Oh, Flixbus wifi. You lure us in with promises of Netflix and iMessages, only to leave us high and dry after we blow through our allotted 150MB of data after checking Instagram for like, five minutes. But, with a little planning, you never have to run out of Flixbus wifi again.

Need Flixbus tickets? You can get them here. 

See also: 

• Is Flixbus Reliable? An Honest Flixbus Review
• Overnight Buses in Europe: the Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus

How to Outsmart the Flixbus Wifi Limit

Berlin – a Flixbus Destination

I took an 11 hour overnight Flixbus from Berlin to Amsterdam and didn’t run out until 30 minutes before arrival. You can do this, too! Here’s how:

Download Netflix + Amazon Movies Ahead of Time

Munich – a Flixbus Destination

Both Netflix and Amazon allow you to download movies and tv shows onto your phone or tablet so you can watch later. If you’d like to binge Stranger Things on your way to Berlin, it only takes about two minutes of planning.

Just use the wifi at the airport, cafe, or hostel and download any and all of the content you’d like to see on your trip. Just don’t use the Flixbus wifi to download or stream any video files, as you’ll run out of data pretty much instantly.

Put your Phone on Airplane Mode

Prague – a Flixbus Destination

Even though I downloaded Netflix content ahead of time, my phone (a brand new iPhone 7+) kept trying to stream the shows I had downloaded instead of relying on the downloaded files.

Pretty frustrating, but there’s an easy fix. Just pop your phone over to Airplane Mode. This way there’s no confusion and you stop having to run interference between your app and the Flixbus Wifi.

Another bonus of Airplane Mode is that you are not accidentally eating up any of the Flixbus Wifi limit with background app refresh, etc. If you need to send a text or look up the address of your next hostel, you can briefly turn it off, but it’s best to pop it right back on after.

This is one of the main ways I stretched my 150MB limit from Berlin all the way to Amsterdam.

See also: 

• Hate Traveling with Friends? Here’s How to Avoid Fighting on Vacation
• Study Abroad Preparation Checklist: 5 Things to do BEFORE Studying Abroad

Sign up For Audible

Bratislava – a Flixbus Destination

Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time on overnight buses in Europe if your travel style is more look out the window and relax. If you sign up for Audible, you get at least one free audiobook when you sign up for the 1-month free trial, after which you can cancel at anytime (and keep your audiobook!) or continue on to receive one Audible credit a month.

I’ll admit, I signed up for the free trial so I could have book to listen to on my 11 hour Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus ride, but ended up keeping my subscription because let’s be real… who doesn’t love a good story without the effort of actually reading it? Just, as always, download your book ahead of time — even if it’s using the wifi at the bus station as you’re waiting to board.

Sign up for Audible here.

Stream Music Offline

Amsterdam – a Flixbus Destination

The paid version of streaming apps like Amazon Music and Spotify have options for listening offline, as long as you download your playlists ahead of time (this seems to be a theme), but there are still a few streaming apps that are completely free.

Like Umusio where you pay .99 one time then have access to millions of songs offline.

The app Deezer costs $9.99 a month, but the first 30 days are free. So sign up, but remember to cancel on time!

Just Take a Freaking Nap

Rome – a Flixbus Destination

The lull of the Flixbus engine. The blurred European landscape whisking past you as you barrel down the highway. Oh, so so relaxing, right? If you reach the Flixbus Wifi limit, forgot to download movies to watch or music to listen to, and are traveling alone with no one to chat to, just lean your head back and take a nap. You’ll get to where you’re going soon enough.

The bottom line of outsmarting the Flixbus Wifi limit is just not to use the wifi because you follow the steps I’ve listed above you won’t even need it anyway.

Need Flixbus tickets? You can get them here. 

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Emily Kammerlohr

Emily’s all over the place. She’s an expert on working holidays, studying abroad, and turning your #GapYear into a #GapLife. Learn how here.