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Is San Jose, Costa Rica Safe To Visit?

by Anil Polat | Jun 4, 2026 | Security | 0

Costa Rica’s capital city is the main entry point into a diverse number of stops across the country but few stay and see San Jose. Aside from having a bad safety reputation, it’s not the green, coastal place many tourists come to Costa Rica to see. San Jose is a city that will surprise many visitors though with safe spaces, historic foods, and a vibrant atmosphere not to be missed.

Watch the video here to see what San Jose has to offer tourists.

Use Your Guides

A good guide will help you get around to understand the best neighborhoods in San Jose. There are several where you’ll experience a high degree of security, while others should be visited mainly during the day. This goes for downtown; it’s where you’ll find the Mercado Central, Teatro Nacional, and Mercado Borbon. Only open during the day, be mindful of your belongings in the surrounding streets and don’t draw attention to yourself.

poas volcano

It’s in the two major markets here though that you’ll find some of the best and oldest San Jose foods from Soda Tala to must-visit ice cream shop, La Sorbetera de Lolo Mora.

There’s also Bario Escalante, a hipster and lively part of San Jose that has a reputation for food, nightlife, and a relaxed atmosphere.

Ride Share Around

Ride share apps and Uber are commonly used in San Jose and make it easy to get around without having to worry about negotiating a fare price. They also make tracking and sharing your movements with friends and relatives possible so you have have more safety as you travel the in San Jose. A good guide will set you up with an introduction into San Jose for a good first day but then you have the next to explore on your own.

Not spending at least a day in San Jose is missing a lot on Costa Rican culture that emanates to the rest of the country from here.

AirTag 1 vs. AirTag 2: A Difference Worth Upgrading To?

by Anil Polat | May 21, 2026 | Security, Tech | 0

AirTags have been very popular since they were first released in 2021 because they’re small, useful, and work with Apple’s Find My network. Now, 5 years later, Apple has released the AirTag 2. One of Apple’s quietest but most impressive updates to its current product lineup though and you already have an AirTag, you might be wondering if it’s worth upgrading.

The short answer is a limited, yes. Maybe.

Flying Saucers

Apple clearly decided that the original AirTag was popular and functional enough that they didn’t want to change the look or design, at least not on the outside. The AirTag 2 has the same dimensions with a UFO shape and quite easily scratched metallic cover. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t make the AirTag in any other color than white and you’ll have to look very closely to be able to tell the AirTag 1 apart from the AirTag 2. The only difference visually is the uppercase lettering on the AirTag 2 which no longer says “designed in California, assembled in China”.

Apple AirTag (2nd Generation): Tracker for Keychain, Wallet, and...

The AirTag 2 is .8 grams and uses the same CR 2032 battery with the same battery life of around one year.

More Ultra

AirTags have an Ultra wide-band chip in them which, in the AirTag 1, is what gives you the ability to be able to visually track them when you’re within about 10 meters or 30 feet. The AirTag 2 now has the next generation ultra wide ban- chip that Apple claims has quote, “up to 50% greater” Precision Finding range, which should be about 15 meters or 50 feet of range. You can see in this video here the results of my own testing.

The AirTag 1 had a magnet that was just enough to hold its weight but gave me no confidence it would stick if there was any movement. The AirTag 2 however has a solid lock to metallic surfaces and feels like it wouldn’t fall off, even with some firm shaking.

Time To Upgrade?

Apple hasn’t made any concrete promises about how much extra Bluetooth range the AirTag 2 has compared to the first generation, it should give you more range and in outdoor areas could be 50-60 meters versus 10-12, a huge jump. And that’s important because Bluetooth is what AirTags use to quietly talk with all of the Apple devices around them. It’s this communication that lets you see where they are through the Find My App.

The AirTag 2 is the same price as the AirTag 1, $29 for one or $99 for a 4 pack and Apple stores have pretty much run out of their remaining AirTag 1 stock, so AirTag 2 is it. For those of you already using AirTags, I wouldn’t replace all of them. The AirTag 2 is a great upgrade but not so much you have to go out and replace your current AirTags. Unless you have one really valuable or important item you want to be able to track to the best of Apple’s ability, then it might be worth upgrading just those AirTags – though in some cases a Ridge Tracker Card may be better.

The Ridge Tracker Card Is Better Than An AirTag… Sometimes

by Anil Polat | May 14, 2026 | Security | 0

The Ridge Tracker Card and Apple’s AirTag are two of the most popular tracking devices you can use to monitor your valuables. Both of the devices though come in vary different forms factors – for good reason – and despite it’s limitation, the Ridge Tracker Card can be better than an AirTag, sometimes.

You can watch the full video above and read on for more.

Why The Slim Look?

The Ridge Tracker Card is wallet-friendly with its ID card dimensions while the AirTag has a small puck shape, about the size of a U.S. quarter or 50 cent Euro coin. AirTags are thicker though, so they don’t fit conveniently into wallets, for example. The Tracker Card has a more favorable form factor for slim spaces but that’s because it’s lacking Apple’s Ultra-wideband (UWB) chip.

Ridge Wallet Tracker Card

The UWB lets you visually track a device within about 10-20 meters (more in the AirTag 2) but otherwise you’ve got to rely on Bluetooth and Apple’s Find My network. For most cases, the disadvantages of the Ridge Tracker Card are outweighed by its shape – especially if that means you’re more likely to use it rather than no tracker at all.

