We have been travelling around Europe and blogging from many different countries for almost 10 months. Sometimes we've bought internet sim cards for our mobile phones and used them as modems for our computers, but mostly we've used WiFi at campsites and caravan parks, and occasionally in restaurants and cafés. So how does WiFi in Europe actually work?
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High cost
In general, we can say that WiFi and Internet has become a major expense for us while travelling. Many campsites charge good money for WiFi. It's most expensive if you move around a lot. Some campsites have good offers if you stay at least a week, but if you only want to stay a day or two, it will almost always be expensive. Except in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro - where WiFi is always free. Funnily enough, WiFi has worked best in these countries where it was free!
WiFi in France
I France there is almost always WiFi on campsites, but it usually costs extra. And it costs a lot! You pay per unit and time. For example, you can buy a ticket for 3 hours, 1 day or a week and it will be valid for and device (computer, iPad or mobile phone).
When, like us, you have four devices (two computers and two phones) and move around a lot (i.e. always buy the shortest and least expensive options), it can be frighteningly expensive. For example, it can cost €60/day for one (!) device. If you stay longer, you get a better price.
WiFi in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia
In Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia you never know if you will get WiFi or not. Sometimes it's in the campsites and sometimes it's not, sometimes you'll find it in a small corner by the campsite restaurant and sometimes it's supposed to be there but isn't....
Sometimes it's free, sometimes it costs a small amount and sometimes it's really expensive. If you're lucky it works really well, but sometimes it's incredibly slow and more often than not it dies completely. You just never know! Prices vary, but as an example we pay 17o SEK/week for a (!) unit where we are right now in the Croatia. It mostly works well, but sometimes it dies completely for several hours.
WiFi in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro
In Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro, there are largely always WiFi - in campsites, pitches, restaurants and cafés. It's always free (i.e. included in the price); sometimes you get a code, but sometimes you don't even need it. And most of the time it works very well! Without a doubt, our best WiFi throughout the trip was in these countries.
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Christina says:
When we have been in Italy, Sicily we have bought TIM internet cards and we got, if we remember correctly, 20GB for 20Euro per month with a fantastic coverage.
Thanks for all the great reading
20 September 2015 - 19:25
BP says:
Yes, I would never have thought that. Another prejudice that I get rid of. Good - prejudices are not good... really;-)
Very funny pictures of Peter. Great looking jumper. Liked:-)
20 September 2015 - 19:30
admin says:
Christina, we also bought TIM with 20 gig when we were in Sicily. Agree, very good! (But chose to write the post only about how WiFi works on campsites, etc.)
BP, it's good to get rid of some prejudices sometimes - applies to us too! 😉 The jersey is a new purchase on the trip 🙂.
20 September 2015 - 19:31
Renates Reiser says:
Quite ironic that it is the "poorest" countries that actually have free wifi! But it's great anyway. It's so frustrating when you buy wifi and it doesn't work!
By the way, it's crazy that you've already been travelling for 10 months! Time flies!
20 September 2015 - 19:49
Monica says:
We have the same experience except for your recent countries where we have not been. Sometimes the wifi cost for the two of us has exceeded the actual camping price and that has been the rule rather than the exception. This applies to Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg and basically all of France.
Many solutions feel completely outdated and the logins completely hopeless. This is especially true if you have an iPad like me. The technology is simply not adapted for mobile phones and tablets but for laptops. I don't know how many frustrated hours have been spent running back and forth between the car park and reception trying to get young people to understand that it simply doesn't work. In spite of all the codes they've been given. There have been many excuses. We have been too far from the "transmitter", unfortunately the system has been down and they are waiting for a repairman, we ourselves have not understood how to log in (but then neither have they themselves). On a few occasions they have deducted the cost of wifi, but for the most part we have paid dearly for non-existent service. At some point I have been called by an international internet company that guided me through the settings on my computer and laptop and then it has started. Only to quickly fall out again. We have completely given up blogging, only using the few extremely expensive wifi sessions to pay bills and email family and friends about our whereabouts. It works best in Sweden with Telia's SIM card and we thought it would be the same this summer with the French equivalent. But no! The system is not developed and everything feels like in the 80's when you did not know where you had coverage for the then new mobile phones. Very strange in our high-tech society that it is like this and especially that the campsites have not understood that this is at least as important a service as clean toilets! But you have to admit that sometimes it is quite nice not to be connected!
