I’m not going to be your mother and tell you that you should go outside or read a book when you don’t have Wi-Fi, because that’s not what I do when I don’t have internet. Due to some financial cutbacks, I get to spend the next month without Wi-Fi (or data, cause I used it all the first three days). And although that month isn’t over yet (I am indeed writing this article in a Dunkin Donuts), I have learned many ways to cope with not having the internet I require. Some are still using technology, and some aren’t, but all are worth a try.
Offline mobile games
Get yourself to a Wi-Fi connection and just download a whole bunch of games. I did this at the laundromat and got like thirteen games onto my phone, and I’ve just been going through them to see which ones I like. My favorite for you to try are: “True Fear: Forsaken Souls” (the demo is free!), “The Silent Age” (another free demo), “Paint By Number”, “Murder In Alps”, “Pizza”, “Piano Challenges”, and the most classic of all the classics, “The Oregon Trail”.
Random movies
No, I don’t have cable TV either. I have a television that I can plug my computer into, and a Wii. I’ve followed the same rule about movies my whole life, which is that I refuse to watch a movie until I’ve watched the trailer. I just don’t like going into movies until I’ve got the basis of what it’s about. Well I’ve decided to break that rule, and it has given me mixed, but interesting results. I hit up Walmart’s movie section and just purchased a number of popular movies, and watched them without knowing anything about them. Some were awesome, like “The Meg,” “Finding Forrester”, “RED,” and “A Private War”.
Paint by numbers
A.C. Moore’s has an awesome selection of these paint by number kits for adults, which are awesome to get you off your phone for a number of hours. However, they kind of only have Bob Ross kind-of locations with mountains and cottages. And don’t get me wrong, I love Bob, but I don’t need a random picture of mountains and water in my dorm to make me feel like an old lady. Instead, some companies like My Paint By Numbers, Crafthoot, and Masterpiece By Numbers, have huge varieties of these kits. Some of them even let you create a custom one, so you can paint your pet, food, or your own face. Also, don’t forget about Amazon.
Photography
I found this app called CandyCamera when I bought my new phone, and it’s an easy way to edit your images so it looks like you’re a professional photographer. And if you didn’t know, there’s thousands of apps like this one. You could easily kill a few hours making masterpieces. I mean, look at how aesthetic this picture of me in a NYC cafe is! And that bowling alley pic? A-e-s-t-h-e-t-i-c.
Cleaning
Everyone has one aspect of their life that they never clean. Maybe it’s your desk, your download folder on your computer, or your shoe collection. For me, it’s my closet. I accumulate more clothes every month, and over time more and more are put into storage because I don’t have room for them, so about once a year I need to purge all my clothes to donate or throw out ruined or old clothes. Now’s your time to sort through whatever it is that you’ve been ignoring.
Music
I can’t live without music. I play it when I’m getting out of bed, when I’m cooking, when I’m walking somewhere, basically when I’m doing anything. So not having Wi-Fi caused me anguish by taking away my rights to YouTube and Spotify. I couldn’t find any helpful offline music players, even mobile radio apps use Wi-Fi. So I found a website that allows you to download Mp3 files off YouTube videos, and you can import them to their phone, which solved my no music problem. (Don’t call the FBI please).
Okay, don’t get me wrong. I do go on walks, and I do read books (strictly Stephen King and Katy Towell books), but I’ve found ways to still use devices so it’s almost like I still have Wi-Fi. Unless I spend all day in one of New York’s questionable public libraries, I don’t get to watch YouTube for hours straight like I normally do. However, if you can get ahold of YouTube Red’s one month free trial (which I already used), you can watch videos offline for a month! So next time your router breaks or you’re in a pickle like I am now, try some of these offline activities to keep yourself busy.