You want to be the kind of traveller that arrives at a foreign destination and immediately has her phone set up and ready to go. With the world getting more connected by the minute, you don’t have any excuse fumbling around with a dead rectangle that used to be a cell phone. Besides, there are over a thousand reasons to purchase a working cell phone coverage plan when you’re in a new country. Here are just three:
You Don’t Have To Pay Sky-high Roaming Fees
Cell phone plans under a well-known network carrier are a good option when you’re going abroad. A less known carrier however may add fees for using their network outside your home-country. The roaming charges you may end up paying are better spent on tickets, new experiences, accommodation, food and perhaps the occasional shopping splurge.
You Won’t Get Lost
Or at least, you may get lost but you can find your way again. Google maps or any other online map can be the difference between you being stuck on a wrong highway and you exploring a new city. Maps are easy to download offline, so you don’t have to tap into your data or hunt for wifi while you’re on the road.
You Can Keep In Touch With The Folks Back Home
Free chat apps like WhatsApp, Line, Skype, Hangouts, iMessage, FB Messenger make this easy and affordable. All you need is a good wifi signal or a portable wifi which connects to mobile data.
How To Choose The Perfect International Cell Phone Plan
Choosing a cell phone coverage plan when you’re going to be travelling abroad depends on where you’re going and what you’re travelling for. It’s easy to look up the main carriers in regions across the world. If you’re travelling to Europe, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile are popular carriers, but for travel you’re better off choosing NTT Docomo or Telstra.
You also want to consider the reason you will be travelling and what you will primarily be doing. If you’re going to be travelling only a week or two then it might make sense to ensure that your current network provider has free roaming. Alternatively, you could keep your phone on airplane mode and rely on wifi when needed. A local burner phone can be used for emergency calls. If you’re going to be living abroad for a month, look into the option of a prepaid travel cell phone plan.
Once you’re in your new country you can shop around for the best international phone plans on offer there. Make sure you understand the plan you purchase since each country arranges data packages and prices a little differently. Consider your internet and phone needs and choose a plan that suits it. If you’re going to be travelling to different countries while away from home then your best bet is to buy an unlocked phone. This will help you swap one local sim card for another as you move through different regions.
