When travelling abroad, most people tend to simply ditch their phones behind because they simply can’t use their communication functions, unless they pay some hefty price. However, with the increasing globalization trends and the development of better communication methods, the prices incurred by your phone when abroad have drastically reduced themselves. Depending on how you plan to use your phone’s services, there are a number of options that you can resort to. Read on below to find out:
If You’re Not Planning to Use Your Phone Save For Internet
If you have no plans of using your phone to contact your family and friends back at home, then simply disable your SIM or turn on the airplane mode (whilst leaving the WiFi radio). This way, you will not incur any costs for using your SIM outside of your home country, but you will be able to join any nearby WiFi connections, which you’ll be able to get in two main ways:
• Use local WiFi hotspots – Just about any Western country like USA, UK and France wifi in many public areas, but you might not be as lucky in developing countries, where internet services are still lagging behind.
• Use a Rental Service/ International SIM – In the case of the former, you’ll be renting a small device which will connect you to the internet using the local services; countries like Japan and Korea WiFi services for international use – a prime example includes Yota Egg. The latter explains itself – a SIM capable of being used in a number of countries.
If You’re Planning to Use Your Phone
If you want to contact your family and friends back at home, then simply having an internet connection might not be enough for you (in the sense where you want them to be able to reach you from your phone number). In this case, you have again two options, but keep in mind that this is quite costly, so do not forget about the data and phone costs you might incur!
• Sign up for your mobile carrier’s roaming data plan – this is recommended only if you’re going to have a short stay abroad – that is, somewhere that does not exceed two weeks. With this method, you can use all your phone’s services with you regular phone number, however, keep in mind that prices are very hefty, and the deals are not exactly good (i.e. a small data package for a large price).
• Buy a local SIM – this is the best option for you if you’re planning to have a long stay abroad – for example, if you’re going to study abroad, or if you plan to visit the specific country a number of times per year.