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OverlordXenu t1_j6fdtdw wrote

Reply to comment by whateverisok in MTA cuts free Wi-Fi from NYC buses by flightwaves

it just totally confounds me that the europeans who have the money to come fly into nyc and be tourists here refuse to spend $30 on a data sim. i used to wait tables and there'd be so many of them trying to get on the wifi (which, fine, we have it) but, like fr? fr fr? you're going to spend thousands on a vacation and not budget for a sim card?

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TheLongshanks t1_j6fkbwb wrote

It’s because Wi-Fi is freely available in their cities. It’s so ubiquitous it’s not considered that America, what is supposed to be a leading nation, doesn’t have public Wi-Fi that is easily available and reliable.

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panzerxiii t1_j6fmcpf wrote

Most restaurants in Europe freely give out Wi-Fi too lmfao

The connectivity in Europe in my experience is just as good if not slightly worse than what we have in NYC. I don't think you know what you're talking about.

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DifficultyNext7666 t1_j6fllxj wrote

What cities are these? Because I just use it at restaurants when in europe

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Am-I-Cool-Yet t1_j6iiz0b wrote

Lol yup. Can’t remember one time where I found free wifi in multiple cities in Europe. Of course, this was back in 2014-2015…

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drumsplease987 t1_j6fsxvd wrote

Ubiquitous free public Wi-fi? Where? That doesn’t make any sense, no one would have a data plan.

It’s not really a problem of technology or infrastructure. It’s the fact that in places where it’s more common to see budget, short-stay international travel, like Europe and SE Asia, businesses are equipped to accommodate people without data plans.

In America most citizens either don’t travel outside the country, or travel on a higher budget, so there’s not the same culture at home.

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Ok_Yogurtcloset8915 t1_j6hk6kn wrote

no they don't lmao. Europe is a whole ass continent with 700 million people, not a fantasy land where the streets are paved with social surfaces and infrastructure flows out of every fountain. grow up

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cuteman t1_j6j4uc1 wrote

>It’s because Wi-Fi is freely available in their cities. It’s so ubiquitous it’s not considered that America, what is supposed to be a leading nation, doesn’t have public Wi-Fi that is easily available and reliable.

Yeah that's not true. If anything the US has lot more available free wifi.

You can't even use bathrooms without being a paying customer in a lot of Europe

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that_dapper_llama t1_j6jh0tj wrote

Maybe in a few cities but city-wide free WiFi is quite rare in my experience and more often than not you just hop on a restaurant or Starbucks WiFi whenever I am in Europe.

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kdg4 t1_j6liwlc wrote

But WiFi is so ubiquitous largely because cellular coverage is either terrible (in the case of the UK), expensive, or both (e.g Germany). Set one foot inside a building and I hope you enjoy 2G/EDGE (if you’re lucky) or no service at all.

Most US cities have good cellular coverage regardless of which network you choose, and pricing is reasonably competitive. Therefore, in my opinion the need for free WiFi just isn’t really there.

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ICantThinkOfANameBud t1_j6fe682 wrote

Some people don't think about that. I wouldn't be thinking about connecting to the internet while planning a vacation, but maybe that's just me.

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OverlordXenu t1_j6fezqv wrote

really? every single person i know who has ever travelled outside of the US has made sure they have the ability to get directions, call Ubers, stay in touch with people… and i've known europeans who have done this, too.

but like your hotel booking is on there, your ability to get transit directions, to just get around in an unfamiliar place, coordinate with people you're meeting up with…

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ICantThinkOfANameBud t1_j6fgeso wrote

Perhaps it's different because I've only ever been to Canada and Mexico as far as international travel goes, but I've just never thought about it. I've always used the wifi at the hotel or restaurant to get what internet I need, and had numbers or whatever saved for whatever else I needed.

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OverlordXenu t1_j6fo671 wrote

you didn't need directions or a map? i've been in nyc for years and i still need something like the maps app or citymapper to get around to places i don't go to regularily, though i have a bad sense of direction. before phones were common i used the maps, talked to people in info booths, and talked to strangers. got lost occasionally. never get lost when using my phone for directions. i wouldn't go back, personally, i'd spend the $50 on a SIM.

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krazyb2 t1_j6gttpc wrote

One of the first things I do after I book my trip internationally is decide if i'm going to get a sim card or a wifi hotspot. It's literally the only way you can get directions, translations, communicate with airbnb, etc? I feel like it's just irresponsible not to do this?

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ICantThinkOfANameBud t1_j6hm4q2 wrote

> It's literally the only way you can get directions, translations, communicate with airbnb, etc?

It's not though. You can download maps/have a physical map. You can hire a translator/learn the language/get a translation book. You don't need AirBnB, hotels and hostels exist and are very easy to spot. You speak like someone who's never lived without the internet. How do you think people did these things before the internet?

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krazyb2 t1_j6hv1af wrote

Sure, you can do those things. But we do have the internet now. You do you, I’m just saying that sounds like a lot of trouble to go through to save 30$ on having connectivity. I lived long before the internet. Things were not easier. But, life isn’t about everything being easy and you’re free to do things the harder (and potentially more fun?) way if you’d like!

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ICantThinkOfANameBud t1_j6hy56j wrote

I'm not saying I do these things but the person I replied to said the internet was literally the only way to do those things.

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joyousRock t1_j6j8xkt wrote

every time I've gone to Europe I did not have cellular data. used wifi and maps. not that hard at all, just requires thinking & planning

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tiggat t1_j6fjgcb wrote

In Europe you can get wifi at pretty much every restaurant, so they expect it.

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OverlordXenu t1_j6fo8r8 wrote

you can in nyc too but that doesn't help very much if you're trying to get from ocean hill (which had a shit load of airbnb's when i lived there) to times square.

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Prestigious_Buy7875 t1_j6fvcvd wrote

Offline maps and caching exist in 2023

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ljthefa t1_j6g8epf wrote

Before I travel out of the country I always download the area map, do most people not know this exists?

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tiggat t1_j6fol2q wrote

It's not nearly as prevalent over here.

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Wise-Ad8988 t1_j6fi9z7 wrote

Also people taking the bus probably don’t have thousands to spend let alone extra $$ on expensive sims…

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OverlordXenu t1_j6fnxx7 wrote

what? in europe unless you're ultra rich you're probably taking the train or the bus from the airport to the city center. that's just what middle and upper middle class europeans do. especially in nyc.

>probably don’t have thousands to spend

what do you think it costs to fly from europe or south america, get a hotel room or airbnb, and pay for food in nyc for a week's vacation? a family of 3 or 4 is spending thousands on airfare alone. that's sort of my point—it is expensive to be an international tourist in nyc.

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perk11 t1_j6ghcu7 wrote

My phone made for Europe didn't work in the US after I bought a SIM. Y'all use different frequencies.

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krazyb2 t1_j6gu1gd wrote

This is the reason I always buy a mobile hotspot. Keep a battery pack on you and the mobile hotspot and you're good to go. And everyone with you can use the hotspot too.

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whateverisok t1_j6g1psa wrote

It's $30 which is small in the grand scheme of things, but it all adds up.

It's $30 for a SIM for one person's phone, which could also take 30ish minutes to get (have to show your ID/passport to get it).

You're also paying tips & taxes which you're not used to paying for every meal or purchase (since it's not included in prices), and either sneaking into a bar to use the restroom or buying a drink ($5-10) and then using the restroom instead of paying like €1 (pretty much $1 USD) to use a public one

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utopian1992 t1_j6guglo wrote

Its not an excuse, but phone/data roaming is largely free throughout the EU, so there may be some who assume their service will work in the US

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