Living a location-independent life can be a dream. That is, when there’s Wi-Fi. An internet connection can be the difference between making money and not, though those wanting to truly experience the world will undoubtedly find themselves disconnected from time to time. So, how does one deal? We asked five travel bloggers to share their tips.
1.Matt Long of LandLopers: Even though we make our livings in a digital world, even we have to accept that some places are just so remote that we won’t be able to get online. I do two things in these situations. From a practical standpoint, I plan ahead, schedule posts on my site and social media and hope for the best. But more importantly, I use it as a rare opportunity to disconnect and get to know the destination in a more intimate way. All too often, I experience a new place through the camera on my iPhone instead of the way its meant to be visited, using all of my senses which are hopefully engaged in the new experience. Lack of a data network is actually a boon, instead of being a hindrance in this case.
2. Diana Edelman of d travels ‘round: The last time I traveled truly without an Internet connection was in 2002 when I went on my first solo backpacking trip to Europe. I used maps. Real, live maps that folded and you could mark up and everything. I also printed stuff out and had books I carried with me to give ideas of where to go and where things were located. I even had an entire train table from Eurail in my backpack. These days if I am traveling without an Internet connection I try to find hotspots with free Wi-Fi to pop online. I also do some research in advance and take screenshots of information or directions I know I will need.
3. Dave Dean of Too Many Adapters: I use a wide variety of apps that work mostly or completely offline — I’ve got everything from maps to translation, itineraries to entertainment and more, which keeps me covered for most things until I reconnect. I’ve set my Gmail up so it’ll work without Internet, and I use Live Writer, an offline blog writing tool that lets me compose and save posts, then just hit upload when I’m back online. Finally, I have an unlocked smartphone and typically buy local SIM cards in each country — even if the Wi-Fi is bad or non-existent wherever I’m staying, I can get connected anywhere there’s a cell signal if I need to.
4. Jeremy Scott Foster of travelFREAK: Being someone who travels and works at the same time, I can never not have Internet. I’d love to unplug, but unfortunately I can’t. Not for long periods of time, anyway. I’m on T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan, which gives me mobile data in more than 130 countries around the world. Essentially, for just $60/mo, I have Internet access almost everywhere I go.
The one downside is that speeds aren’t always very fast. I’ve only found 3G or 4G data in a few countries, so when I need much quicker speeds, I pick up a local SIM card (T-Mobile lets you unlock your smartphone after three months), pause my T-Mobile subscription and use the local data instead. It’s pretty easy, actually.
5. Anna Kate of The Legendary Adventures of Anna: When I know that I’m going off the grid, I schedule social media, set an away email and enjoy the break. I pre-load Google Maps so I can navigate offline. It’s an opportunity for me to catch up on reading with my kindle, spend time in nature and get to sleep way earlier!
Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/roadwarriorvoices/2016/03/22/wi-fi/82112438/
