November 1 is just around the corner. Millions of Filipinos will make their annual visit to their loved ones who have passed away. To help you make your Undas as hassle-free as possible, we’ve rounded up 5 quick tech-related reminders for you.
1. Use Waze to Make Sure You Avoid Traffic and Find the Best Route
You can be sure that the traffic leading to the cemeteries will be terrible on October 31 and November 1. To get reach your destination with the least amount of time, make sure you fire up Waze. To increase the accuracy of the tracking of Waze, turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your smartphone.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of parking and driving, you can just take an Uber or Grab to be able to get to the cemetery and go home afterwards.
2. Bring Power Banks to Charge your Gadgets
You’ll most likely spend the entire morning, afternoon, or even day at the cemetery so chances are you will run out of battery on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Best to bring with you one (or multiple) powerbanks so that you’re fully charged the whole afternoon.
Speaking of gadgets in the cemetery, there were reports of theft and pickpocketing during last year’s Undas. Make sure you always keep an eye on your gadgets. If you will bring a bag, keep them close to you at all time. Don’t tempt fate by being careless.
3. Make Sure You’ve Swapped Your 3G SIM to an LTE SIM
You’ll probably be using mobile Internet at the cemetery because there aren’t a lot (if any) that offer free WiFi. Take this opportunity to swap your SIM card if you’re still stuck to 2G-3G, especially if your smartphone is 4G/LTE capable. Telco companies have invested heavily on their LTE/4G networks in the last 2 years so if you want to experience faster and better Internet, go on 4G/LTE.
*If it’s anything like last year you can expect Smart, Sun, and TNT to have booths in the major cemeteries where you can swap your SIM cards.
After switching to LTE, check out the various Giga data promos that you can avail of if you’re on Prepaid.
4. Instead of Passing Around the Phone for Multiple Reunion Shots, Make a Shared Group for Uploading Pics
If you’re like my family, Undas also serves as a reunion and that means a lot of photos. That said, one of my pet peeves is unnecessarily standing longer than usual in group shots because the photographer has to use multiple cameras and smartphones for one shot. To avoid this just make a shared Viber, Telegram, or Messenger group and have the person with the best camera on their smartphone just be the designated photographer. After that they can just upload the shots on the group for everyone’s benefit (for posting on whatever social platform you want).
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5. Be Mindful, Don’t Bring Loud Speakers
Some people want to be solemn and just spend quality time with their loved ones who passed away. You need to be mindful of this and respect that. As much as possible avoid bringing outdoor speakers and hit up your Spotify playlist. While you might enjoy this, you will ruin it for someone else, especially if you’re in a crowded cemetery. If you really want to listen to music, bring headphones or earphones.
Last but definitely not the least…
Super Important Reminder: Don’t Stay Glued to Your Phone All Day
While it’s tempting to just watch YouTube videos all afternoon, make the most of the time that you have with your family and loved ones. Let tech be an enabler and not a distraction. Take pics, share stories, and use it to bond and not to be isolated from everyone else. It’s a rare opportunity where you can just be together, even with those who have already passed away. Take time to remember the good times, pray for the future, and most importantly enjoy each other’s company in the present.
Everyone here at the Unbox team wishes all of you a stress free and meaningful Undas!
