Playing Pokémon GO Abroad: Travel, Regionals and Staying Connected

Pokémon GO is one of the few games that get more interesting when you travel. New places mean new PokéStops, different weather, local event timings and, in some parts of the world, Pokémon you simply can't catch at home. Your account, Pokémon and items travel with you unchanged; it's everything around you, from spawns and raids to Gyms, that's different. Sorting out data, power and storage before you leave means you spend the trip catching instead of hunting for Wi-Fi. If you're still learning the game itself, the Trainer Hub homepage has the basics; this page is about taking it on the road.

Before you go: a checklist

• Clear some storage. Arrive with plenty of free Pokémon storage and item bag space, so you're not transferring Pokémon on the beach.
• Check your login. If signing in to your account depends on a code sent by text to your home number, make sure you'll receive it abroad, or set up another sign-in method first. Our account login and security guide covers this.
• Sort out data. The game needs a live data connection; there is no offline mode.
• Pack power. A power bank, a cable and a plug adapter for your destination.
• Tell your friends. Friends at home can still invite you to raids near them (joining uses a Remote Raid Pass, remote raids are limited per day, and their afternoon may be your middle of the night), and you can send them Gifts from your trip.
• Check availability. The game isn't offered everywhere, and some destinations restrict certain online services, so check before you rely on playing there.

Staying connected

Roaming on your home plan

The simplest option, but check your mobile provider's roaming terms before you go. Map data, raids and GPS use add up over a long day, and roaming charges can be steep outside any included allowance.

A local SIM or eSIM data plan

Often the best value for a longer trip. An eSIM can usually be set up before you land if your phone supports it. Keep your home SIM active if you need it for sign-in codes.

Wi-Fi

Fine for planning, sorting storage and downloading updates at your accommodation, but no substitute for mobile data while you're out exploring. Be careful about signing in to accounts on unfamiliar public networks.

What's different when you get there

Pokémon you won't find at home

Some Pokémon normally spawn only in certain parts of the world. Long-standing examples include:

Region	Classic regional exclusive
North America	Tauros
Europe	Mr. Mime
Asia	Farfetch'd
Australia and New Zealand	Kangaskhan

There are many more. Ranges have shifted over the years and events sometimes bring regionals elsewhere for a while, so check current information before planning a trip around one species. Our collecting guide explains how regionals fit into Pokédex completion.

Weather and habitats

A different climate means different in-game weather and therefore different boosted types. Crossing the equator can matter too: some in-game seasons have given the Northern and Southern Hemispheres different wild spawns, so check the current season's announcement in the in-game news for the hemisphere you're visiting. Coastal, mountain and city areas can also feel quite different from home, so it's worth catching broadly rather than only chasing the headline regional.

Time zones and events

Most events run on local time, so an event may start at a different moment for you than for your friends at home. Occasionally an event is timed in a single worldwide window instead, so read the event announcement rather than assuming. Daily catch and spin streaks follow your local day too, so after a long flight across time zones, catch and spin soon after you land if you're protecting a streak. If you need to convert an announced time, our guide to event timing in North America walks through it step by step.

Making the most of the trip

• Spin everything new. Spinning PokéStops gives items and, when your Gift bag has room, often a Gift you can send to a friend back home, so a walk through a new town keeps your friends supplied too.
• Send Gifts home. Gifts carry a postcard of the PokéStop they came from, which friends can keep in their Postcard Book. Gifts from far away have also mattered for regional variety, most famously Vivillon, whose wing patterns are tied to parts of the world.
• Collect Gym badges. Spinning, battling or raiding at a Gym you visit earns you that Gym's badge, so each town you pass through leaves something behind in your badge list.
• Catch extras of regionals. Friends at home will want them, and trading a Pokémon caught far away for one caught locally earns extra Candy.
• Mind the speed limit. On trains, buses and planes, distance covered at vehicle speeds doesn't count toward Eggs or buddy Candy, and the game asks you to confirm you're a passenger. That's a safety check, not a penalty: genuine travel is normal play.

Staying safe abroad

Traffic may drive on the other side of the road, and a phone held out in a crowded tourist spot is an easy target. Look up before crossing, keep a firm grip in busy places, respect local rules about parks, religious sites and private property, and never play while driving a hire car. If a PokéStop sits somewhere that feels unsafe or off-limits, skip it; there will be plenty more.

Coming home

Back home, your regionals become trading material. Remember that trading normally requires you and your friend to be close to each other (some events have temporarily extended the range), that a species new to a friend's Pokédex counts as a Special Trade with a higher Stardust cost, and that friendship level makes a big difference to that cost; our trading guide has the details.