20 September 2015 - 20:08
Ditte says:
Interesting to know how you experienced it with wifi on campsites and your experience is great. Extra fun that it worked so well in the countries where you may not have expected this. And that it is included in the amping fee as well. Big plus!
I realise that the internet has become a major expense during the trip.
20 September 2015 - 20:10
Husbilen Helge says:
Waiting for the abolition of roaming charges, then maybe the pricing of campsites will be lower! Let's hope so!
20 September 2015 - 20:14
Lillaing says:
Hi! We also have recent experience with Internet in France and Germany! Expensive on campsites in France! What unbelievable prices! Example: free first hour, then expensive expensive! 1,50 Euro for 3 hours, 4Euro for 1 hour!
We have mainly used our mobile Hotspot, costing both in France and Germany 25 Euro for 3 GB. But we have to go into the shop and get help to get started! You have to have a "local" mobile phone to activate and we don't know what the consumption is - only when it's over!
Hope for 2016, maybe we can use our Swedish mobile phones without huge costs all over Europe then? F....n trot!
20 September 2015 - 20:47
Marie says:
I really understand your frustration! I can top it off by telling you that we paid 1300 sek for two weeks of internet for the first two weeks here in New Zealand! The apartment was paid for by Nickes job & as I am dependent on wifi in my job it was just a must with Caesar who hadn't started school yet.
In general, many western countries are extremely bad at wifi! On our round-the-world trip, the two worst countries were USA & New Zealand, often expensive & weak. However, in the Caribbean, Panama, Mexico & Thailand it was included everywhere in budget accommodation & even restaurants with fantastic quality!
20 September 2015 - 21:10
AktivaDagar-Camilla says:
Interesting! Maybe we are a bit "wifi spoilt" here at home? Actually, we also thought there was less access to free wifi when we were in Finland and it's almost like home. But it may have been pure bad luck.
20 September 2015 - 21:33
Mats Arefäll says:
Great analysis!
I usually have a discussion with those responsible, but they usually have no answer. In Austria they blame the geography. It is expensive to lay cable, fibre etc.
But as you say, in the countries you mention, where people expect less, they have free WiFi and very often good connections.
Croatia, Italy, France, etc. see it as a source of income.
20 September 2015 - 23:20
Lennart says:
Look for Free WiFi!
Live well
21 September 2015 - 6:43
Anki says:
Interesting reading - even if we mostly stay at home. It's amazing that it's cheaper in the worst-off countries.
Fun pictures 🙂
21 September 2015 - 6:59
admin says:
Renates Reiser, isn't that funny? And yes, when you pay extra you get mad when it doesn't work....!
Monica, interesting to hear about your experience, even if it does sound awkward! I agree that it's harder to get wifi to work on the phones (don't have an iPad) - our laptops are much better at picking up the signals! We found it worked reasonably well in France, just that it was so insanely expensive. But, funnily enough, it has worked best in Albania and Macedonia... I think that Western countries are a bit nonchalant while charging way too much for a service that only works sometimes!!!!
Ditte, we were amazed that it worked so well in Albania and Macedonia. And especially that it was always free - fantastic!
The motorhome Helge, well, you hope it will be better in the future!
Lillaing, that's expensive! It's interesting to hear about your solution, even though it also seems to have its quirks. One hopes that it will be better and easier in the future!
Marie, then you have the same experience as us - that it works better in the poorer countries where it is believed to be worse! Our experience is that WiFi is good in Asia - in the Philippines we found good wifi everywhere!
Aktiva Dagar-Camilla, I hardly know how it works with wifi in Sweden or what it costs? There I am so used to having my own subscription...
Mats Arefäll, yes, that was our experience! In Albania and Macedonia it was an obvious service. In the West you want to be paid a lot - even though it doesn't always work ...
Lennart, we sometimes do that too, but we use the internet so much that we can't manage on it....
Anki, aren't you sometimes surprised by how things work in the world?
21 September 2015 - 8:33
Emma says:
Must say that you have a really fun blog to follow!
