Please don't come at me. WiFi on buses or not...
I personally don't care if there is WiFi or not but we will be touring with other people who are interested and I decided to check for them. I searched the forum and the last response I saw was like 6 years ago on this topic. Just wondering if that has changed.
Anyone toured recently that knows?
Thanks so much!
RS does not own the busses but rents from local bus companies so the busses vary from tour to tour. In the 7 RS tours we have been on, only one bus had wifi so I would not count on wifi for your tour.
Yes, it may vary...or not be great....
You might want to check with the office for your specific dates/tour...
Plan as if there is no wifi on the bus.
(I’ve never been on a RS tour with wifi on the bus, but my last tour was in 2017)
The one time it was available the WiFi signal was often weak and accessibility was very slow. This may have improved since 2019. It was easier for me to use a data SIM card.
On my recent Scandinavia tour, our bus had very good Wi-Fi while we were in Sweden but not in Denmark or Norway. Something to do with the bus and its Swedish registration. Don’t know more than that.
WiFi on the bus requires a router capable of feeding 20 to 50 phones and tablets for uploads and streaming. Mobile wifi, when available at all, will only work at cellular modem speed. For everyone on the bus.
Tell your buddies, no mobile wifi, and they must rely on their phones’ cellular data plans while roaming. They will be able to hop on the big wifi pipes in hotels and pubs but so is everyone else.
For security reasons, I don't bother with Wi-Fi when I travel through Europe. I spent four weeks over there in various countries between 2018 and 2019 and didn't use Wi-Fi once. Just plan ahead with your phone carrier or a SIM card and you'll be golden.
