I travel for both business and pleasure, frequently flying but often as a passenger on long road trips. Anytime I hit the road (or the skies), I take along a book. That’s fine for short journeys, but after a while, I need a change when the literal scenery isn’t appealing.

Initially, I tried watching TV shows or movies on my phone to cure the boredom. And that works pretty well as long as you’re within an urban area of some sort and can catch Wi-Fi signals without interruption. But if you’re not, well, you’re just out of luck because you won’t be able to stream a darn thing decently.

The One Thing You Should Do Before Leaving Home? Download.

It was on an endless flight that I finally realized there was one thing I hadn’t done to make my life easier as I sat on the plane through a tarmac delay and then a five-hour journey: Download music, TV shows, or movies before I left my house.

It was sort of a ‘duh’ moment for me, honestly. I work with technology constantly, and this very simple task of downloading things to replay later on my phone was so clearly a must-do that I felt a bit foolish not having done it earlier.

When you download things to your device, you won’t need Wi-Fi or a connection of any kind to watch your favorite shows and movies or to just listen to your favorite music.

That’s because, once downloaded, everything is stored on your device for quick retrieval. Downloads can be easily deleted after your trip.

Where to Download Cool Stuff

Almost all movie and TV streaming services have a download option of some kind. (See specifics below.)

Music services all work differently but nearly all of them have download options. These are our favorite places to download music for free, which is useful if you don’t already subscribe to a service like Spotify.

There are lots of ways to download free audiobooks, by the way, so if you enjoy that then by all means get your download on there.

How to Download Streaming TV and Movies

Most streaming services have a download option of some kind; you just need to have the respective app installed on your device. There are some limits on most services, and downloads do take up storage space on your device.

Once you do, the ‘how’ to download will depend upon the specific service. Each service works a little differently (check the service’s Help section if you’re not sure how to download from it) and some require you to have a specific type of subscription to do it.

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ downloads, on the other hand, are usually available for 30 days although some channels impose limits for how many titles you can download at the same time as well as the number of devices you can download content to.

Select the title you want, the click the Download button. That will send downloads to the Library, where you’ll find them under ‘Downloaded.’

Discovery Plus

You’ll need the Ad-Free plan on Discovery Plus to download titles. You can keep these on your device for up to 30 days without watching, but once you start, you have 48 hours to finish.

Select the desired title and tap the Download button (downward arrow with a line underneath it). This button is typically found next to the episode you want to watch; for movies, though, look for it on the bottom menu bar.

Disney Plus

Locate the content you want to store, then tap the Download button. You can usually find that on the episodes page or below a movie’s Play button.

Most titles will remain on your device as long as you connect to the internet at least once every 30 days; however, some titles have time limits. ESPN+ content can’t be downloaded.

Hulu

Hulu (No Ads plan) allows you to keep downloaded content for 30 days if you haven’t started watching it, but once you do, you only have 48 hours to complete your viewing.

To see which titles you can choose from, use the menu bar and tap Downloads > See What’s Downloadable.

Max

Not everything is available for download on Max, but the process is similar to that of other services.

Find the title you’re interested in; if it can be downloaded, you’ll see the Download button. Unwatched downloads are stored for 30 days. Once you start watching something, get the viewing done in 48 hours before it goes away.

Netflix

Netflix allows you to download movies and stores them on your device for seven days before they expire.

Just select the title, and tap the Download button to get started.

Prime Video

Prime Video, too, will let you keep downloads for 30 days if you haven’t begun watching them, but once you do, you only have 48 hours to complete your viewing.

You can download an entire season of a TV show on Prime Video, by the way, or just individual episodes. Just find the title you want and tap Download. You can access it from the Downloads section of the app after that.