traveling to europe with a smart phone...how exactly?

[Cruiser]

Another option is to buy a 4g wireless mobile hotspot and a prepaid sim. The benefit is that you can keep your existing phone number and settings while you and everyone else in your party uses the hotspot for connectivity. Prolly more expensive if you're traveling solo but cheaper for sure if you've got a small group.

[schindlerpiste]

Who is your provider? We have T*Mobile. I pay $15/mo. for unlimited calling to and/or from Yurp. My wife spends at least 1-2hrs/wk on the phone with Germany.

[zion zig zag]

I’m not sure the math works for me to swap SIM cards for a month in Europe. Pay $40 and switch cards, with all that entails (new phone number, can’t check VM, reported spotty service, iPhone hassles, etc.) vs paying $100 to your carrier to just seamlessly use the phone you have, the way you always use it? $60 is kind of a drop in the bucket of the total trip price.

Edit to say: I’m usually in the keep cellular turned off and only use wifi camp anyway. But I have turned it in occasionally when needed at $10 a day.

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[ex-powderbroker]

I haven't had any trouble with the bargain sims outside of the number associated with the account bs (provided your phone is unlocked). Service is just much cheaper everywhere outside the USA and Canada. My last trip in mexico was about 15$ on the burner sim, I never ran out of data or minutes. Here I think the sim alone is more than 10.

[::: :::]

I’m usually in the keep cellular turned off and only use wifi camp anyway. But I have turned it in occasionally when needed at $10 a day.

this is certainly still in my head as a viable option

[f=ma]

I’m not sure the math works for me to swap SIM cards for a month in Europe. Pay $40 and switch cards, with all that entails (new phone number, can’t check VM, reported spotty service, iPhone hassles, etc.) vs paying $100 to your carrier to just seamlessly use the phone you have, the way you always use it? $60 is kind of a drop in the bucket of the total trip price.

Edit to say: I’m usually in the keep cellular turned off and only use wifi camp anyway. But I have turned it in occasionally when needed at $10 a day.

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For 3 weeks? Just eat the $100. I have At&t and it's $10/day, capped at 10 days per month. And if you're traveling with a partner or family, they can hot spot off you.

Here's what an extra 60 bucks saves you in hassle:
-You can turn on your phone the minute you land vs finding a cellular store once you land and purchasing it with your passport
-Keep current phone number and possibly having to change languages
-Having to keep track of your US SIM card and not losing it
-Must have an unlocked GSM phone
-Traveling through multiple countries and having to using different sim cards
-You get to use your US data and minute plans

YMMV

[XXX-er]

In Portugal maybe 5 yr ago we bought a sim for 15 euro's each, the local we talked to would buy as needed instead of having a plan,

they also put us onto a couple or sites for navigating that were really good I think it was moovit & Waze

wazee for navigating the freeways was amazing I would have been lost without it

Moovit found obscure walking paths in old neighborhoods that You couldn't notice when they were right i front of you

[ex-powderbroker]

If you have a local number it means you'll get a call back when you try to make a reservation or text somebody. With an international number they might not bother to get back because it looks like spam or a hassle. 100 for a whole month isn't a big deal, i agree with f=ma but after a few days when you achieve local status you might want it.

[alpinevibes]

i have google maps on my phone -- how do i "download" a given area? [sorry for being obtuse...i don't see an offline mode or a download map function]

See: https://support.google.com/maps/answ...Platform%3DiOS

We did the "wifi only, no Sim card" travel for a lot of international trips over the last 15yrs. We pre-downloaded google maps for our areas and also used Maps.Me app for redundancy. Kinda clunky when you need to get a hold of someone fast, but ultimately worked out fine. Finally bought a cheap burner in Oman and used it on other trips to Africa, France, Mexico. I also have some old, banged up iPhone 4/5's that work well as international, SIM-ready phones.

For SIM's, the cheapest way is to pre-order and have it shipped to you. Something like this should be totally sufficient for the UK, where you'll have a lot of wifi as needed: https://www.amazon.com/Vodafone-Pay-.../dp/B014OOQ3MG

[::: :::]

thanks all - appreciate all the input

there is a certain inertia to just forking over the $100 for simplicity & most access
tbh, my dad is picking up the airfare on this trip (at least from DC) so i shouldn't fuss on this particular cost, as noted it's minor in the grand scheme of things and keeps it all simple

[lrn2swim]

gonna be gone 3wks, all in UK
wifi only will not be useful for navigating by car or calling folks

verizon says $100 for a month of service in Europe

i see things like: EE UK with an unlimited data SIM for £35 (+/-$40) for a month + per min charge for outgoing calls

Tmobile has had essentially worldwide free data roaming for quite a while now. I've traveled quite a bit in Europe in the last 10 years or so, have just used my phone like normal with no extra charges. $40 a month for everything

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[RShea]

A few things- is wifi going to be good enough (will you have wifi where you are staying as one example) and all the data and something like Google Voice (which you have to give out a US telephone number and see about having it forward to the foreign country number) or more likely WhatsApp for the calling? Or do you just get some US cellular plan that includes calling and data at the foreign countries? This could be something like the Visible $30 per month plan that includes calling to 200 some countries (but not sure if you get data and calling outside the US or just calling TO other countries as it is a pretty new plan in the last month or so. Contact the carrier you are using also to see what they offer (if anything) and what the charges would be for where you are going- but many times you do end up with a pretty expensive solution for an international offering through some carriers but very convenient also because it is the phone and number you use regularly and not a work around. Google Fi is offering a bit of cellular data usage outside the USA (through I believe T-Mobile side of their carrier offerings from what I understand and T-Mobile may have cheap data options also if they are not your cerrier...)

