used it for data in the US. https://www.airalo.com/global-esim/discover-365days-20gb is valid for a year, and cheaper than I remember (probably due to competition from Truely). A good site comparing eSIMs is https://esimdb.com, though is seems heavily biased towards a few sellers - doesn't list Truely despite it being:
- the ONLY provider with unlimited expiration for something like 15% more
- plans starting at 1GB
- no KYC

You can filter for voice+SMS by clicking "Hide data only".

No KYC filter but it's kess buggy than https://esims.io/, which is much faster than https://esimscompare.com/, which is still better than https://simbud.com/

Airalo phone is always accepted?

You renew it. I haven't tried using Airalo as 2FA because Google Voice and Hushed has been accepted by the hapless institutions that insisted on SMS-based insecure 2FA

I have an esim installed on a phone (Pixel). If I wipe my account/data from that phone and create a new user for the phone will they still be able to use the installed esim? I don't need to transfer the esim, I just want it to work for the new account I'm putting on there...

Sounds like a ChatGPT question

This is a nice gear hack, for anyone in Thailand, Philippines etc. The San Francisco based company Aer makes very well designed travel backpacks, shoulder bags etc, in all sizes. They regularly land at the top of these “Best Travel Bag” reviews on YT. In the US they are a premium brand, with their flagship backpacks costing around $250 without tax.
However, on Lazada, they are being sold at very high discounts, around 120$ for the same model. Might be worth checking out.

I saw some reddit post or youtube video about comparison between copies and original aer backpacks, there's a high chance it's not original

If they are fake, they are the best fakes I’ve ever seen, and still absolutely worth the money.

Anybody tried the LTT backpacks? They are said to fit under the front seat perfectly, I just had my doubts.

Dont they have insane shipping fees to europe? Am also searching for a nice airplane friendly backpack to use for ma daily commute

Minaal bags are a great option - lighweight and well thought out. Daily and Carry-on are what I use.

Sometimes they have promotions with free shipping. And they refund taxes if you had to pay more on import in duty fees.

Counterfeit?

best lavariel microphone for recording videos on the go ?

I have dji mic and happy with it

The Rode series is my personal pick

Which shop/seller did you get them from on Lazada? Looks like there's a lot of options

https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.qceWD

Thanks 👍

Any backpack recommendations? :)

If you want to absolutely max out the "personal item", so the maximum size that can still somewhat credibly be stored under most airplane seats, and also serves as a great choice for short trips, then get this: https://aersf.com/products/travel-pack-3-small – 28L

Looks like tropicfeel, I’ve heard these are good too

looks pretty nice, especially their shoes

Thanks a lot ! You rock lntjibrts

Nomads travel in all sorts of different ways. From single backpack to multiple checked bags. How do you want to travel?

I want to travel with my laptop macbook 14, I have one camera that I hang on the strap in the front so I can easily have access too, some clothes and hygiene stuff, cable and adapters that’s about it.

I don’t mind any sort of backpack, going to travel for ~6 months and want

If you do a search here you will find a few conversations and suggestions. I've been travelling with Minaal https://www.minaal.com the last few years and really like them.

It would be best to add some more info on what you want to use the backpack for, how you are travelling etc. IE - One bag 7kg, main packpack checked, just a daily use one etc.

https://www.decathlon.com/products/hiking-backpack-23l-nh-escape-500-rolltop-334561?variant=40273118003262

This is a great bag for one-bagging and is in the budget price ($60). It is 23L expandable to 27L, has great side pockets, easy laptop access via side panel, good internal pocket system, can be opened via the front also for easy access to the bottom of the bag. other benefit is the bag itself is super light (800g). Sometimes bags can be over 1.5kg when empty which makes a big difference for how much you can take with you

Means a lot, you rock ! ftckyczfkrw ovwrzmwzvmyqo

Speaking of Pakt I have a virtually unused Pakt 1 34L for sale if anyone is interested, send me a DM (I used it for a single weekend trip and decided it was too big for me)

which model?

tbh, not sure, probably second gen

Hey guys I used to keep track of my shopping expenses manually per city like many of us do. But got fed up and created this shopping list app that does that automatically among other things. Hope you could give it a shot and let me know if it works for you as well!
elovian.com

✨(A) Dji Mic 2

🆚 VERSUS

✨(B) Rode Wireless Go Pro

🤔 Which is better without caring about price? A or B?

both are good, dont think there is a huge difference

just got round to looking at this. Is it not bad for your eyes?

