Lost my Airbnb Wi-Fi in Portugal and had to work from a bakery

I was in Lisbon last month and my host's router died on a Wednesday morning. I had three client calls that day and no backup plan. I grabbed my laptop and walked to a bakery down the street that had a sign saying free Wi-Fi. Turns out their connection was slow and I had to use my phone as a hotspot for the bigger calls. I burned through 4GB of data in two hours because I forgot to download my files offline first. Now I keep a prepaid SIM card from Vodafone in my bag at all times. Anyone else had to scramble for internet in a foreign city? What's your backup plan when the Wi-Fi goes down?

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1 Comment

harperb466d ago

Honestly, I see this a bit differently. That old school approach of just finding a cafe with WiFi is way more reliable than trying to plan for dead routers with extra SIM cards. You had a backup plan - you found a bakery with WiFi and used your hotspot for the heavy stuff, which actually worked fine. Most bakeries and libraries in Portugal have decent connections if you pick the right spot. I've been traveling for years and never carry a prepaid SIM because local cafes almost always save the day. The real trick is to download your files before you even leave your Airbnb each morning, not wait until the router dies. Your prepaid card is smart but honestly, keeping a list of good cafes with fast WiFi is way lighter in your bag.