Expert travel storyteller Jordan Adkins, founder of InspiredByMaps.com, brings a decade of adventures across 101 countries and 450+ UNESCO sites into rich, off-the-beaten-path narratives, melding ecological expertise with genuine, seasoned travel insights. His full bio can be found here.
Using Pokemon Go While Travelling ? Then you will know how much this sucks! Seriously I don’t want to start with my first world problems but why did the latest craze to sweep the world have to be completely online based?
I want to be a part of it.I want to roam the street, untethered, finding rare Pokemon and cool new areas of cities I never knew about!
I absolutely love Pokemon and want to relive my nostalgia but I am confined to the 10m around whichever WiFi router I’m connected to. No Pokemon around [as is normally the case] then the app is completely useless. See a gym or a Pokestop nearby?
Chances are your WiFi won’t reach.
I’m desperate – I’m almost considering buy a SIM card in the country I’m in – but that is prohibitively expensive! Seriously, especially if you are not even in a country for more than a few weeks, and my only other options are purchasing a travel sim [insane rates] or using my home SIM card [insaner rates!]
It’s not all bad though- Some countries are amazing for free WiFi. China, Russia and other countries with less freedom of speech have weird prior registration networks and seem to never work.
Luckily I have been in Scandinavia and the British Isles. That means I have had heaps of WiFi spots to explore [and have managed to find a decent assortment of Pokemon].
Just be sure to pay attention to your environment!
I found out the Dublin Port was a amazing source of rare Pokémon, with many water Pokemon appearing in my short time there and a Pokestop! I caught a Eevee in a pub near Snowdon and a Pikachu at the Waitrose in Menai Bridge. But I am running low on Pokeballs and still have not be within range of a gym!
I think Pokemon Go is an incredible game, bring nostalgia and augmented reality together. It’s what every 90’s kid dreamed of! People are out exploring new neighborhoods, socializing in the real world, taking photos and discovering. It has all the qualities which would make it a perfect travel companion app!
Using Pokemon Go While Travelling is just not feasible as it currently stands.
But for now I’m going to have to settle for dropping into the nearest McDonalds or Starbucks only to find my 100th Rattata. Or a Pidgey. Either way I’m going to love every second of it. Though it wasn’t quite as cool as going to the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo.
P.S. If Pokemon Go is not yet released in your region and you have a Android phone you can download without the Play store here. If you have an iPhone – tough luck, you will have to wait [or change your iTunes account region]!