Traveling with the Apple Watch Ultra to Europe (apple watch ultra)

As a full fledged nerd of anything and everything having to do with smartwatches I think I'm personally qualified to review my experience with not just owning an apple watch ultra, but using it to train and most importaly travel. Specifically over the pond!

I took the AWU from here in the US, all the way to Europe for a little over 2 weeks and used the hell out of it.

Some background and context, I'm also running around with my trusty Garmin Fenix 6X that I've owned for over a year now. The AWU I've had for a little over 2 years, and I've had like 9 different Garmin variations over the years but currently settled on keeping my 6x as the primary training device while I figure out if I'm going to buy the newest Fenix 8 or upgrade the 6 to a 7 or an Epix.

Regardless! Over all the Garmins I'm currently playing and testing with, the Apple Watch Ultra is usually close by during travel. And for good reason!

Anywho, let's do it!

The itinerary:

DAY 1 - TRAVEL DAY
DAY 2-8 - NICE, FRANCE
DAY 8-9 - PARIS
DAY 9-10 - SWITZERLAND
DAY 10-13 - ITALY
DAY 14 - NICE, FRANCE
DAY 15 - TRAVEL DAY

So! This isn't meant to be a review of the AWU, everyone knows what the ASU is and isn't. The point of this blog specifically is to just recall the moments when having the Apple Watch on my wrist, instead of a normal watch or even a sports watch (like my beloved garmins) was invaluable and the most helpful and trusty companion on this adventure.

1 - Translation

2 - Navigation

3 - GPS (without cellular)

4 - The Smart Stack

5 - The bigger battery (better than the other AW)

6 - Fitness tracking

7 - Looks baby!

8 - Driving a stickshift van through the mountians without carplay.

1 - Translation

So I don't speak French, nor German or Italian. (All the countries we went too) I tried to brush up a bit on these languages learning the basics but when you're under the gun and actually about to speak to someone in their language you need to be prepared!

The Translate app on the iPhone (on ios18) is admittedly much better than the app on the watch, but in a pinch! It definitley comes in handy! (When it works)

Palevous Anglais? (You speak english?) - My most common statement in French!

2 - Navigation

I'll level with you, when we were on a train or in an uber or driving around, I used my phone for navigating and finding where we needed to go. But the second we were on our feet... the Apple Watch was clutch!

Imagine walking around in crowded and unfamiliar streets, people talking different languages and you're carrying luggage and definitley look like you don't belong. These moments is where pickpockets and phonesnatchers thrive. From a glance, we're easy pickings. Foreign tourists, don't speak the language, heads down looking at our phones, easily snaggable luggage with who knows what kind of treasures are in tow...

Now a much easier (and safer) way of navigating.

Planning our Italian route while on a train to Paris.

Upon exiting that train station or Uber, I pressed GO on my iPhone and then I simply, PUT THAT SHIT AWAY.

Now look at us, walking around using my watch, the accuracy is just as good and more importantly, my eyes are open and looking at my surroundings. I'm sure a pickpocket would still have a super easy time of snatching up any of my shit, but that tiny bit of hesitation when they see no phones and just a powerwalk... Can't say it didn't help.

Because as I'm typing this after our trip, we did not, in-fact get pickpocketed! :)

3 - GPS (without cellular)

Much of the same reasoning as I wrote above, but a NEW feature I learned about and was elated to know this for the remainder of my trip.

So, to preface: I am a moron. I thought, for some dumbass reason, that I didn't need to buy the extra data from T-Mobile. I opted to go with the free 5GB and then once that ran out, I'd purchase another 10, and then another 10, etc. anyway I'm just a moron. I should've just bought the unlimited and called it a day for $100, instead I spent way more than I shouldv've.

So, with that out of the way. You can understand why I was hesitant about doing the mapping too often. But a cool hack I learned, the AW has a dual band GPS chipset.

Not sure if it's the same as the GPS chips in Garmins, but at the end of the day it's a gps capable device and it doesn't need a cellular signal to work necessarily.

The AW I have is not cellular anyway, so just like my Garmins, it's totally standalone and doesn't need to be apart of my phone at all times to use the GPS.

Every one in awhile while my cheap ass was trying to save data ($), I would make the route on my phone, and then hit GO, which would send it to my watch. After that, I'd turn on airplane mode on my phone and put it away.

BOOM! All the goodness of apple maps routing and turn x turn navigation without the data.

I was stolked to find out this trick. Even though I'll probably never need to use this again until I'm in a different country. (But to be honest, I'll just buy the extra data anyay)

Nonetheless! A good trick to know!

4 - The Smart Stack

I was hesitant on Watch OS11 at first, but I've warmed up to it over time. And now after seeing the Smart Stack in-action, I can't imagine travelling without it anymore.

Walking up to the gate at the airport, this ticket just popped up as my first option, Thank you!

Riding a limebike through the busy streets of Nice. First option on the smart stack? My current ride, one click away and it shows me where the nearest parking is.

Call the uber from our airbnb, smart stack is showing me when that car is arriving with a timeline. Thank you! and no 4 min is definitely not enough time to finish packing and be downstairs, I shouldn't have called it so early..

5 - The bigger battery (better than the other AW)

This one's simple and doesn't need a huge explanation. It's a bigger watch, it's gotta better battery. Ain't as good as any of my Garmins, that's for damn sure! But our friend Jacob came with us with his Apple Watch SE first gen.

After a day's use, he'd be lucky to make it all the way to the end of the night with any battery left. Throw in the fact that we were walking and biking everywhere and our desperate need to close them rings, we'd always be running our watches with activities. His watch wouldn't last until sundown...

To make a point:

My friend's Apple Watch SE - sometimes lasted the entire day of outings and travel.

My Apple Watch Ultra - Always lasted the entire day of outings and travel.

My Girlfriends Garmin Epix 42mm - Lasted 5 days without a charge... and that's the smaller Epix too!

6 - Fitness tracking

So, besides the fact that I'm a fitness nut (kinda). This trip consited of walking non-stop, biking at least once a day, and some beach activities and some other wheeled activities.

I'll be blunt, I don't prefer Apple as a fitness tracker. I love my Garmins too much.

Training for an Ironman this year (fucking next month holy smokes!) I use and trust the Garmins way more.

But for some fun swims, a few 5K's in the morning, plus the rest of the activities we were up too.. The AWU worked out just fine!

7 - Looks baby!

It's no secret, the apple watch is a sexy watch. Pair it up with your favorite band, and you're golden!

For this trip I brought 4. (Def overkill, but I'm into it so shutup)

A dress up titanium band from Amazon.

A comfy leather magnetic loop from Apple.

A silicone grey sports strap from Nomad.

And a cheap knockoff velcro trail loop (mostly for sleeping)

8 - Driving a fucking stickshift van through the mountians without carplay.

This is a fun one I just threw in and I had to write it out because this situation was so ridiculous.

So... our group consited of 8 total people. Two of the memberes were competing in the Ironman World Championship in Nice, France. That's why we were there.

Anywho, for some confidence, my gf wanted to take her bike up to the top of one of the mountains and bike down. Super speed + hairpin turns, if you're not prepared you're going to crash, which could be lethal. Totally understandable! So we rented a van... a ginormous ridiculously large van that could carry all 8 of us + 2 bikes... and then proceeded to drive up and down the smallest roads imaginable and squeezing into places that we know we can't fit into!

It was tense! And I wanted to post the picture I took of the van that barely fit into the parking garage.

What was the topic about? Oh yeah, no carplay. So I used my watch to navigate or whatever.... ;P

Thanks for reading! I had fun writing this one out.

BB2024