Emma
http://www.abswheels.se/blog/
21 September 2015 - 9:14
Marina says:
Very exciting results! If you had asked me to rank the countries before reading, I would probably have done it completely differently. How dangerous it is to have preconceived ideas!!!
21 September 2015 - 9:57
admin says:
Emma, thank you! Great to hear that you think so! 🙂
Marina, yes, we would have thought differently too! I don't think you can get away with having preconceived ideas, as long as you are prepared to change them when you see that you are wrong! 🙂
21 September 2015 - 10:07
Monica says:
What is frustrating is that we have become dependent on this technology. Our motorhome travel is completely different from a few years ago. GPS has been revolutionary, allowing us to see places and travel in a way we never could or dared with just maps as we did before. But I, at least, am now dependent on the internet to set up travel routes and plan both day trips and slightly longer routes. With the help of Via Michelin and the ACSI app, this is much easier than before. I always look for campsites where it is said that you "can access the internet with your own laptop", not that there is even a "wireless point". Whilst this is often true, it doesn't work in practice. Having to sit in a bar and pay bills is no fun, nor is planning travel routes. And if, like me, you have a tablet, you sometimes can't even access the logging options despite a good signal. I think it's terrible that we haven't got further than this and I envisage "free flowing" wifi everywhere at zero and no cost in a few years. You can always hope. (We have the same international experience with hotels and motels, not just campsites. Just as uneven service there).
21 September 2015 - 11:31
Veiken says:
I'm exhausted! Is this Europe 2015? Typically, the poorest countries are ahead of the game. A way to attract tourists and thus money?
We spend some time in Thailand and nowadays there is free wi-fi almost everywhere, even though we are not in the really touristy Thailand. In addition, almost always fast and good! 🙂
21 September 2015 - 12:08
Steve says:
If I had been asked where it works best, I would not have answered Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. A lot of my prejudices are being put to shame by following you. Good, right?
How did I manage to holiday in 'my time'?
21 September 2015 - 12:30
admin says:
Monica, there is some revolutionary technology today! At the same time, it is so uneven with the internet, so we always try to have a backup with maps and physical catalogues of campsites etc. Our GPS does not cover Albania, Macedonia or Croatia so we travel only by maps. But that works too 😉
Veiken, isn't it funny that the poor countries are ahead? We have the same experience from Asia, in the Philippines for example, there was wifi everywhere!
Steve, haha, that's great, isn't it? I also travelled before the time of the internet. It works great in practical terms, I think, but I WANT to be able to blog 😉 Before the internet, you also bought a little more guidebooks and so on 😉.
21 September 2015 - 13:02
Rolle o Carina says:
Yes, just realise that most things that are fun usually cost "Money" 🙂 .
Have fun and enjoy.....:-)
21 September 2015 - 13:36
Ama de casa says:
Haha! Love the series of pictures 😀.
In places where you pay per unit, our "manick" is perfect. You log in and pay for it, and then "as many people as you want" can log in and surf via the manikin 🙂.
21 September 2015 - 17:44
BrittMari says:
The T-mobile card "unlimited surfing in Croatia" is sold in Tisak kiosks and at the post office. It costs 85 kuna and is valid for one week. You can then top up the card with a voucher and choose a flat rate for 15 kuna/day, 1 GB for 50 kuna or 2 GB for 75 kuna. We think this works much better than the often poor connectivity of campsites.
21 September 2015 - 18:58
Matts Torebring says:
If there is no wifi, I don't even stay. Be well
21 September 2015 - 19:16
Katarina Wohlfart says:
hehe so happy! However, Peter probably needs some sun cream it looks like on my computer. 🙂
21 September 2015 - 20:22
admin says:
Rolle and Carina, it's certainly true...
Ama de casa, yes that's clever! We've discussed it too...
BrittMari, many thanks for the tips!!! It sounds like an interesting option that we will probably take and check out!
Matts, we often think the same way. But we move around a lot and are sometimes tired, and then things can happen. Then there's the fact that it can say that there's WiFi... and then it suddenly stops working....
Katarina, yep! We thought we had some primer, but Peter got really burned the first day we got here!
21 September 2015 - 21:18
Kim says:
Sweden is also pretty bad at Wifi. Most restaurants think you have a Swedish subscription.
22 September 2015 - 22:15