The Obvious Fit

Ridge Tracker Cards are ideal for wallets and slim purses because they are credit card shaped. AirTags simply don’t fit well in card holders and your wallet is presumably one of your more valuable possessions. You can still play a chime from the Ridge Tracker Card using Find My, so even though you can visually get a precise lock on it if you misplace your wallet indoors, the sounds should help guide you the rest of the way.

Other good uses include letters and important documents you might have mailed or sent via courier. You can get more precise tracking of those documents and in cases where they’ll be sent back to you (think legal or financial documents) you’ll have an extra layer of reassurance knowing just where they are.

On The Move

Sports gear like belt packs and vests might also be a good place to use a Ridge Tracker Card over an AirTag. The lighter weight and thinnest means less bounce and over long running or cycling distances, ever little annoyance (or lack thereof) can add up. Being IP67 rated also means the Ridge Tracker Card can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes in shallow water, meaning you can use it for swim or kayaking gear as well.

Books, vinyls, and notebooks also make for situations where you might want to use a Ridge Tracker Card over an AirTag. But the Apple is no slouch, here are 8 creative ways to use AirTags.

Woman Fights Back Against Two Phone Snatchers

by Anil Polat | Apr 16, 2026 | Pictures and Video, Security | 0

This is a wild video from South America where a woman fought back against two thieves trying to snatch her phone. The crooks were caught completely off guard, but a lot could have gone wrong here for the victim. Instead of this reaction, in the video above I break down what she could have done to prevented the attempt with the least risk to herself.

How To Protect Your Phone From Forced Bank Transfer Muggings

by Anil Polat | Apr 9, 2026 | Money, Security | 0

In the latest disturbing mugging trend, not only are criminals demanding everything in your pockets, they’re forcing you to empty your bank accounts right from your phone. You’ll need to prepare your mobile from forced transfer muggings, otherwise you could be left with a lot more loss than just a stolen phone.

Here’s what you need to do to protect yourself.

Basics First

Often, the victims of these kinds of robberies are in public but distracted, ironically, by their phones. Thieves are looking for a quick opportunity and catching someone by surprise is a good way to save time and reduce their chances of getting caught. Always be aware of your surroundings in busy areas and if you have to check your phone, do it somewhere indoors or where you feel safe.

Even then, try not to get lost staring at your phone and save anything you need to really concentrate on for home or inside a cafe.

Use Biometrics

Enable Face ID on your iPhone or Face Recognition for Android because there are some key security features tied to them. Also, the PIN on your phone should be unique – make sure it’s not your ATM PIN or used for anything else other than to unlock your phone. Next you want to enable remote tracking features like “Find My iPhone” for iOS or “Find my Device” on Android because those will let you erase your phone if it’s lost or stolen.

When you have facial recognition enabled you can also hide apps or use private space on Android so your sensitive bank apps are hidden and require a face scan to open. It’s not absolute security but in the heat of the moment the robbers will try to get away as soon as possible, so this level of protection makes it less likely they’ll dig deep on the spot.

Go Cold Turkey

I’d recommend not having any of your bank apps on your phone – which sounds crazy – but trust me, you probably don’t need them as much as you think. And if you are going to have one, use a separate account for just your phone. The robbers are going to go for the easiest method so if you do decide to keep a banking app on your phone, make sure it’s bait.

Create a bank account you’ll only use with your phone and keep a very limited amount of money there. You can also set transfer limits on your accounts if your bank allows it so if you are forced to transfer money out at gunpoint, there’s a limit on how much you can withdraw per day. A lot of banks too have privacy and security features that you might not know about. It’s a pain but spending a few minutes to call their customer service or fraud departments and ask what features they have can be useful and if they’re lacking, letting them know it’s important to you or you might go to a competitor, which can be useful feedback.

For apps and services like Paypal, Zelle, Revolut, and Venmo make sure you also set up those accounts with transfer limits and keep no or a very small amount of funds there. Also, don’t connect them to your main bank accounts – only connect them with that secondary account that has limited funds.

You want to insulate your main accounts from your phone’s apps. For more on protecting yourself against forced transfer muggings watch this video.

What It’s Like Traveling In Mecca And Medina Saudi Arabia

by Anil Polat | Mar 12, 2026 | Lodging, Travel | 0

The two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia have long been restricted to outsiders. Some of that has changed in recent years in the case of Medina, but there are still some parts limited to outsiders. Saudi Arabia has strict restrictions preventing non-Muslims from entering Mecca and Medina’s holiest sites are also off limits.

To see inside both cities, you can watch this video from Mecca here and read below for more on both cities.

Traveling To Mecca

The entry point into Mecca is Jeddah for most people. It’s the closest major airport and from there you’ll take a high speed train, car, or taxi into Mecca.

There are checkpoints at the city limits that are casually manned depending on the time of the year. Around the season of the Hajj (the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) there may be more but at other times of the year Mecca is fairly quiet.

There are plenty of hotel rooms to stay near the Great Mosque that are within walking distance and prices are competitive. While the main draw to Mecca are the holy sites, there are other places in the city that remind you it’s an urban center with all the modern elements. Plentiful places to eat, shopping, as well as tours that can take you around to the holy sites in the vicinity.

Visiting Medina

In 2021 the Saudi government opened Medina up to non-Muslims, with some exceptions. It’s best to check the latest rules from official sources but in general the city is accessible and only some holy sites have restrictions. Those include the Prophet’s Mosque and the Quba Mosque but if you want to see inside, you can watch the video below linked here.

In short, visitors have options in some of the holy sites and cities within Saudi Arabia. Traveling is comfortable, modern, and prices on par, if not a little less expensive than western Europe.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More