Most people assume modern Europe means a stable internet almost everywhere.
Most people think stuff works like home.
It doesn’t.
Fast WiFi. Strong mobile data. Easy remote work. Smooth uploads. Reliable navigation.
That is the expectation.
The reality on the ground can be very different.
Reality note:
The first major issues happened in Croatia
After travelling across multiple countries by car over the past months, the first serious connectivity disruptions during our route happened in Croatia.
Not in remote mountains.
Not in isolated villages.
In tourist areas.
The first issue happened in Molunat.
Two completely different mobile subscriptions struggled in parts of the harbour area despite expensive tourist stays surrounding the coastline.
Signal quality became inconsistent enough that normal usage started becoming frustrating.
At first we assumed it was temporary.
Then later in Cavtat we experienced a different type of problem.
This time mobile data itself remained mostly usable, but local apartment WiFi became unstable enough to interrupt normal work.
Why speed tests do not tell the full story
Raw speed itself was not always the real problem.
Some speed tests looked perfectly usable on paper:
- 30–100+ Mbps downloads
- decent upload speeds
- acceptable ping
But actual day-to-day usage still became unstable at times.
- uploads interrupted
- connections dropped
- streaming stalled
- web services timed out
- devices switched unpredictably between WiFi and mobile data
- indoor coverage became unreliable inside some buildings
Connection note:
Why it happens
A connection can technically test fast while still performing poorly during real-world usage.
- outdated routers
- overloaded guest WiFi
- poor internal wiring
- cheap repeaters or extenders
- thick stone or concrete walls
- overloaded seasonal infrastructure
- mobile tower congestion
- harbour and coastal signal conditions
- roaming transitions
- too many devices sharing limited equipment
Tourist hotspots are not protected
Tourist hotspots are not automatically protected from these problems.
In fact, tourist-heavy areas may sometimes experience more instability during busy periods because hundreds or thousands of visitors are all trying to use the same local infrastructure at the same time — especially when large cruise ships roll in, sometimes more than one on the same day.
During our route we also tested connections in multiple other locations including Albania and Montenegro.
One of the more surprising lessons was this:
Some places with lower raw speed actually felt more stable during daily use than some higher-speed tourist hotspots.
The real problem is backup failure
The biggest mistake many travellers make is assuming one connection is enough.
One SIM. One eSIM. One apartment WiFi. One hotspot.
Until something fails at the wrong moment.
The real lesson from travelling across multiple countries is not: “Which provider is best?”
The real lesson is: connectivity redundancy matters more than perfect speed.
Today we travel assuming that:
- WiFi can fail
- mobile data can become unstable
- roaming can behave unpredictably
- tourist infrastructure may be overloaded
- indoor coverage can differ massively from outdoor coverage
Backup note:
What we do now
- download offline maps
- keep secondary mobile options
- use hotspot capability when needed
- keep offline copies of important documents
- save booking details before arrival
- avoid relying on one single connection
Final note
“WiFi included” and real-world reliable connectivity are often two very different things.
Croatia was simply the first place during this route where that reality became impossible to ignore.
Have you had unreliable WiFi or mobile data in tourist hotspots?
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Help other travellers avoid the same surprises.
We focus on real-world travel, not theory — the small things people forget are often the ones that cause the biggest problems.
Anything we missed? Add it. The best updates come from people already on the road.
Continue reading:
- The Trap Was Never eSIM or SIM — It Was No Backup Plan
- Borderless Money for Borderless Living
- Driving in Europe — Laws You Better Know Before You Go
- Fuel, Tolls and Unexpected Costs When Driving in Europe
The best travel connection is the one that still works when the first one fails.