Information, along with the pace of life, travels at a much more leisurely speed on the island. Daily farming — including sheep shearing and cow tending — is a communal and daily activity for all villagers. Live television and news didn't hit the island until 2001, according to Map Nerd. Perhaps most significantly, COVID-19 has never made its way onto the island, said Green.
While slow internet service is available, there is no phone network or local newspaper on the island, Conrad Glass, Tristan da Cunha's inspector of police, told TODAY in an email. “There is local gossip,” said Glass. “It’s much faster than the internet, but not always as accurate,” he joked.
The island has two churches and one medical facility with a couple of permanent physicians and a visiting dentist, said Glass. Priests and some more specialized medical professionals may only visit for a few weeks or months at a time, according to the community website. For those raising children on the island, a five-classroom school handles education for students aged 3-16.
"When there's a landslide, an earthquake or, heaven forbid, a volcano, there will be a gong rung to inform the heads of each family," Glass told Map Nerd. "We do have emergency supplies and emergency buildings," he said.
But on a normal day, visitors might find themselves at Café da Cunha, the town coffee shop that doubles as a village museum, or Albatross, the singular town bar.
From the way community leaders speak of their home, the societal isolation from the outside world offers some off-the-grid benefits.
"Tristan offers a security that is rarely found in the world these days," Conrad Glass told Sky News. The community works together to survive and always lends a helping hand when necessary, said Glass.
One of the best views of the island can be seen by completing a challenging hike to Queen Mary's Peak, which rests atop what the islanders have dubbed the 1961 Volcano, named after its infamous eruption in that year — causing the entire village to evacuate to England for two years. Though still active, the volcano features a path to the breathtaking summit that many regard as a top bucket-list item for world travelers.
But those wishing to visit the island should note that it has been closed to tourists since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Green. Tourism will reopen once the entire island has received a COVID-19 booster shot, which is expected to arrive via vessel in the next week.
Once Tristan da Cunha opens up again, the best way to visit means securing a spot on one of the nine fishing vessel trips that will take place throughout the year.
Just be prepared to go fully off the grid.
Jake Traylor
