Part Time RV & Boat Mobile Internet Considerations for Seasonal & Vacation Travels

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Part-Time RV Mobile Internet Needs

RVing and boating are great ways to vacation for a long weekend or an extended sessional adventure. However, part-time RV and boat travels present challenges when trying to consider a reliable mobile internet setup. 

Remote work makes it possible for many people to work from just about anywhere you can get an internet connection. This makes extended RVing and boating trips even more appealing - you can combine adventure, travel, and daily life. 

Internet options for mobile RV and boat travels are very different than home or office-based options. For full-time RVers and cruisers, it's likely worthwhile to invest in gear and data plans that keep them connected year-round. 

But part-time, seasonal, or vacation travelers may not need or want to invest as much in a solution that they won't be using full-time.  

The occasional nomad will need to balance costs and complexity of their setup while considering how often it will actually be used, and therefore how much you want to invest in your setup. You may even need to reassess your setup with each trip because you might be going to a different place that your setup may struggle to get a signal.

This guide is meant to address these unique perspectives in creating a mobile internet setup for part-time RV travelers. 

We recommend that you give yourself several weeks before a big trip to make sure that you have the time to review your mobile internet needs, and identify what plans or equipment you may need to add.

Part Time RV Mobile Internet Video Overview

Here's an archive of one of our MIRC LIVE events from June 25, 2024 where our team talked about the considerations for building a mobile internet solution for part-time travelers.

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Challenges of a Part-Time RV Mobile Internet Set-Up

When you have a fixed location, selecting the best internet solution is typically pretty straightforward - you can just subscribe to whatever is the best option at your location.

But a mobile lifestyle presents some unique mobile internet considerations that require more thought and planning to make sure you're covered where you want to be.

You need to be prepared for the reality that what works well at one location may not work as well in a new location.

For those hitting the road year-round, it makes sense to invest in gear that can enhance and support your mobile internet needs, such as investing in multiple data plans that provide redundancy, large areas of coverage, and large buckets of data.

However, it may not make sense for a part time RV or boat traveler to make those same sorts of investments in gear and plans for a setup that will only be used occasionally.

Also, the time needed to research the challenges of keeping connecting in different locations is something to consider. Part time travelers will need to keep updated before each trip, as mobile internet options are constantly changing - or you may have changed something since your last outing. 

A part time nomad may need to make some mobile internet compromises to balance their intermittent travels with their mobile internet needs.  

Compounding Gear & Plan Costs

Most part-time nomads will be maintaining both a traditional stationary internet option at their residence, in addition to a mobile internet solution for when they are on the go.

Both internet set-ups will likely require separate equipment and data plans. And that equipment will age and become more and more obsolete between each trip. 

Investing in devices and data plans for each situation may incur start-up costs.

There may also be re-activation costs each time you want to pause and turn a plan back on. Or you may have ongoing plan costs even when you aren't using them. Some attractive data plans might retire, and pausing them could mean losing them.

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Determining Your Mobile Internet Needs

We hear the phrase "I need a reliable mobile internet solution" often. But just what does the term "reliable" mean to you?

Mobile internet comes with many challenges - varying signal strengths, coverage maps from the different cellular carriers, data caps, network management, throttling, and poorly configured campground Wi-Fi networks - just to name a few.

No matter how you slice it, creating a mobile internet setup that is reliable everywhere you go is a challenge.

A part time RV or boat traveler will need to consider that you'll only need a mobile internet set up a limited amount of time each year. It means you'll have to balance the costs and effort you put towards a mobile internet solution. 

You'll likely have to make some compromises in either costs or connectivity to find the right balance. 

Before trying to come up with the best setup, we recommend taking a step back and assessing what your part time mobile internet needs really are. 

You may even want to re-assess your mobile internet needs before every trip.  A weekend getaway will have far different mobile internet needs than a month long cross-country trip.

