The easiest way to get phone service in another country is to use your existing phone and phone plan. Most cell phone carriers offer travel add-ons that hook you up with cell coverage around the world. Follow this guide to make sure you get phone service wherever you’re traveling. The service covers over 210 destinations, including Hong Kong, Mexico, and England, to name a few. I recently tried using the AT&T International Day Pass on a trip to England. With everything set up, I had the service the second I walked off the plane in Heathrow Airport. It was almost like AT&T’s service was better in England than it was in the United States because I had excellent coverage everywhere, including Tube stations. If you’ve done everything correctly, this is what you’ll see at the end of the process: Whether you’re planning on traveling for a few weeks or for a few months, you can use your T-Mobile unlimited plan abroad as much as you want. Currently, T-Mobile covers more than 210 countries around the globe with wireless coverage. If you need some help deciding between the three carriers, Verizon does offer the best 4G LTE coverage in the country. For those of you living the nomadic life, Verizon gives you reliable coverage both at home and abroad. Set up TravelPass on your computer Set up TravelPass on the Verizon app Once you arrive in a new country, go to a local telecom store (the equivalent of a T-Mobile or AT&T store) and purchase a temporary SIM card. You’ll feel tempted to buy a SIM card in the airport when you land, but you’ll end up paying more than you would in a telecom store. Plus, you wouldn’t have as much help from in-store clerks. In fact, you could even ask the person at the telecom store to insert the new SIM card for you and help you select a plan. Follow these steps to set up a new SIM card while traveling: If you want to travel on the cheap, you can try going without cell service and just hopping on public Wi-Fi wherever you can find it. Only experienced travelers should consider this an option, because I honestly don’t think I would have made it back from Europe with constant cell service. If you’re going to use public Wi-Fi primarily or to supplement your other data plans, be sure to use a good VPN to keep your data safe. Public Wi-Fi isn’t secured like your home Wi-Fi is, and hackers can see what you’re doing if you don’t encrypt your connection with a VPN. Be extra cautious if you need to access important info, including your banking sites or apps.
Use a Travel Pass from your current carrier: AT&T and Verizon offer travel passes that cost $10/day and let you use your current data plan while traveling abroad. T-Mobile automatically hooks you up with traveling perks that allow you to use your cell phone in a foreign country without paying anything extra. Buy a local SIM card: Head to the nearest telecom shop after arriving in your destination and purchase a new SIM card. You’ll get cheaper service and potentially better coverage by going with a local service provider. Use public Wi-Fi everywhere you go: For the true nomads out there, you can always just rely on public Wi-Fi to get everything you need from your phone. Just make sure to download maps of the area on Google Maps or Apple Maps so you can get directions while offline.
