Who doesn’t travel with a smartphone nowadays? Smartphones are entertainment centres—games, music, video and more—as well as mobile information booths. You can look up restaurants, order taxis and book events all on-the-go. Most smartphones even boast onboard lenses more powerful than some standalone cameras!

Understandably, breaking your phone on vacation can leave you somewhat stranded. If reliant on it to get around the city, then you’ll need to find an alternative method of research or replace the phone. Since hotels have computers in the lobby and telephones in the room, jumping to buy a new phone might be unnecessary.

If you’re simply losing out on the multimedia, there’s entertainment all around you: cable in the hotel, music on the radio, movies at the cinema, nature at the park, etc. Just pick up a disposable camera somewhere and hit the pavement undistracted by technology.

Do Not Buy a New Phone

Smartphones are not cheap. Most cost more than $600 outright. On contract, though, the upfront expense is often much less, which is why you should wait until you can speak with your carrier. Sometimes, there are early upgrade fees or damaged device exchanges that can save you money. Ideally, you will have insurance and will only need to pay the deductible.

If you cannot wait and need a replacement, consider purchasing a temporary prepaid phone. These will run Android (maybe an older version) and give you access to your staple apps. Simply pop out the SIM card on your broken phone and switch for a few days.

Better yet, if your hotel is near a mall, look for a phone repair booth. Some can perform repairs in just a few hours (i.e. shattered screen), leaving you with only an afternoon bereft of your smartphone. During that time, you can check out the sights nearby or go out for a nice meal.