When you book through Travelers Haven, at least 95 percent of the temporary housing properties will have a cable or satellite package as part of the deal. The vast majority of them will also bundle it with fast internet, too. But what if your corporate apartment doesn’t?
This isn’t just a situation faced by business travelers. There’s even a name for it: cord cutting. However, living without a cable or satellite TV package doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite TV shows. There are other ways out there to get your entertainment fix.
Netflix
Netflix should need no introduction. It’s a movie and TV streaming service that utilizes your internet connection to stream content to your laptop or smart TV. As long as your temporary housing has a decent connection, you’re golden.
Watch movies, TV shows, original series, and other kinds of content for as little as $8 a month.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a similar service that offers movie and TV streaming via the internet. Like Netflix, Prime Video has a huge selection of content across every genre you can think of and many you can’t. Some of it is bought from other channels, some of it is original to Amazon.
Subscriptions start at around $10.99 a month or $99 a year, depending on what membership level you require.
Hulu
Hulu was one of the first subscription streaming services, and it’s still one of the best. It too offers movies, TV series, original productions, and lots more. Like Netflix and Prime Video, you can stream your content to a smart TV or laptop through your internet connection and watch unlimited amounts for a fixed monthly fee.
Subscriptions start at $7.99 a month.
Other TV channels also offer streaming services for a subscription fee. They include HBO, ABC, NBC, and CBS.
A Note on Geoblocking
Cord cutting is ideal if you frequently travel domestically for business and stay in temporary housing. However, if you travel farther afield and are out of the U.S., things become a little tricky.
While Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu all offer international streaming, complicated licensing rules means not all content is available everywhere. You may find your options are more limited when leaving the country, or offer foreign content, so bear that in mind if you’re traveling internationally. You may want to download a box set or two onto your laptop so you have some backup material.