Staying connected and finding wifi on the road…
Working while traveling full time requires that we are connected. So we have come up with some suggestions for finding wifi on the road:
*Our first stop in a new place is usually a visitor center. We like to get a lay of the land, and tips on what to see in the area. Often times they have reliable (though basic) wifi. Typically for emails, checking and messages.
*Most of your favorite coffee shops have wifi, Starbucks isn’t your only option, but they are still pretty reliable.
*Many restaurants, especially chains (think fast food locals) have wifi, and usually, you can access the signal from outside their 4 walls.
*Walmart, yep we’ll just say it, sometimes we camp in stunning locals with breathtaking views, and sometimes, we are camped out in a Walmart parking lot. These guys offer wifi in all their stores and we have even been able to upload and download on this connection.
Thankfully in this day and age wifi is becoming more and more accessible, but sometimes it means thinking outside the box.
More ideas:
*Libraries,
*Community centers
*Recreation centers (maybe catch a workout and shower),
*Many retail stores,
*Park visitor centers,
*Laundromats (multi-purpose visits are an added bonus)
If RV parks are more your style, many offer free wifi. We have also encountered some that charge for wifi, restrict website access(no Netflix and chill here) and time limits are often placed.
Lastly having your own hotspot. You can cover your bases by working with multiple service providers, signal on more than one network is ideal. Our cell service is through AT&T and we will be purchasing a Verizon Hot Spot. As long as we are in service areas with the help of our weeboost this should cover our data needs!
If you have any suggestions for staying connected on the road we’d love to hear them in the comments!
If you enjoyed this article check out our gear guide for van life and full time travelers
Life As We Roam It 
Thank you for the tips.
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It can be tricky so its great to share tips!
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Good morning Kira & Logan, Just love reading your blog. We will be leaving on our first ever RV trip on the 8th of November! Montreal to Phoenix ( as we have a condo there). We work remotely, so we do need WIFI. Could you let me know which model of Verizon Hot Spot you bought? And did you have to commit to some kind of contract with them? Thanks in advance. Lucie & Daniel
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Wow thank you so much! That is so exciting! I cant wait to hear about your trip! What kind of RV is it??
We are very keen on the jet pack, there are a few different models, probably the 8800. We unfortunately aren’t able to go on contract plans as we are Canadian, so we have the joy of buying things outright and going month to month 🙂 it’s a little pricier but, it’s still cheaper and better than any plan in Canada.
Our at&t unlimited data helps round out the coverage. Unless you are really out in the middle of nowhere you should be able to pick up decent data 🙂
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We got a 2005 Concord (30 feet), excited and nervous at the same time as I will have to try to drive a bit too!! We just bought a Camp Pro Kit 2 w/ Suction Cup Mount, from Techno RV which will allow us to connect to hotspots, so do you think I would need a Verizon jet pack? Thanks again. Lucie & Daniel
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I think it all depends on the type of spots you are visiting. A booster is awesome if there is an open wifi network to boost. The verizon hotspot for us is so we have data when we wouldn’t have access to wifi…. so we create our signal as opposed to relying on someone else’s. Most RV parks fo offer wifi, so your booster may help with that, but if you are going to boondock outside of cities and want connection, you may want to build up.
I also think though that it’s a good idea to add these items as you go … you will establish your needs, and then find the tools for that work best. We tried really hard not to buy much before we left.🙂
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