Apollo offers portable wi-fi

Staying in contact while on the road has never been easier, with more affordable satellite phones and

RV-specific wi-fi routers among the latest mobile communication technology available to travellers.

Now one of Australia’s leading motorhome rental companies,

Apollo Motorhome Holidays, is offering portable Wi-fi routers for hire with campervans or motorhomes from its Australian fleet.

“We’ve responded to guest requests for Wi-fi routers so they can easily use their smart devices on the road and where their own mobile phone data coverage may not extend,” explained Apollo CEO Luke Trouchet.

With usage plans ranging from 60mb to 3GB, Apollo says the cost of hiring the Wi-fi routers “compares favourably with many hotel internet packages”.

However, as the data plans are from Telstra, coverage will extend only as far as the network goes, unlike

more expensive satellite-based systems.

International travellers could also save money by being able to surf the internet or send emails “at a fraction of the cost of most international data roaming charges”.

The fee is $10 per day, with a maximum charge of $50 plus the cost of data usage.

“The units are removable with re-chargeable batteries so they can be taken out of the rental vehicle, allowing Wi-fi access down at the beach, near the camp fire or on a rainforest walk, for example,” Trouchet said.

Also capitalising on the trend towards online tourism information, Apollo’s New Zealand operations recently launched a free App for Apple or Android phones and tablets.

The ‘Apollo NZ Travel Guide’ features points of interest, detailed maps, up-to-date local information and prices as well as a ‘take me there’ function to help plan driving routes.