Surviving Without Internet
Wandering around foreign areas with no internet access has been quite the learning experience. Before the trip begin, I considered myself fairly disconnected, but I still found myself reaching for the phone here and there. It isn’t much of an issue when you don’t have any plans, but can be a pain if you’re trying to find your way to a specific place (eg. home). Here are some tools and tricks I’ve been using to help make living offline easier.
Google Translate
The Android app for Google Translate has an “offline languages” feature. One of the biggest language issues I’ve hit while traveling is restaurant menus. While it can’t convert everything like it can online, it has kept me from starving. And McDonalds.
Google Maps
The old Google Maps for Android app had a fantastic offline maps feature, but it was replaced a few weeks ago. In the new Android app, zoom to the area you wish to cache and type “Okay Maps” in the search box. This will download that section of the map locally. Since your GPS doesn’t require data, it will still plot you accurately on the map.
Evernote
I’m a huge WorkFlowy fan but there isn’t any way to use it offline at this time (or on Android). The Evernote app does a nice job of syncing notes whenever it can without merge conflicts.
Laptop Tabs & Screenshots
When I’m about to go on a multi-leg journey, I tend to open as much information as possible in new browser tabs and take some screenshots. For example, if I’m traveling by train-bus-ferry-bus, I will want to be sure I have everything I need, since I probably won’t have a connection for some time.
TruPhone
I could easily get a local SIM card and have mobile data access, but where’s the adventure in that? I picked up a TruPhone SIM card which gives me voice/text/data service in just about every country in the world. It’s nice to know you can SMS as soon as you get off the plane or ferry. The plan has different rates depending on where you are, and they’re usually pretty reasonable for calls and texts. Data rates are pretty high though, so I keep that turned off at all times. Bonus, there is no monthly charge.
