Internet Sabbatical

One thing that we have learned from traveling (especially the low-budget and/or long-term way), is that we don't really need 24/7 access to the Internet. (Click here for an example) Is it nice? Yes. Convenient? Yes. Necessary? No...

Knowing that internet at home is not up there with shelter, safety, and food, it was (somewhat) easy to say "thanks, but no thanks" when the local provider decided they wanted more (a lot more!) dough to keep us connected. This "low introductory offer," followed by high-pressure tactics to "upgrade" is happening all over (Just this week, I saw a complaint about this on a France forum).

So, we evaluated. And we decided we didn't need the hassle. There are a few things that will cause headaches, and there will be a lot of small annoyances. But, we're going to try it! We'll go at least one month, and we're aiming for 3. My personal odds are high that we will go back on the juice before winter.

How? Glad you asked!

1. Our house phone (via internet) is forwarded to my cell phone.
2. Netflix is gone - we'll get our movies from the library, Redbox, or buy them. And the TV antenna works as well as ever.
3. The library is walking distance, has wi-fi, and is open every day except Sunday.
4. We have regular appointments in an office with wi-fi; we're stuck going, so we'll use the time instead of wasting it.
5. Our apartment complex has a secure phone we can use if needed.
6. We added a VPN to the laptop for when we need a secure connection. We can add this to the cell phone if needed (but it's a huge pain, so I hope we won't)
7. We can change my cell phone plan to include data (but only if push comes to shove).
8. It's SUMMER! This is the time to be out and about, not tethered to our tether!