How do digital nomads get internet?

Digital nomad work requires an internet connection. So how can you ensure you’ll have an internet connection while travelling outside your home country?

Digital nomads can access the internet using free WiFi in public places like cafes. For more reliable connections, a better option is to buy local data plans and use a portable router or phone to tether other devices. The most convenient option is to use Google Fi, which offers unlimited international data for $70 a month.

My personal favorite option is to buy local data plans and use a portable router to give all of my devices a cheap and reliable internet connection.

Using only Free WiFi while abroad

Plenty of digital nomads work in public places with free WiFi like coffee shops. Free WiFi is pretty much the same in every country. Some places have it, others don’t - don’t expect it to be everywhere.

Remember that free WiFi is usually subsidized by your spending on something else - for example buying drinks in a cafe. If you are going to places like cafes just for the WiFi, you aren’t saving any money. It will turn out to be one of the most expensive ways you can get internet access! (Though that’s fair enough if you don’t have somewhere else to work.)

I’m not personally a fan of relying on free WiFi. You can never really depend on it being available when you need it and I don’t really enjoy working in coffee shops.

Google Fi

The best thing about Google Fi is that it’s convenient and you don’t need to think about it. You can use the same mobile internet provider at home and abroad.

The catch is that it’s expensive.

For those that don’t know, data plans in the USA are more expensive than most of the rest of the world. The cheapest data in the world (in India) costs an average of just $0.09 per GB while in the USA it’s $8.00 per GB!

That being said, $70 a month for the Google Fi unlimited (but lowered speed after 22 GB) data plan that can be used worldwide doesn’t seem outrageous to me. You’re paying for the convenience - it’s up to you to decide if that’s worth it.

Be aware that Google Fi isn’t guaranteed to work everywhere, but it usually works abroad and is great.

There are other international SIM cards out there but, from what I’ve seen, they are more expensive and not worth a recommendation.

Getting internet from tethering with local SIM cards

In airports there is almost certainly a place where you can buy local SIM cards with data plans. Just stop there and pick one up when you arrive. Check how much data plans usually cost in the country so you know what to expect. (And so you don’t get scammed.)

Unlike Google Fi, local SIM cards are guaranteed to work. (Make sure your phone is carrier unlocked!)

These days mobile data is cheap enough to use for all of your internet access. You’ll need to use tethering to connect multiple devices. You can do this with your phone, but a dedicated portable router is more reliable.

Have you ever used tethering from your phone for a few hours? You might have noticed that it gets hot and drains battery more quickly.

That’s because phones are not designed to be used as a dedicated router for tethering all of your devices to. If you plan on constantly tethering to multiple devices, I strongly recommend picking up a real portable router. They’ll give you way better speeds than tethering from your phone and won’t put unnecessary strain on your phone’s battery.

Another cool thing about (some) portable routers is that you can plug them into hotel internet lines via the ethernet port and your devices can continue to connect to the router. No more struggling to connect to hotel WiFi!

One thing to keep in mind is that when travelling by land or sea, you probably won’t be able to buy a SIM card immediately upon arrival. Make sure you aren’t relying on using something like Uber without a plan to get online first.

Working without internet

I love the idea of working offline and have started to do it more often recently. There are less distractions so you can just focus on getting the work done.

It also makes great practice for doing work on flights, if that’s your thing.

To get the most out of this, you need to schedule your work well. Prioritize work that requires internet access when you are connected, leaving work that can be done offline for times when you aren’t.

For example, I do research for articles first, while I have internet access, then do the actual writing later when I won’t necessarily be online.

If you work while listening to music, make sure to have access to a media library that works offline!

Obviously this isn’t possible for all types of work. For example, if your work requires constant back and forth communication, you need to be connected all the time.

If you travel to enough places (especially outside cities) you’ll eventually find yourself without internet access, so it’s good to keep the possibility of offline work in mind.

Only work at home

If you are renting accommodation for longer periods of time or staying in AirBnbs, you’ll probably have access to stable WiFi there. In that case, you have the option of just working in the place that you stay rather than trying to work throughout the day while outside.

One nice thing about this is that it creates an explicit divide between work time and exploring the world time. If you find it hard to balance the two when travelling, you should try this out.

The other benefit is that you can set up a nicer working environment (like a mini office) that’s more comfortable and ergonomic. For example, you can more easily use a mouse with your laptop.

Presumably you’ll still want a data plan for when you’re out and about, but when limiting work to home WiFi, you should be able to get by with cheaper, lower limit plans. If you are using Google Fi, you can pick the flexible pay as you go plan to save money.

What is the best option for digital nomads?

While the convenience of something like Google Fi is appealing, I still think that using local SIM cards is the best way to go. They are guaranteed to work and are usually cheaper.

I’m a huge fan of portable travel routers. When travelling with other people they are especially useful because you can easily connect all of your devices to it while keeping your SIM card from home in your own phones.

If working in cafes is your thing, you might as well use the free WiFi there when it’s available, but I still recommend getting comfortable with buying local SIM cards. At the very least you’ll need them for emergencies and the cheap plans won’t set you back very much.