Lost in Paris, Rescued by a Pocket Router

The woman in the station information office had given me clear directions to Rue de Rivoli, near the Louvre, and I had followed them confidently into the wrong part of Paris. Getting lost in a new city is supposed to be a pleasure. It stops being one when you have an appointment and a fixed hour.

I was on the point of walking back to an information desk when I remembered what was in my bag: a My Webspot package that had been delivered to my hotel reception the day before. Of course. Google Maps.

The rescue

I switched the device on and connected my phone. The signal was strong. Then my phone, following some law of its own, refused to open Maps at all and threw up an error. This is where a pocket router beats a phone hotspot: the Webspot takes up to ten devices at once. I asked my friend to connect his phone instead. It worked immediately, we walked, and we reached the address with time to spare — with a stop at the Louvre pyramid on the way, because you may as well.

The 4G was steady enough that when I got back to my room I never bothered switching to the hotel's wifi until I opened my laptop. The device needs a few hours on the charger to last the next day, so it went on charge alongside my powerbank, and I went to sleep thinking about pastries.

For the rest of the trip it did everything: finding places, navigating between them, keeping up with social media, and occasionally connecting the laptop when I had work to do.

Why I tried it

Until a few months before, my only approach to data abroad had been free wifi wherever it existed. My network provider charged an unbelievable 19 CHF per megabyte for roaming, which made every map refresh feel like a small financial decision.

Then, on a trip to Spain in May, I discovered the MTX Connect sim card. One sim works in most European countries, there are packages to choose from, and I still use it. But the Webspot tempted me for a different reason: a router in your pocket, several devices connected to one 4G line, no swapping of sim cards.

How renting works

When I first read about the company they operated only in France. They now rent in many European countries. The system is straightforward: you rent the device at your destination, top it up online with whichever package suits you, and send it back before you leave. A charger comes with it.

In my case the device was waiting at the hotel reception, and the package included a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Packing it up at the end took two minutes. You can put it in any post box in the city, or hand it to the receptionist at your hotel or hostel and let them do it.

What it costs

Four plans, depending on how much you need:

1. 5 euros for a 3G connection, limited to 500 MB a day, in France.
2. 7.5 euros for 4G, limited to 500 MB a day, in France.
3. 9 euros for unlimited data per day, in France.
4. 10 euros for unlimited data per day across Europe.

If you are moving between countries, the last one is the obvious choice. Full details are on their website.

Would I do it again

Yes, for a trip where I need to be somewhere at a particular time. Free wifi is fine until the moment you are standing in the wrong street with ten minutes to spare, and then it is worth every euro.

How do you stay connected when you travel — free wifi only, a local sim, or something like this? I would like to know. A big thank you to My Webspot for letting me try the device in Paris; the opinions, as always, are my own.