The Apple Watch Ultra travel review along with tips and tricks on how to get the most from your watch.

One of my favorite travel accessories is my Apple Watch, which I use to track my steps, calories burned, heart rate and sleep patterns. Prior to a recent trip to Costa Rica, I decided to purchase a new one to replace by 2nd generation watch. I opted to splurge a little bit and got the Apple Watch Ultra, which was a large jump in technical capabilities when compared to my prior watch. Here are a few of the things I love about my Apple Watch Ultra:

Hiking - Altimeter

We did several hikes while in Costa Rica and one of my favorite features of the Apple Watch Ultra is the altimeter which is used for elevation tracking. The altimeter allowed me to quickly track elevation changes to understand how high up or down we were going on our hikes. I even used this feature when we went ziplining, which my son thought was pretty cool. Next to the elevation metric, there is number that shows the degrees of elevation. This number is based on the axis of your watch, so if you want to see the grade of the trail, hold you watch parallel to the ground to get an accurate reading.

Compass

Another nifty feature on the Ultra is the compass. Yes, there isn’t much to the compass and it shows the direction you are traveling and your degrees from North. However, one feature that is awesome is the backtrack mode. If you turn on the backtrack feature before a hike, the watch will record the path you took and when you want to return to your starting point, you simply hit pause icon on the watch and then click “Retrace Steps” to start backtracking. There will be a white arrow that populates on the compass, which you can simply follow back to your starting location. This feature will truly allow you to explore complex trails with the piece of mind that you can find your way back. Just make sure your watch battery is fully charged before heading out.

Running

One of the first things I remember the watch asking me to do was to go on a 20-minute outdoor run to help the watch calibrate your stride. This becomes useful for when you are running indoors, say on a treadmill to record your distance more accurately, etc. Another feature that I really like to utilize is the Heart Rate Zone feature. This shows you in real time what zone you are in so you can see how hard you are pushing yourself. It also tracks how much time you spend in each zone so you can understand how efficient your overall workout was. There are several other stats that the watch tracks such as Stride Length, Elevation, Vertical Oscillation and Running Power. Most of these are self-explanatory, but I will go a little deeper on the latter two.

Vertical Oscillation – Tracks the distance your body is travelling vertically while you run. You can compare this metric to your stride length to help you understand how much energy you are using to go vertically versus horizontally.

Running Power – This metric tracks how much energy you are exerting throughout your run and is measured in Watts. This can be useful to understand your effort with changes in elevation on your run.

Swimming / Diving

My absolutely favorite thing about this watch compared to my 2nd generation Apple watch (aside from battery life) is that it is water resistant up to 100 meters. The watch automatically flips to “Water Mode” when it comes in contact with water and starts tracking your water depth if you decide to go recreational scuba diving with it. The watch can only track water depth up to 100 meters, which also just happens to be the distance that most recreational divers are certified. The watch also tracks water temperature, which is also a nice feature when you decide to go swimming or diving. After you exit the water, the watch will prompt you to hold the crown button for a few seconds, which will force water out of the watch orifices.

Overall Health and Wellness

UVI Rating – This is a great feature and I use it all the time! The UVI rating really helps me understand how frequently to apply sunscreen throughout the day to try and limit my sun exposure. I absolutely love this feature and I have it on my wayfinder screen.

Loud Environment Warning – I received this notification for the first time when running the hairdryer for one of my Children. I have also had it go off when using power tools and when jamming out to some old-school hip hop in my car. I appreciate the notification and it gives a great reminder to turn the music down or try and limit the overall noise exposure.

ECG – The watch uses an electrical heart rate sensor, that allows you to take an electrocardiogram (ECG). Simply go to the ECG app, hold the crown button for about 30 seconds, and a result will show on the screen, and you can also view the results on the Health app. Please note that the watch cannot check for signs of a heart attack. If you believe you are having a medical emergency, you should call emergency services.

Cycle Tracking – I personally haven’t used this feature on the Ultra, but I can see the value in the information. The watch allows you to log details on your menstrual cycle and can predict your next period and ovulation estimates. It is important to note, that this should not be used as a birth control method.

Sleep Tracking – One of the biggest advantages of the Ultra over its predecessors is the long battery life. This finally gives you an Apple watch that has the capability to track your sleep patterns. In addition to tracking the patterns, the watch also sends notifications on when you should start to wind down and insights into you weekly sleep bank balance.

In Summary

Overall, I have been really impressed with the Apple Watch Ultra. The durability and construction of the watch is second to none. I have accidentally hit the watch on a number of objects and there isn’t a scratch on it. The features and capabilities of the watch are numerous, and the watch truly does a little of everything. I am not an avid hicker, diver, or runner but I still find the watch useful for day to day activities and my occasional hike. Therefore, if you are thinking about getting this watch and your budget allows for it, purchase it! You will not be disappointed.

Why you need the Apple Watch Ultra