It's not really different from looking at a computer screen or phone from that perspective, I often use it 4 hours at a time without issues.

You can make the screens as big as you want and adjust the font sizes etc, for me that's better for my eyes than looking at a 13" laptop lol

i can’t get my head around what it would actually be like

Where in the world are you right now?

You may be able to go try it and see how it works

is this quest?
also how many virtual screens can you have on a mac, when using this headset?
it really does seem convenient for travellers from the pov of portability if you can have multiple monitors.

how large do the monitors look when you wear the headset? is the image quality + size similar to looking at the real thing? they look far away in the screenshot but do they look truly life-size in the headset?

Yes the Quest 3 is your best option right now.

Depends on the app, but frequently use 3 virtual screens with my MacBook air M1

In the headset they can be huge, you can choose the size.

In the app Immersed you can have 5 screens.

The app I use most is called Workrooms and I have 3 virtual ones that I make a little smaller so I don't have to turn my head so much to see the other ones lol... but they can be huge.

In the home environment you can have 3 screens as well with 3 apps/browsers in the headset.

And there's another app called Fluid.so that's been experimenting with a variety of apps from the computer with browser windows as well.

The Vision Pro from Apple is also really nice but $3500 or maybe $2k used. Vs $500 for the Quest 3

The Vision Pro with the Mac ecosystem is supposed to be very good I haven't been able to try it yet here in Paraguay

Awesome thanks for the detailed info. What’re these “workrooms” is that like a virtual spaces thing within the headset, like you save layouts

Workrooms is an app from Meta that has a virtual private office and another room you can invite up to 15 people into to meet with you as well

Does having an overlay like this use up a lot of processing power? Is this the equivalent of running a 100 browser tabs?

Huh very interesting thanks. Actually being able to work in random fully immersed virtual environments sounds fun for a feeling of novelty and breaking up routine etc. how high res is this? Is it near photorealistic? I tried some quest in a store, idk which version it was, and it was a skiing demo where you could look around as someone went down a track. It looked very much like HD video, not realism, but maybe that is just a limit of that particular recording.

Sorry missed this. In UK right now, will see if I can find somewhere to test it before I leave again. Thanks for all the info.

Where can I get a good iPhone Lavalier Mic while traveling?

I can’t just order Amazon to my hotel, right?

you can, but it depends on the country

I've ordered amazon to hotels before

Depending on where you are it’s often easier to deliver to the local train station that has pickup boxes. Japan has a good setup like this. Otherwise just ask your hotel for help

Koh Samui 😅

you can probably get a decent microphone from a local retailer

Lazada is like Amazon in Asia. Ships to Samui, just check if it’s coming from in Thailand (2-5days) vs China/Overseas which can be 2-3 weeks.

On the laptop it's essentially like having an external display.
On the headset it's basically the same, it's just one Android device screen for example.

Battery life for me in this case doesn't matter when I'm at my desk I'm usually tethered in with a long USB-c cable and it isn't inconvenient at all.

But you can get a couple hours of battery life if you are portable.

I'm looking for a new backpack. What features do I need?
What brands would you recommend?

I like my two-bag setup with Minaal carry-on 3.0 and Minaal daily 3.0. Ideally I go down to one-bag.. one of those two depending on my needs for the specific trip

Normatic allegedly makes great backpacks. Machine washability might be a superfluous requirement unless you do a lot of forest/mud hiking?

I just like the convenience. Used to having everything machine washable cold

Minaal fan here took. Carryon and Daily.

Does any of you guys do VSL’s? Would be nice to know your on the road gear for lighting etc. since 2 softbox setup doesn’t seem to cut it with hand luggage and 23kg suitcase. Struggling a bit with the weight limits with my rollerblades hehe

This probably isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but what I’ve done several times is to just settle in one place for a few months, order new equipment online, and do most of my recording then. Then I leave it with a friend to sell when I leave.

Works great in places like Thailand where there are very affordable online stores like Lazada. Doesn’t cost me more than $50 usd for pretty good lighting. Not sure if you need a more complicated setup though.

This might be the thing that works for me too the best. Thanks for your reply.