It is most important to stay connected whenever you are traveling, whether with your family or co-workers if you’re away for business, or friends and family back home. But utilizing your phone abroad without racking up substantial international fees or data roaming charges can seem like a challenge. To make all things easier for you, we’ve put together a guide on the most useful hacks for using your phone abroad. It is usually required to be able to use your phone while traveling, whether for communicating with your airport transfer driver when you land at the airport, your Airbnb host, friend or family you’re staying with, or looking at the Google maps so you can navigate a new city. Here are some simple hacks for staying connected whenever you are going abroad without the eye-watering charges.
1. Check your Phone Network Overseas
Nowadays, most smartphones can be used internationally without any problem; if you plan on your mobile overseas, you should cross-check that it’ll work on your destination network once you are away. For 2G (voice) and 3G (data) connections, two radio systems are used in the world for the mobile phone, such as GSM (global system for mobiles) and CDMA (Code division multiple access). GSM phones won’t work on CDMA networks, and also most people use GSM; some countries such as the USA and Russia still use CDMA with coverage of CDMA also.
2. Buy Roaming Bundle
Although it relies on your phone plan, many networks offer international roaming bundles to purchase at a one-off or daily cost for the duration of your trip. Suppose you’re only going away for a short stint. In that case, it could be worth looking at the options offered by your phone company – many are bundles that provide a set amount of minutes, texts, and data per day for you to be able to use your phone abroad, and that way you can stick to using your regular phone and SIM card. These can be expensive, though, so they may not suit every traveler.
3. Buy a Travel SIM Card
Buying local SIM cards for traveling is undoubtedly one of the best solutions for using your phone abroad. Still, if you are traveling to multiple countries and don’t want to end up with lots of different SIM cards and numbers, it might be worth buying an international travel SIM card. Companies like Travel SIM and Go-SIM offer International Travel Sim Card to be used in hundreds of different destinations.
5. Use Free Social Apps
If you are planning on free WiFi or a portable WiFi hotspot while traveling, you can avoid expensive international incoming calls and SMS charges by sticking to social messaging applications. Apps like WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook messaging apps allow you to call and message through an internet connection, so it is super easy to stay connected online – you have to download the apps on your mobile phone before travel to your destination.
Final Words
If you are planning to buy an international travel SIM card, make sure you have coverage in the countries you are going to and any countries you plan on traveling to in the future. I hope these tips will help you to get seamless upcoming trips.
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