If you are traveling internationally for the first time, you might be wondering if your phone will work abroad. In this post I’m going to talk about the best way to communicate internationally and some tips and tricks for saving money while staying connected.
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How To Communicate Internationally
First off, your phone’s data and calling plan won’t work in another country, but everything else will. So, in order to communicate internationally you will have to do a few things to make your phone work.
There’s no one size fits all approach, so let’s go into the details.
Cheapest Way To Communicate Internationally
The cheapest way to use your phone while traveling abroad is to only use it when it’s connected to Wi-Fi. Set your phone to airplane mode when you get on the plane and keep it on.
Pro Tip: You can use Wi-Fi on your phone in airplane mode. You might have to turn it back on though. If you do turn off airplane mode when you are in another country, your phone carrier might charge you international rates.
If you do decide to go with Wi-Fi only travel, here are some apps and travel tips to follow.
Helpful Apps To Stay Connected When Traveling Abroad
Whatsapp is used almost everywhere in the world. Many Americans don’t have Whatsapp which is too bad because it is so helpful when you travel. If you aren’t familiar, it’s like Skype but with text messaging.
The first reason we love it when we are zipping around the globe is that many businesses, especially in South America and Europe, use Whatsapp for reservations and regular business communication.
It is also great to use for talking to anyone because you can voice call, video call or text whoever you want no matter where you are located. No international charges here!
It is all Wi-Fi or data based, so if you are on wifi you can call or text.
Google Maps
Most of you probably already have Google Maps on your phone. This is a great app to have because when you are in your hotel or before your trip, you can download an offline map to use without Wi-Fi or data!
To download the map, navigate to the city you are visiting. Then click the X to clear the search.
Click on the circle on the top right corner and it will bring up a menu.
Select offline maps. Then click on ‘select your own map’ button at the bottom.
You can move the map back and forth, zoom in and out until you have the whole area you want to download in the rectangle. Click download.
Your map will be saved in your offline maps. To get to them, just click the circle at the top right corner of the map again, and the menu will appear.
Click on the map you want and you will be able to search and use navigation in this area of the map without Wi-Fi or data. Super convenient!
Firsty
Firsty is an eSIM company that has benefits for those that don’t want to buy a SIM card. The company believes that access to data should be available to everyone, so they have a free option for their users. You will just have to watch a short ad before accessing the data, but it is a good choice if you need data in a pinch.
NOTE: With any eSIM, you must have an unlocked phone. That means if you are still paying off your phone to Verizon or T-Mobile, you won’t be able to use an eSIM.
ANOTHER NOTE: The free option is only available in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.
Social Apps For Communication
If you can’t get your friends and families back home to download Whatsapp for communication, I get the struggle 😉, there are other options too.
Social apps are a good way to text internationally using Wi-Fi as most people use them. Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs are the ones I use the most.
Lastly, you can always communicate internationally through email.
Travel Tips If Using Wi-Fi Only
While traveling without phone data or the ability to call can feel limiting, it is still possible. Here are some helpful travel tips that might not know about.
Where To Find Free Wi-Fi
The easiest and the most common area to get Wi-Fi will be at your hotel. However, there are other, less obvious locations to check for Wi-Fi too.
Many restaurants and cafes will have Wi-Fi that you can use. While most are password protected, you can ask your waiter for the password.
Trains and airports also have Wi-Fi. I have found that airports are the most reliable, but trains can have free Wi-Fi too. Just don’t expect it to be fast!
Some major cities have free Wi-Fi. You can find public Wi-Fi in Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Tokyo, Hong Kong and many others. Do a quick check before your next trip to see if the city you are visiting has it!
Major businesses might have free Wi-Fi too. For example, our grocery store has Wi-Fi. Pop your head into major stores and see if anything pops up.
Lastly, there is always the public library.
Plan Ahead
Having a plan for your day will be important when traveling without data. Here are a few things to think about before leaving your hotel each morning.
- Make sure to download an offline map of the area you are exploring for easy navigation.
- If you are traveling by bus or train, download or take a screenshot of your tickets.
- Choose a couple of options for where to eat or identify a location that has Wi-Fi in the area you are exploring where you can figure this out easily when you start to get hungry.
- Have your tickets for attractions, tours or any information about these activities somewhere you can access easily.
More Expensive But More Convenient Way To Communicate Internationally
Another way to communicate internationally, that is a lot more practical, is to either get an international plan or buy an eSIM.
What Is An eSIM?
An eSIM is an embedded Subscriber Identity Module. In your phone you have a regular SIM card and this card essentially connects your phone to a phone network and allows you to call, text and use data.
An eSIM is nice because you don’t have to take our your normal SIM, but can embed it electronically. You turn off your normal SIM and turn on the eSIM while traveling internationally.
It is also possible to get a physical SIM card when you get to a country, but that is a little outdated and less convenient.
My Favorite eSIM Company
While I have used Firsty’s paid eSIM card before, my favorite eSIM company to use is Airlo. There are pluses and minuses to each.
Airlo is easy to use and cheap. You pay by GB of data. For the amount of data I use while traveling it is perfect for me. You can also easily add more data to your phone through the app.
If you want to use a lot of data each day, Firsty might be a better option. Their plans are per day and can be as cheap as €1 a day.
IMPORTANT: One very important thing to know about eSIMs is that you can only use one if your phone is unlocked! If you are still paying for your phone through your phone carrier, your phone is locked and you won’t be able to use an eSim.
International Phone Plan
Another easy way to be connected to phone service internationally is to purchase an international phone plan.
This is the easiest way to go because you don’t have to do anything but sign up with your phone carrier. Also, if you can’t get an eSIM because your phone is locked, you can still get data through your current provider.
It is also the most expensive option. If you can foot the bill though, why not!
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A Few Travel Safety Tips Related To Communication
Now that you have figured out how to stay connected and how to communicate internationally, I wanted to share a few related bonus communication tips.
Tell Your Family Where You Will Be
Give someone in your family or one of your friends your itinerary with hotel information on it. Be sure to keep in contact with this person while you travel so they know that you are safe.
This doesn’t work if you never take the time to check in with them, or let them know if your plans change!
Register With Your Embassy Or Consulate Before Leaving
Registering your trip with these free programs below will give you updated information or alerts for each destination.
Most of the alerts that we have seen are if the embassy or consulate is notified of protests or other similar activity. They will let you know when and where it will happen so you know how to avoid these situations.
Below are some of the programs that I found for the USA, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
- STEP Program for Americans
- Travel Safe for New Zealanders
- Registration of Canadians Abroad (ROCA) for Canadians
- Smartraveller for Austrailians
Download The Life360 App
Life360 is a handy way to have your friends or family track your current location. I like to use it to track my kids’ bike rides home from school, but you could also use it while traveling.
After you download the app, you create a circle of people that you trust. These are the only people that can see where you are. Also you could track your phone if it was ever stolen!
It is similar to Find My Phone, but if you have a family or group of people that have both Apple and Android phones, this is a great app to use that will work with all phone types.
Pack A Portable Charger
Because so much of staying connected deals with using our phones, it is important that it stays charged and doesn’t die when we need it most.
Portable chargers are great for this. They are small and very effective. You can buy them almost anywhere!
Add Emergency Numbers To Your Phone
Making sure you know emergency numbers for the country you are visiting is very important. Not all countries use 911 or 999. Be sure to find out what the emergency numbers are and store them in your phone to make it easy in an emergency.
You won’t want to be looking up the emergency number in the moment you need it. Thankfully we haven’t ever had to call an emergency number while traveling, but it is better to be prepared than not.
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Have other travel safety concerns? Check out the links to more safety related blogs below:
