Things to do without wifi
Advice about doing without the internet is usually written as one long list, which is why so little of it is useful when you need it. A campsite at dusk and a stationary train are not the same problem. This is sorted by situation, with the constraints stated, so you can find the part that matches where you actually are.
Quick answer
What to do without wifi depends less on the activities available than on which of four situations you are in: a cabin or holiday house with space and time, a campsite with limited light and shelter, a power cut where you also have no lighting or cooking, or a long journey where nobody can move. Each has different constraints, and the same list of suggestions does not serve all four.
Key takeaways
- Sort by situation first: space, light, power and mobility all differ.
- Download and pack before you go; offline preparation is the whole game.
- A power cut is a light and heat problem before it is a boredom problem.
- Travel days need activities that need no table and no lost pieces.
- A paper list of ideas is worth more than a phone full of them.
Four situations, not one
Being without wifi covers wildly different circumstances. A rented cabin has space, power, light and a whole week. A campsite has none of the first three after sunset. A power cut at home has the space but no light, no heating and possibly no cooking. A long journey has none of it and nobody can stand up. Any list that ignores those differences will be half irrelevant whenever you read it.
| Situation | Main constraint | What that rules out |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin or holiday house | Time to fill, few supplies to hand | Anything needing shops or specific equipment |
| Campsite | Light, weather and shelter | Anything needing a table or lasting past dusk |
| Power cut | Light, heat and cooking | Anything needing electricity or a hot meal |
| Long journey | No movement, no surface, no space | Anything with pieces that can be dropped |
What each situation actually constrains
A cabin or holiday house
This is the easiest of the four and the one people most often waste. The mistake is treating a week without connection as time to be got through rather than used. It suits the long, slow activities that never fit into an ordinary evening.
- A jigsaw left out on a table all week, worked on by whoever passes it.
- A long card game with a running score kept over several days.
- Cooking something that takes hours rather than minutes.
- Walking somewhere with a paper map and no route planned in advance.
- Reading aloud in the evening, which works for a wider age range than most people expect.
- A journal or drawing kept by each person over the stay.
What to pack for it
Cards, dice, a jigsaw, two short boxed games, a torch each, and a paper map of the area. Downloads for the drive. That list handles almost everything.
A campsite
Camping has a hard structural feature: everything changes at sunset. The afternoon has daylight and space, and the evening has a small pool of lamplight and whatever fits on a knee. Planning them separately is the whole trick.
- Daylight: outdoor target games, exploring, collecting things, cooking over a fire, water if there is any.
- Dusk: the transition where everyone gets cold, so plan the food here.
- Dark: cards by lamp, stories, stargazing, quiet spoken games.
- Rain: this is the one to plan for specifically, since a wet campsite is where trips fail.
Daytime target games travel well because they need almost nothing. A row of tins on a log and a few beanbags is enough. Air-powered toys such as the AirZooka work outdoors for the same reason they work indoors, in that there is no ammunition to lose in the grass. Point it at the tins and not at people or animals.
A power cut
A power cut is not primarily an entertainment problem, and treating it as one leads people to skip the part that matters. Sort the practical things first and the evening takes care of itself.
- Find torches and lamps before it gets dark rather than after.
- Keep the fridge and freezer closed. They hold temperature for hours if left alone.
- Work out what you can eat without cooking, and what you can heat if you have gas.
- Charge nothing, and put phones on low power in case you need them later.
- Check on anyone nearby who might be less able to manage in the dark or cold.
A long travel day
Journeys are the strictest case. Nothing can be dropped, nothing needs a surface, and everyone is stuck in position for hours. That narrows the field to spoken games, audio, and a very short list of physical items.
| Age | What works | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | Audio stories, window spotting, sticker books, snacks in stages | Anything with loose pieces |
| 5 to 10 | Twenty questions, spotting lists, drawing on a lap tray, audio books | Long silent activities |
| 10 and over | Downloaded music and podcasts, reading, word games, card games if there is a table | Being expected to entertain younger siblings all day |
| Adults | Downloaded audio, reading, taking a turn at the games | Assuming the signal will hold |
Activities for a journey, by age
The preparation that makes all four easier
Almost everything that goes wrong without a connection traces back to something not done while there still was one. Ten minutes of downloading and one printed page cover most of it.
- Download maps for the area offline, not just the route.
- Save music, audio books and a film or two to the device itself rather than a streaming queue.
- Print or write the address, directions, booking reference and a phone number.
- Pack a torch, a pack of cards, and a pen and paper regardless of destination.
- Tell children before you leave that there will be no signal, so it is a plan rather than a surprise.
Everything that makes a day offline easier is done while you are still online.
