Wi-Fi is something we all tend to take for granted in the west. We switch on the computer and poof the glory of Wi-Fi is upon us. It means we can procrastinate at absolutely any time. I was once one of you, before the dark times, before the time of realising all places aren’t as well-connected as the UK.

Shut up, I’ve never travelled at any time before this!
The Negative of My Genre
One of the big problems with historical fiction is I need the Internet for research. It’s not like fantasy where I can just make it up. I have to investigate how things worked in order to make sure I don’t make mistakes.
Of course, I do get things wrong from time to time. Some of you have kindly pointed that out to me, but the error count would soar if I didn’t have immediate access to the Internet.
The Difference in Free Wi-Fi
What I discovered in Europe is that in the west you’re less likely to find any free Wi-Fi. If you can’t find any, your only option is to sneak into a restaurant and steal some of the receipts left on the tables. These tend to have the password on the bottom. Alternatively, you have to ask a customer for the password.
No, it isn’t an option to actually buy something.
In the east you tend to find it more readily. In Helsinki, Finland, for example, there’s free Wi-Fi everywhere in the city centre. The same applies to Tallinn in Estonia, and to an extent Riga in Latvia.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to camp out at a bus station or railway station to get guaranteed Wi-Fi.
So How do I Cope?
Badly. I cope extremely badly.
For me, I get around this through regular couchsurfing. The vast majority of my hosts have a home connection, so that usually isn’t a problem. Only on one occasion did the host not have a stable Internet connection.
Hostels tend to vary in terms of the Internet connection. Sometimes they have a good connection and sometimes not. Last night in Vilnius, Lithuania, I got so annoyed by my hostel’s connection I marched 3km down to the train station. It was about 11pm by the time I had to walk back on a Friday night in the city centre.
In short, I have a new appreciation for the power of Wi-Fi in the UK. As always, you can find out more about my adventures on the Travel Farner website.
Until next time…
James Farner