So your other option is either research or when you land talk to a few locals about getting a prepaid sim from a local carrier and pop that into an unlocked cell phone and use that (but then you still do the WhatsApp or Google Voice as much as possible because that can be given out to the important contacts before you leave for the trip...)

[RShea]

Just add +1 to your number when you give it to them (ie. +1 (xxx) xxx-xxxx) and it’ll go thru, or have them use WhatsApp.

Edit: also WhatsApp works on wifi. Just sayin’

Also WhatsApp works on both Wifi or any cellular data plan you have also. FIFY

[Buster Highmen]

so does zuckerberg free signal

[Supermoon]

The only thing I'll add here is that last time I was in Europe, Verizon limited my data speed to 3G for whatever reason. Made trying to navigate most app experiences basically useless without wifi, but did allow straight texting and calls just fine. iMessage was hit or miss. That was a few years ago, so maybe that's changed.

[Toadman]

How ever did people navigate Europe before smart phones?

If you’re not there for work it can be great to unplug. If you’re there for work, expense it.



Downloading google maps works though, and most rental cars have navigation these days

People used to use guide books. Remember "Let's Go Europe!"? And maps. Lots and lots of maps. Don't ask me how I know this.

[Pins and Skins]

Yup, I can confirm VZ is still limiting overseas usage to 3G, from my recent trip there. Good for texting and basic internet usage, but useless for pretty much anything else.

The only thing I'll add here is that last time I was in Europe, Verizon limited my data speed to 3G for whatever reason. Made trying to navigate most app experiences basically useless without wifi, but did allow straight texting and calls just fine. iMessage was hit or miss. That was a few years ago, so maybe that's changed.

[sweatypowderpig]

I just got back from 3 weeks in europe.
The ability to use data for google maps, getting taxis, plus calling hotels, etc is incredibly valuable.
I used the Orange Holiday e-sims from simoptions.com

unlimited calls, texts and 15gb of data for 30 euro across all of europe.
set up was super simple and I was able to continue receiving iMessages on my US line.
The only downside was the 14 day limit on e-sim. Had to top-up while I was there, but I just topped-up with the cheapest option.
There's also plenty of data-only options if that's your preference.

e-sims are really nice for this situation if your phone supports it. If you don't have that option, you can get physical sims and just switch. But that means you'll be incommunicado on your US line.

[Supermoon]

What kind of speeds did you get? Esim seems like a good option

[sweatypowderpig]

What kind of speeds did you get? Esim seems like a good option

mostly 4GLTE, but it got 5G where it was available.

my first experience with the e-sim and it was such a smooth process. Nothing like my prior experiences with buying a physical sim on arrival and fighting to get it set up.
The one trick was enabling data roaming on the european e-sim since it considered anything outside of its native french Orange network to be roaming, but I still had access to the full data speeds and allotment for the sim once that was enabled.

[Supermoon]

Awesome. Thanks!

[El Chupacabra]

If your phone supports esim check out airalo. They offer data esims for most countries that cost less for a few gigs than roaming for a day.

https://ref.airalo.com/fD2c gets both$3 off.

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Bumping older thread - going to Europe next month, it'd be nice to have cell data for Google Maps, live train / metro info, and Google searching. Airalo came up when searching elsewhere, so I'm looking into it. I have a Pixel 6a, which can use an e-SIM, so this looks like a cheap and easy way to get data in Europe.

Been satisfied with it?

[Iowagriz]

What courier are you currently on?

I'm Verizon, IIRC you get changed $10 a day for unlimited and seamless. But you can also earn a days credit for paying bills on time (1x per month). I think you can retain 7 (or 10) credits to use for this purpose. It makes sense for trips under 10 days. My last trip was longer so I had to spring for the $100/month to get unlimited everything. At least it was seamless.

Friends on Tmobile are telling me no charge for Europe on their plans.

[nickwm21]

Bumping older thread - going to Europe next month, it'd be nice to have cell data for Google Maps, live train / metro info, and Google searching. Airalo came up when searching elsewhere, so I'm looking into it. I have a Pixel 6a, which can use an e-SIM, so this looks like a cheap and easy way to get data in Europe.

Been satisfied with it?

Do you need to communicate via your domestic phone number? That would be the only catch…


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[kalisto]

if I was you. try to get your local US provider on esim then just pick up a physical SIM when you get there. way easier, that's how I do it.