 
          Discover Smith Mountain Lake
        
        
          
            WINTER 2016
          
        
        
        
          
            25
          
        
        
          
            24
          
        
        
          
            Drive smarter.
          
        
        
          Hitting the road? Apps like Waze, a
        
        
          community-based traffic and navigation
        
        
          guide, offer immediate information and
        
        
          alternate routes that save time when everyone
        
        
          is heading out of town. Other apps, like
        
        
          GasBuddy, compare pricing for nearby gas
        
        
          stations so you can fuel up economically,
        
        
          making the drive convenient and worry-free.
        
        
          
            Beat boredom en route.
          
        
        
          Even in the air, there are ways to keep the
        
        
          family entertained. Inflight internet services,
        
        
          like Gogo, allow for texting and surfing the
        
        
          web, so kids can keep up with their Candy
        
        
          Crush game and mom and dad can hop online
        
        
          to research travel activities. And if you are a
        
        
          T-Mobile customer, you get a free hour of Wi-
        
        
          Fi on every domestic flight! Take connectivity
        
        
          to the next level by plugging into a portable
        
        
          charger to ensure all your devices are fully
        
        
          charged for the duration of your flight and
        
        
          after you land.
        
        
          
            Find your travel Zen.
          
        
        
          Ever been on a long train ride with an unhappy
        
        
          baby or snoring fellow rider? Drown out
        
        
          unwelcome disruptions by turning up the
        
        
          volume, and streaming unlimited music from
        
        
          services like Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora
        
        
          with Music Freedom from T-Mobile.
        
        
          
            Pro tip:
          
        
        
          
            Noise-cancelling headphones
          
        
        
          help
        
        
          too! Seek out a comfortable pair designed to fit
        
        
          the unique contour of your ears – they are ideal
        
        
          for lengthy trips.
        
        
          
            Make the most of travel
          
        
        
          
            downtime.
          
        
        
          Dealing with a delay or adjusting to a different
        
        
          time zone? Use the unplanned time to catch up
        
        
          on your favorite shows. You can stream services
        
        
          like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube on your phone
        
        
          with T-Mobile’s Binge On and not only will you
        
        
          get through the series cliffhanger, none of your
        
        
          streaming will count against your high-speed
        
        
          data! Happy holidays indeed!
        
        
          
            Stay connected even when
          
        
        
          
            abroad.
          
        
        
          Google’s 2016 travel trends show that 85
        
        
          percent of leisure travelers decide on activities
        
        
          to do from their mobile phone after they’ve
        
        
          arrived at their travel destination. You can avoid
        
        
          roaming charges while you wander out of the
        
        
          country with services like Simple Global from
        
        
          T-Mobile. It provides unlimited data and texting
        
        
          in more than 140 countries around the globe.
        
        
          For the 50 percent of Americans who regularly
        
        
          travel to Mexico or Canada, a travel offering that
        
        
          spans an entire continent, like Mobile Without
        
        
          Borders, will be welcome news. It ensures you
        
        
          can text and post photos of guacamole and
        
        
          poutine all day with no (data) consequences.
        
        
          
            Be the all-star family
          
        
        
          
            photographer.
          
        
        
          Essential for capturing photos throughout the
        
        
          holidays, selfie sticks are this year’s unexpected
        
        
          travel necessity. Various types– compact,
        
        
          waterproof and Bluetooth enabled are available
        
        
          at a range of prices. Whether you are headed
        
        
          on a morning hike or prepping the holiday feast,
        
        
          you’ll capture memories the family will love for
        
        
          years to come.
        
        
          
            Is Your Tech Ready?
          
        
        
          
            As families prepare for the holiday season, they also prepare to make
          
        
        
          
            big family trips, so make sure not to leave home without the proper tech
          
        
        
          
            reinforcements this year! These tips will ensure you can savor the sweet
          
        
        
          
            moments and avoid potential hiccups!
          
        
        
          
            Story and photo courtesy of StatePoint.