Speaking of Apple Watch Series Three with Cellular in reference to the sports watch features, Apple says:

With cellular connectivity, Apple Watch Series 3 lets you leave your phone in the gym locker while you work out, and never miss an important call, text, or notification. You can also take more music than ever on your wrist for endless amounts of musical motivation.

Considering travel efficiency, safety and security, Chris thinks:

So I can stow my iPhone away in my backpack and do everything but take a photo from my watch?  Sold.

Everyone who has ever left their phone behind at the last stop while traveling relives the horror repeatedly.  Rightfully so, losing any one of the big three (passport, phone, money) is something to be avoided at all costs.  That focused attention brings assorted gear options to protect those assets on the road. We have reviewed a number of them here.

 

Forget all those and most other gear moves you might be considering.  Simply not being tied to your iPhone but still being able to communicate is a win. It’s one less thing to carry when out for a walk or run, if nothing else.  But take that sports focus and apply it to travel.  Now, we have yet another winner, perhaps even more significant if paired with wireless Apple AirPods.

I would never have dreamed that AirPods would work as well as wired versions.  They are better, as loud or louder and drain the heck out of that brand new watch battery.  But the experience is worth it.

But let me back this up a bit with some history of how I arrived at this wonderful place.

My focus on the purchase of electronics has been toned down some in recent years.  There was a time when we, as a family, would anxiously await the arrival of each new iPhone rendition, often choosing a color or features based on which one would ship faster.  It was right about the time we bought a pair of iPhone 6’s that it bothered me: these things are not cheap.  I swore not to jump in when the next new iPhone was introduced and was successful at that.

Our Apple Watch experience began just after that realization that we would not die if we did not have the latest iPhone the day it was released. We began with a different philosophy: ‘wear it until it falls off your arm’.  That move to Apple Watch proved to be a huge upgrade from whatever the best Fitbit was at the time. We had a drawer full of Fitbits by the time we gave up. So Series 2 Apple Watch came out and we waited. Series three had been out a while when my original Apple Watch finally died.  I HAD to get another one and went all in.

Apple Watch Series Three with Cellular and Apple AirPods offer some distinct advantages for travelers:

• Safe Travels- In Transit, Full featured iPhone is turned off and stowed away securely.
• Siri Now Has Value- She’s still kinda dumb but two taps on either AirPod and she quickly changes songs, calls someone, texts someone or provided directions somewhere. Hands-free.
• One Audio Output For All- AirPods switch automatically to control Apple TV or communicate with many other Apple devices.
• Subtly Ignore People- That same capability to hear Apple TV clearly on AirPods combined with Siri makes this voice command possible: “Maximum Volume”… which pretty much tells anyone within voice range that you are absolutely not paying attention to them.
• If You Can’t Communicate It’s Not Because You Can’t Find Your Device- it’s strapped to your arm and actually uses a separate phone number at a reduced rate.  In our case with T-Mobile, that also effectively doubles data available on the road.
• Even If Lost, It Did Not Cost As Much– No matter how you look at it, losing a $1000 phone hurts more than losing a $500 watch on steroids.