When you're used to an always-on, unlimited, and fast cable connection - you may not have really thought through some of the questions that come in to play with a part-time solution, such as:  

• Do you need fast speeds all of the time, or just some of the time?
• Do you have to be accessible 24/7? Or can you go a day or two with just a faint signal, or needing to to go to a different location to get a better signal?
• Can you check e-mail while in town or while parked at a campground with Wi-Fi, or do you need a consistent fast signal all workday long?
• What do you need to do online? The data needs for two-way video calls are a lot more demanding than basic web surfing. 
• Do you need unlimited data, or can you manage with data caps?
• Are you okay with not being able to stream Netflix every night, or scroll mindlessly through Facebook?
• Can you get by with doing more tasks on a cellular-connected smartphone or tablet (where "unlimited" plans are more accessible), or do you need to do everything on your laptop using mobile hotspot data? 
• Do you have a set destination in mind, or can you pick a campground or location where you know you'll be more likely to have a good cellular signal?

If you can determine what your minimum connectivity needs are - you'll be better prepared to determine what compromises you can make in your setup. 

Here are some further guides to explore on these topics:

Assessing Your Mobile Internet Needs

Working Remotely Resources

Travel Planning Around Connectivity for RVers and Cruisers

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Flexibility is Key

For part-time RV and boat travel, flexibility with your mobile internet needs is key.

Flexibility in the mobile internet options you select, in your own approach to using them, and maybe even on the location you choose to visit. 

You should be prepared for the variability of mobile internet. There will be good days and really bad days. Redundancy is a common approach for full and most-time nomads, so that there are multiple options to tap into at each location. 

However for shorter trips, you may not be able to justify having multiple options on board. It just may not be practical to sign up for data plans on all the carriers, purchase expensive signal enhancing gear, or even to spend the time to understand all of these factors. 

So make sure your expectations are realistic.

Unless you spend the time and money to understand the challenges, you might arrive at a new location and not be able to get online with the options you have. This can be particularly frustrating if you have work commitments, and you end up spending more time trying to get a stable connection than you are enjoying your travels. 

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Member Exclusive Content Below

Public Wi-Fi Sources

Using Wi-Fi access points you find in your travels is the most flexible source of internet - and will require the least amount of pre-setup on your part. 

Cellular Data

Many RVers and Cruisers currently rely on cellular-based data to keep them connected. It's an option that is easily obtainable, and available in most places you might travel. But using cellular data does have some downsides - such as signal coverage, data caps, costs, and restrictions on usage. 

Satellite-Based Mobile Internet

Satellite internet technology has really come to its own and is a potential solution for part-time travelers. There are low earth orbit internet services like Starlink, and also hand-held satellite communicators that can be used for basic communication needs.

Think Outside the Box

For those willing to think outside of the box - and those who just can't justify a cellular data plan as a mobile internet data source for short bursts of travel, there are other options out there, ranging from utilizing co-working spaces to using Ham Radio.

Retired Cellular Data Plan Maintenance

Some of the best cellular data plans are no longer available for new signups, but you may be one of the lucky ones who got one before it retired. If you have one of these unicorn plans, you will need to weigh the costs of keeping it - even when you're not using it.

Using Mobile Internet Year Round

Some part-time nomads may rely on mobile internet year-round, even while they are stationary in their stick-and-bricks.

Mobile Internet: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

For many of us, when we're not actively thinking about something- we may let it slip to the back of our mind. The world of mobile internet changes rapidly though, so not paying attention for a while can make stepping back into the mobile internet world a bit overwhelming.

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Part Time RV & Boat Mobile Internet Conclusions

Creating a part-time RV and boat mobile internet arsenal takes some research and a thorough consideration of your personal travel lifestyle needs. Building an arsenal that fits within your lifestyle is attainable.

The occasional nomad needs to balance complexity and costs with inconsistent needs.

We recommend beginning research and build-out of your arsenal no less than a month before you launch into a mobile lifestyle - even a part-time mobile lifestyle - if you require consistent internet access.

Use the info provided in this guide, and further research specific needs (such as Working From the Road) and pertinent gear and topics (such as Wi-Fi extending) to build a flexible mobile internet arsenal that works for you.