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I am completely ignorant about this as I have not been overseas in many years. However I am planning a several week long trip to Peru this fall/winter. When you go on a trip like this, do you just leave your phone at home and change your voicemail greeting so people know you're gone? How much would it cost to have service in Peru for a month, just for very occasional use, checking for emergency messages, etc?
I take my phone with me but I also check with my carrier to see what my usage options are. Different carriers will have different options, but generally it seems that frequent travelers love T-Mobile. I have Sprint and my options vary depending on where I am traveling to but they now offer international data and texting for no additional cost (I just had to activate it on my plan). In addition if you are traveling to a place where you will have stable internet access you could use things like Wi-Fi calling (you can make US calls for free but a call to an international number, even if you are in that country, would be charged as an international call). Then there are apps like Whatsapp where you can call your contacts as long as they have the app also, the advantage with apps like this is that there are no additional costs for international calls.
Buy a local sim card at a local convenience store for a certain amount $$$, replace yours in your phone & use that local number for calling around or checking your msgs. Use skype mostly for calls back home or have them call you at your new ph #. Or text them, that's usually cheaper than calling.
Don't leave a msg that you are out of town on your voicemail (or facebook) since that is tempting to burglars, junkies, etc...
Whenever I travel out of the country, I just call my carrier and ask them to add a plan that covers that particular country effective from date of departure, and then when I return, I call and cancel. While I am in country, I always make sure I'm logged onto a Wi Fi and try and also follow the carrier's recommended changes to my settings to avoid roaming and other charges.
We traveled to Costa Rica last month for 6 days, and I added the country on my phone, and as soon as we got back, I canceled it, and the monthly charge was prorated. Only cost me around $40, and during that time, I was using my phone almost as regularly as I would have at home.
I would not go anywhere without my phone. Remember in this day and age, it's more than just a phone. It's your map, it's a mini computer, it's how people communicate in emergencies etc. Plus, in many of these mountainous, rural countries, cell coverage is often the only phone there is due to the difficulty of laying and maintaining land lines.
Last edited by Texas Ag 93; 05-25-2016 at 12:39 PM..
Whenever I travel out of the country, I just call my carrier and ask them to add a plan that covers that particular country effective from date of departure, and then when I return, I call and cancel. While I am in country, I always make sure I'm logged onto a Wi Fi and try and also follow the carrier's recommended changes to my settings to avoid roaming and other charges.
We traveled to Costa Rica last month for 6 days, and I added the country on my phone, and as soon as we got back, I canceled it, and the monthly charge was prorated. Only cost me around $40, and during that time, I was using my phone almost as regularly as I would have at home.
I would not go anywhere without my phone. Remember in this day and age, it's more than just a phone. It's your map, it's a mini computer, it's how people communicate in emergencies etc. Plus, in many of these mountainous, rural countries, cell coverage is often the only phone there is due to the difficulty of laying and maintaining land lines.
Thanks all for the helpful advice. I agree, I feel naked without my phone. You never know when a call you really need to take can come in.
Also good advice about not leaving a message which could attract burglars. Hadn't though about that, but it makes sense.
If you have a smartphone, you can always use the internet via wifi in different locations meaning it is useful to have your cellphone whether or not you use it for calls outside the USA.
If you have a GSM phone it's so much easier as most countries support it and you have more options such as using your own carrier, using an international regional carrier or just using prepaid sim card carrier. If you have a dual sim phone that makes it even better as does having an unlocked phone open you up to anything including setting up an account with a local country phone number you take back home with you.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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1) do you have an international carrier / global roaming?
2) do you have a SIM capable phone, And is it unlocked?
Prepaid SIM for each country usually costs about $40/ month with 4 gb data
I use a dual SIM smart phone I picked up in Thailand for $50,
It is a royal pain to not have global roaming when changing countries several times / week. Sometimes I commute to adjacent countries daily. This week I had to buy 4 SIM cards, spent far more on cellphone than I did on food.
USA is way behind even the 3rd world countries in data and cell networks./ coverage. EU will get 'affordable' multi country roaming next yr...
We (USA) are probable funding the other countries infrastructure through economic development dollars, but... In Rural USA, I am still stuck on dial-up.
Dont take your phone overseas... Ever... You are just asking for trouble.
In Peru in the Airport even before you get to the baggage claim, there are people renting phones.
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