I’m back with another collaborative wanderlust post for y’all! We want to stay connected when we travel, and these are the most common reasons why we grab our devices when we’re on the move.
When it comes to travelling around the world, in and out of countries that aren’t your own, relying on resources you aren’t used to and friendly faces you don’t know, nothing is ever guaranteed. And most of all, in the modern day and age, you’re never guaranteed to find a good WiFi signal, at least not like the one you have at home! Sure, you can live without this connection in your life, but it’s a very useful lifeline to have when you’re traipsing through a foreign land, and need all the information you can get.
So when the times come that you do have some kind of 4G signal, or you run across an internet cafe, what should you stop and use that connection for? You might only have 50 MB or so to put to good use, and you don’t want data roaming to stiff you out of your regular phone bill, so here’s a few suggestions.
Checking Where You Are
Getting lost when you’re out on vacation can be a very easy thing to do, no matter how well you think you know a place or how good you are with your sense of direction – it happens, and we have to deal with it! But if you come across a cafe or a restaurant that offers free WiFi to its customers, make sure you head in, order something cheap off the menu, and then use the free connection to the fullest. And first of all, you’re going to want to check where you are, where you can go from here, and just how much energy you’ve got left to walk the potential miles there and back again.
If you don’t already have a maps app on your phone, be sure to download one right now (here’s some recommendations), and then open it up to get an instant reference point. The map should be centered on you immediately, and you’ll be able to see the streets and the shops all around you, with most of them named. Find your route back, take some handy screenshots or download the map so you’ll be able to access it when you leave, and then get going once again!
Contacting Some Loved Ones
Even just posting on social media is a good way to update the people who know and love you on your whereabouts, and what you plan to do next! The good thing about social media updates, especially on platforms like Facebook, is that you can ‘check in’ at certain points of your journey, allowing people to see your actual location as you go.
When you’ve got a WiFi connection, and you haven’t been able to message your parents or your partner in a few hours, be sure to do so now, especially if you’re worried about getting lost again. And seeing as there’s plenty of internet messaging systems that are completely free to use, you’re not going to have to worry about the international text bill either!
Making a Bit More Money
If you’re running a bit low on funds currently, and you’ve still got another day or two before you fly back home again, you can begin to worry about what you’re going to be able to do. But as long as you’ve booked the hotel and that’s all paid up (or you’ve allotted the budget to do so later on…), you should be in fine hands. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to pick up some souvenirs!
So be sure to use this WiFi signal to generate a bit of extra cash, that you can access at a local exchange, or simply use via a card you took out specially. Maybe sites like Slotathon would be fun here, or you could take the time to fill out some surveys and get anything from $15 to $20 extra dollars to put to handy souvenir use.
So, What Would You Use a WiFi Signal For?
If you’re off on your travels, and you haven’t seen any bars on your phone in a long time, this is your chance to make sure you’ve got all the information and resources you need for the next stage of your journey.
Travelling, especially if you’re on your own, can be intimidating, and you need to be able to look after yourself – simply putting free WiFi signals to good use, before you get back to the hotel of course, is one great, sustainable way to do so!