As you settle into your new island life, one of the most exciting prospects is the ability to visit other players' islands or invite friends to your own. This social aspect is a cornerstone of the Animal Crossing experience, allowing for item trading, inspiration, and shared adventures. Fortunately, the system for inter-island travel becomes available relatively early in your island development.
To unlock the ability to visit other islands or host visitors, you'll need to progress through a few of Tom Nook's initial tasks. The key to opening up this feature lies with the Dodo Airlines airport, a crucial building that will appear on your island once certain conditions are met.
How to Unlock Dodo Airlines:
- Pay Off Your Initial Tent Loan: Your very first task from Tom Nook is to pay off the 5,000 Nook Miles loan for your tent. This is easily achieved by completing various Nook Miles+ objectives, such as catching fish, pulling weeds, or crafting tools.
- Upgrade to a House: Once your tent loan is paid, speak to Tom Nook again. He will offer you the opportunity to upgrade your tent to a proper house. This upgrade costs 98,000 Bells. While you don't need to pay off this loan immediately to unlock the airport, the house upgrade itself is a prerequisite for the airport to become fully functional for online play.
- Wait for Dodo Airlines to Open: After you've committed to upgrading to a house (even if you haven't paid the loan yet), the Dodo Airlines building will appear on your island the very next day. It's a small, yellow building located on the beach.
Once Dodo Airlines is open, you can speak to Orville at the counter to initiate travel. Remember that to visit other players online or have them visit you, you will need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Local play, however, does not require this subscription.