How Painful Is “Disconnected” Travel, Actually? (And What To Do About It)

In the land of travel-laden and timeline driven professionals, having an Internet connection worldwide at any given point in time should already be a global standard.

But it isn’t, and it’s hurting us, slowly.

In this article, I aim to break down how different costs and factors impact a “disconnected” travel experience, and how it ultimately drives red on the bottom line for organisations that these professionals work for.

We shall also take a look at how Globalgig, a global communications company, can help to alleviate these issues in every situation - through our simple solution to these companies - a global SIM card.

Let’s begin!

What Is Disconnected Travel?

Business today, especially those that require frequent flights and travel cannot do without data.

In an era where the cloud is everything, professionals need access to the Web around the clock, no matter where they are based physically. 

Yet for what it is worth, professionals today still need to rely on local telcos or lousy public WiFi to get access to the Web in foreign countries. 

It’s a term that we at Globalgig have defined as “disconnected travel”, or the painful process of trying to get access to the Web while travelling abroad for business.

Disconnected Travel Adds Unnecessary Stress On The Professional

It’s easy to think that a simple SIM card (or the lack of one) has absolutely no ability to put stress on our day. And, for the most part, you might be right.

However, place yourself with that exact SIM card that doesn’t work in that country you’ve just arrived in, in a foreign airport, with a foreign language, with foreign signs, and all of a sudden, it doesn’t seem so simple, anymore.

Stress starts to creep in. You’re lost; with little to no clue as to where you should be going. Your meeting takes place in 3 hours, and you need to get your phone connected to check for information and/or reach out.

Except that your phone isn’t connected to the Web - it’s as good as dead.

You search high and low and finally manage to find a telco shop - only to find that the representative is out for lunch.

Congratulations - you just missed your sales meeting - and the sale.

Which means you travelled all the way for nothing.

Of course, this might be an extreme case (most professionals won’t travel so last minute for sales meetings), but it gives a pretty good idea of what could possibly go wrong if your sales team is not connected to the Web easily at all times.

Placing professionals in foreign countries, especially during sales calls, is not a good strategy. Of course, you could always advise them to bring along another SIM card or phone - but I think you’d agree with me that a global SIM card that works anywhere beats that, anytime.

How Globalgig Helps

When we started Globalgig, we were equally frustrated with that problem, too. Landing at airports were often followed by desperate runs in search of telco shops in that airport like zombies chasing after the Web.

We recognised early on how stress ultimately results in poor professional performance, and how depriving professionals of their connectivity to the Web effectively disable them.

That’s why we created a Global SIM card that would be a no-nonsense, access-the-web-anytime solution for people who’d rather focus on their job than wondering when they would get Internet or phone access.

With Globalgig’s SIM cards, your devices are connected across 200+ countries, and you just pay for one single subscription plan, with no roaming charges.

Disconnected Travel Results In Additional Costs For Organisations

If your organisation is still using foreign SIM cards for every country that you go to, that’s fine. 

However, consider this: foreign SIM cards might cost your organisation more than using a global SIM card like Globalgig’s.

Most telcos offer tourist SIM cards based on the amount of data that you consume, or by call length.

But what happens when you professionals end up exceeding your plan in the middle of nowhere?

For example, say you purchased a 3 GB plan for 6 days from a local telco. You use that plan for 5 days for multiple WhatsApp calls, emails and so on.

Just on the 5th day, you receive a notification that your plan has about 10 MB of data left. Problem is - you need to send that large file over for your decision-maker in HQ to finalize your deal.

When it comes to situations like this, most organisations will simply go for the top-up; paying the local telco for additional data.

There’s only one problem: now your professional has an additional 1 GB of data that he/she doesn’t need - and she’s flying off tonight.

The truth of the matter is that: most professionals don’t utilize their data completely in a foreign country, leading to unnecessary wastage and costs for their organisation.

It’s never good to pay for what you don’t use, and data is no exception. Why pay more when you can pay only for what you use?

How Globalgig Helps

We at Globalgig noticed this problem of overpaying for connectivity early on in our days too. We realized that organisations, especially large ones, can save that much more if there was somehow a way to pay-as-they-go.

That eventually translated into our now-popular pay-per-MB rates in our Go Global package, if your professionals exceed the limits of their plan.

In the short and long run, this means that you incur less waste in your data expenditures yet operate at the same level, if not better.

The Lack Of Data Tracking Enhances The Fog Of Disconnected Travel

Professionals travelling on behalf of organisations abroad enter what we call the “elusive fog of disconnected travel”. It’s a period of time where data use is murky at best, and costs are hard at best to justify.

Organisations large or small today have access to more information today than ever before; so why don’t we have more control over the data usage of our professionals when they’re abroad?

When data is murky and hard to justify, the question of efficiency comes to play. Organisations are unable to make clearer decisions because of this “fog”, and everyone suffers. Disconnected travel creates uncertainty, unpredictability, and generally paralyses cost decisions. As a result, budgets are overinflated, leading to unnecessary expenditure. 

How Globalgig Helps

Globalgig recognised the fog of disconnected travel after numerous interactions with our customers, and immediately put our findings to work.

We eventually would put together our own SIM card management portal, called Orchestra, which allows companies to manage multiple aspects of their professionals’ SIM cards, right down to understanding usage patterns and subscription information.

The response has been fascinating. Our customers report greater clarity in decision-making when it came to budgeting for overseas travel, and being able to greatly enhance the analysis of their team’s work overseas.

Are You A Disconnected Traveler? If So, We Can Help.

The pain behind disconnected travel has to end, and soon. 

In a fast-evolving technological landscape, connectivity is king, and businesses need to quickly adapt to having a global connectivity mindset if they are to stay competitive in the marketplace.

If your organisation is facing the pains of disconnected travel, we should talk.

Reach out to me either on LinkedIn, or via email at [email protected], so that I can better advise you on solving the pain of disconnected travel for better, global business results.