Here's how to get the most out of your mobile during your holiday.

Chargers

Bring a good quality charger and an adaptor if needed. Gran Canaria uses two-pin plugs so you'll need an adaptor if you come from the UK. Others need to check and make sure that their adaptor plug is compatible. Another excellent option in Gran Canaria is a solar battery charger. These are available online and a good quality one charges up fast enough in the Gran Canaria sunshine for you not to need a mains charger.

Mobile phone care

Be extra careful with your mobile on the beach as sand and salt water can break it within seconds. Be careful when plugging in headphones and chargers on the beach as sand in the sockets causes chaos.

A good top for the beach is to bring a zip-lock bag and keep your phone in it. This may sound excessive, but we can't tell you how many people we've seen shaking out flooded phones that the tide swamped. 

Also remember that mobiles aren't designed to be left in the sunshine; High temperatures can ruin batteries and screens so keep your mobile in the shade. 

Mobile phones are tempting targets for opportunistic thefts so keep you iPhone or Galaxy out of view if you go for a swim, and don't leave it on cafe and restaurant tables. Theft is rare in the Canary Islands, but it does happen.

Finding your way

With roaming fees still in place this year, you can still use your mobile and Wifi to download maps and directions with the My Maps mobile application for Android. You won't get live directions, but you can still see the instructions and view maps in details.

Alternatively, walkers can use a walking app that works offline. A good example is the Gran Canaria walking app.

Avoiding fees

To be 100% certain that your mobile isn't building up data roaming charges, just switch off mobile data while you are in Gran Canaria. You'll still be able to make and receive calls and SMS messages (although you'll pay high rates for them) and will still be able to access the internet via wifi. Using free wifi, Skype and Whatsapp rather than making calls and sending SMS messages can save you a ton of money over a two week holiday. 

Back-up

We advise everyone who comes to Gran Canaria to back up their mobile phone information before they leave just in case the worst happens.