Note: The links below go straight to the websites mentioned. I do not have an affiliate account with Amazon at this time. So, I do not get commissions for sending you there.
WiFi Puck
SkyRoam Solis WiFi – The Solis Lite is my newest purchase. So far this little thing pumps out some serious WiFi. SkyRoam has contracts in over 130 countries to tap into their 4G LTE networks. However, I haven’t traveled to all of them yet, so I can’t tell you if the service is consistent.
Depending on your data needs while traveling, you may want to look into this. Many tour buses, as well as hotels and coffee shops, offer free Wifi. But, as you know, you get what you pay for. Public WiFI can open your information to the wrong people. Bus Wifi can be slow sometimes.
The other problem is that WiFI in these realms can be spotty. It could be just a bad connection. Or too many people. At least with the Solis, you know what you are getting. And you aren’t sharing and bandwidth.
You control the device through an App on your phone. You must purchase a plan in order to use the device. There are three options. The Daypass is $9 and gives you unlimited WiFi for 24 hours. The Go Data package is $12 and gives you 1 GB of WiFi until you use it up. And the Monthly Unlimited package is $99. It gives you unlimited WiFI for 30 days. Solis frequently has sales on their Daypasses and by-the-gig plans, so you can build up data for future use.
If your phone company provides international data plans, it may be worth looking into. However, at $99 for 30 days of unlimited WiFI, that’s a great deal.
If you don’t need data on your trip, then by all means, skip this recommendation.
The Solis Lite sells for $159.99 on the Solis Website. Solis no longer sells the Solis X, but has released the new Solis 5G Hotspot and Power Bank. It sells for $399.99. Use PromoCode: HOLYLANDTRAVELHQ and get 15% off your order.
Note on where to buy: If you intend on buying either the Solis Lite or Solis 5g Hotspot, I recommend buying it from the Solis website directly. One of the issues that that I’ve seen in many reviews as well as with a Solis Lite that I bought for my brother is that products bought from 3rd party sellers like Amazon or Target can be used or returned devices. Which means that someone registered them for use. Solis does not make it easy to de-register a product. If you try to register a product that was used before, you will get errors when trying to register it. And you will need to call the support number to get help. Support may or may not be able to help you. If you buy from their site directly you will get a product that works.
Camera Monopod
Manfrotto 290 Carbon Fiber 4-Section Monopod – If you have a DSLR, you’re going to want to get a couple high quality landscape photos on your trip. A tripod is perfect for this. However, tripods can be bulky and heavy to lug around.
The advantage of a monopod over a tripod is that it’s more compact and lighter. When taking landscape photos during the day, which will be the case most of the time, all you will need is something to stabilize your shot. A monopod provides added stability through a hard point to your shot.
When you use a tripod, it has control of the camera’s stability. Wind, or even placing a hand on the camera can mess with this stability. When using a monopod, you are in control of the camera’s stability. The monopod is merely used to establish a hard point with the ground to assist with stability.
A monopod also allows you to pick up and move very quickly. This is why so many sports photographers use monopods.
The down side is that you won’t be able to get that group picture you really want.
The pictures that I got with my monopod were just as good as the ones I got with a tripod.
If you desire to get exposure shots or group pictures, you’ll need a tripod.
Whether you buy a monopod or tripod, you’re also going to want to get a center ball head attachment. This will allow you to position your camera at odd angles as well as utilize a quick release plate.
The Manfrotto 290 Carbon Fiber Monopod sells on Amazon for $79.00. The Center Ball Head attachment sells for $124.88.
Tripod Quick Release
Manfrotto Tripod plate by Fusion Plate – If you have a DSLR camera and you use a tripod, then this quick release plate is for you. I bought a tripod several years ago and mounted a quick release plate on the bottom of my camera.
The problem I encountered though, was the strap setup. I didn’t like the stock setup with the strap points on either side of the camera body. I wanted something that allowed me to attach the strap on the bottom of the camera because that would allow me to grab it faster. Unfortunately, the quick release plate was in the way. So I looked for something that could be used as a quick release AND a strap attachment point.
That’s when I found the Fusion Plate. This quick release plate is fantastic. It was exactly what I was looking for. It allows me to grab my camera quickly to get a picture. It also allows me to sling my camera comfortably to the side when I’m not using it. But most importantly, it allows me to mount my camera to my tripod without having to remove the sling or adjust anything.
Fusion Photo makes quick release plates for several different tripod brands. The list price on Amazon varies, with the Manfrotto style selling for $55.00.
Power Adapter
World Travel Adapter Kit by Ceptics – quite possibly the best adapter I’ve found. I love this little thing. You can plug it into both 110V and 220V outlets. There’s an indicator light which tells you which type of power you are getting.
Keep in mind this is not a converter, it’s an adapter. This means that whatever power goes in, is what your equipment will draw. So, you still need to check to make sure you equipment can take the power. It comes with several types of plugs that correspond to the types of outlets you will find overseas. You just attach the prongs you need and plug it in. It’s that simple.
I used this adapter in Israel, Turkey, Greece, and the UK. Even though it says 220V, it handled the power just fine. Most mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, iPads, tablets, laptops and cameras pull 12V or less. It is rated for power up to 2,500W.
I’ve bought many different adapters throughout my travels and this one is by far the best one I’ve found. It’s also cheap. You can find it on Amazon for $29.74.
Ceptics also sells a converter, which I recently bought and used while in Israel for a semester abroad. It’s a 230W converter that has 2 plugs and 4 USB ports. The 230W rating means that it will not handle your hair dryer. It can handle a laptop, your smartphone and camera chargers. You can find it on the Ceptics website for $59.99.
Water Purification
GRAYL GeoPress 24 oz Water Purifier Bottle – One of the problems you can encounter when traveling is bad water. We make fun of tap water in the United States, and for good reason. In some countries around the world, water purification is spotty at best. Although Israel isn’t much different from the United States, some of the other countries you might visit on a Holy Land Tour may have water issues.
The Grayl water purifier was the easiest and most compact purifier I found. I used it in Turkey, Greece and Israel. Sometimes purified water is not easily accessible. You may have to buy a bottle but you ran out of change, or the hotel doesn’t sell bottled water. Maybe it’s the middle of the night and you just want a drink of water.
The nice thing about this purifier is that you can press about half a Nalgene bottle in roughly 10 seconds. It gets rid of 99.9% of viruses and bacteria.
This is something you can stuff in your luggage and pull out as needed. It’s light and easily portable. It’s a little pricey though. It sells on Amazon for $99.95.
