UPDATED: JANUARY 2020

iphone

These smartphone travel tips will help you save money and get the most out of your overseas travel. Cell phone providers in the USA have made it easy to stay connected while traveling by introducing affordable temporary travel options that include messaging, calling, and data… all rolled into one plan. Sure, it cost a bit more for your travel period, but when you come home, the extra fees go away.

 But before you strike out across the pond, here are my smartphone travel tips:

 

  1. Contact your mobile phone provider and sign up for one of their international calling plans. Plans vary, but usually, there is a flat fee per day of usage while out of the country.
  2. If you are trying to save money and not use your mobile device while traveling, turn off your voicemail, email, and data features when you leave the USA. Put your phone in airplane mode and turn on WiFi. Failure to forget this step, if you’ve not signed up for an international data plan, will rack up hundreds of dollars on your next phone bill.
  3. WiFi hotspots are all over Europe. Most certainly, you’ll find one at your hotel (often with spotty coverage), but cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, and public spaces often offer free WiFi as well.
  4. Many of the new international plans include unlimited texting. Check with your provider.
  5. If you purchase an international plan that includes a finite amount of data (such as 90, 120, 180 mb/month), then you need to keep an eye on how much you are using while traveling. I “reset” my smartphone statistics when my flight takes off for Europe. That way, I can check the actual data used while out of the country.

 

Charging your device

You do not need an electrical power converter for your smartphone, cellphone, camera, tablet, or any electronic gadget manufactured since 2005. All modern devices will charge without damage on any electric current in Europe. Typically this will be 220 volts AC.

 

If you follow my smartphone travel tips, I believe the convenience is worth the cost. If for nothing else, it gives me peace of mind knowing my family, co-workers, and friends are just a phone call, text, or chat away. Knowing that, in an emergency, a family member could pick up their telephone at home and give me a call is an added benefit as well.