Everything I Learned Trying to Travel With the Apple Vision Pro

One of the biggest ads I see for the Vision Pro is of people using it on planes and they show themselves being immersed in an amazing giant display. I had some business trips the last few weeks, and I decided to take the Vision Pro with me. And well, here’s how it went.

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The Apple Vision Pro only comes with this eye mask for the front display. Beyond that it is not really practical to store it directly in your bag, and I most definitely would not put this in a carry-on. The internal lenses are exposed and could get damaged. Apple does sell an unsurprisingly apple level expensive $200 case for the Apple vision Pro but you can buy cheaper 3rd party cases for it off Amazon. Also, while traveling with this thing, just know it does not have cellular support so you’ll need to download all your media beforehand, rely on wifi, or hotspot off your phone. Next, battery life. You can get around 2 and a half hours of runtime from this thing.

When you have a case, it’s a little tedious to take out because it takes a minute to get everything out before strapping it to your face. Then you have to find a good spot to place the battery. This is also where I saw my first snag. The Apple Vision Pro has a travel mode. A toggle you’re supposed to activate if you want to use it while you’re in moving vehicles. However, in a moving vehicle without travel mode on, the Vision Pro cannot track properly. Returning an error message unless the vehicle stops moving. Which means you either have to remember to turn on travel mode before you get on the bus, or wait for the bus to get to a stop, wait for tracking to work, then activate travel mode, all before the bus starts moving again. Even in the dark, it tracked my hands and environment fine. And it was amazing being able to see how far from home I was, in Apple Maps, while music was playing on Apple Music and I was able to web browse. IIt was a completely different experience from just scrolling on your phone. So when it comes to usage on a bus, it mostly works, but isn’t ideal. Most bus rides aren’t long, so I can’t imagine it’s worth taking out of your bag instead of just using your phone unless it’s a long trip.

Okay, for airports and Plane trips, though, that’s a completely different story. When I took the vision pro through security, I left it in my backpack even though it’s “technically” a computer. It passed through just fine, without needing to be taken out of my bag for further inspection. I don’t know if this will happen every time, but that was what I’ve seen for myself so far. Using it while you’re at a gate, is just like how you use it at home. So you have plenty of time to relax, do what you want to do on the Vision Pro and get it into travel mode before you get on the plane. Once on the plane, your space is limited, especially in the back in an economy seat so it makes it a little hard to get your bag out from under your seat and take the case out. And it gets a little cluttered on your lap, but once it’s out, and the case is put away, the experience of enjoying content on the Vision Pro on an airplane is unmatched. When you use your electronics on a plane, you probably stare downward. Because it’s easier on your arms, but it puts some tension on your neck or back. When you use the Vision pro, you’re sitting straight, staring right in front of you. And it’s so much more comfortable than leaning over to look over your laptop, tablet or phone. It stopped feeling like I was on a plane, and was just enjoying what I wanted to watch. The tracking was perfect and I never saw that tracking error message that I did on the bus. And if you fly on a plane with Wifi you can even connect to it, surf the internet or watch the free movies you get access to. It’s a pretty good experience overall and much better than I expected. Just remember to be charging this thing while you use it. Or else you risk running out of charge on longer flights.

[FredTrevinoColor]

Great video! I’m taking a road trip this summer and can’t wait to review it. So far I’ve had mine a little over three weeks and love it more each day.

[joshualopez]

I used it on an airplane and it was amazing. I definitely agree with you on how annoying it would be to unpack it while you’re in your seat especially if you’re an economy. What I ended up doing was boarding the plane with it around my neck and it was much much easier.

[TheLillianYoung]

I haven't traveled with it yet but I do have phone mounts for airplane travel. They mount to the back of the seat so I haven't looked down at my phone like that on an airplane in a while. I like the idea of privacy though. No AVP related but similar - On SNL this past weekend, they had a funny musical about people watching what you are watching over your shoulder.

[Yanto-rvqu]

No idea if this is a thing, but is there a shortcut or automation you can run from your iPhone to enable travel mode on the Vision Pro?

[xARTiTx]

Trying to see methods for a plane trip. How did you keep it charged? I was wondering if we could plug it in somehow

[itschrishuerta]

Crap reminds me I need to renew my passport.

[Jonathantuba]

I have just got Vision Pro and used on a 12 hour flight and in hotel room this last week while travelling for business. It worked great - a really pleasurable experience! I am now back with my family and have put it away, as I do feel it is unsociable if I am with other people. It is definitely best when travelling or working solo.

[JonasViatte]

That travel mode bus situation is really bad. Some busses have no stops for several hours.I hope they make a fix for that.

[raemill]

I''m going to try it at a hotel this weekend and next weekend, going to try it on a long road trip in a car, then on a cruise ship. I was planning to put the device in travel mode before I even leave my house or hotel room, so that will not be an issue. I had already heard you have to be not moving to engage the mode. I have the feeling the car trip wont be so good, bc I heard also that constant motion is best, hence why the airplane works so well. With a cruise ship, we should either be moving, or not moving, so I think it will work well on there too. We shall see!

[Vaalkop]

I looked around quite a bit for a stand and eventually got one from Bionic Labs. I'm super happy with it.

[johanguams]

I’m going to try it for the first time today on the Eurostar from Paris to London I can’t wait to see what it’s like!

[petermunoz-bennett]

You can select a smaller size for the Syntak case. I got that one and my Vision Pro fits inside nicely, and the whole case fits inside my roller-backpack carry-on. By the way, what Manga reader are you using on Vision Pro?

[jo_gurt]

Thank you, very informative! :) Looking forward to your review

[markkitaoka]

I own one. Purchased it only for entertainment. Took my first plane trip with it. Won't go without it now. Has replaced the Down Syndrome phone.

[loconius]

Does the Vision Pro not pop up a keyboard on your phone like an Apple TV does?

[techinrl]

Apple needs a button combination to turn on/off travel mode because it would be bad if you forgot to turn it on just before getting on a 12-hour international flight. How about quick pressing both buttons once or twice? Holding down both buttons is reserved for the force quit window/restart, but just pressing both quickly is not.

[stuartjohnson]

What about the sound? Can it be heard by the people next to you on the plane? Can you pair headphones?

[adamscarsandstuff]

Apple should turn on travel mode automatically in a bus or plane, then ask if you want to turn it off.

[nternalPractice]

Why does everybody talk about running out of power on a plane? There are charging ports on planes!

[jeromederouette]

stupid question: why not locking yourself inside the bus' toilets, activate travel mode, then back to your seat???