A Traveler’s Guide to Mobile Phones Before Flying Off

We all agree that when traveling, one of the first things that we planar magnetic headphonesin our pocket or bag (besides passport and air ticket) is our mobile phone. Your phone is like your lifeline for keeping in touch with people and the world, wherever you may be. You can use it in case of emergencies, get in touch with family and friends back home, post your latest adventure on social media, check your emails, do a google search, and so much more! It is simply convenient to have a phone to rely on whenever you are abroad.

However, activating your phone’s roaming service can get pretty pricey; nobody wants to go home and find a huge bill waiting for them at the end of the month. Other scenarios that you should consider are not being able to even use your phone or even worse, it gets lost or stolen. The following are some things that you should know before taking your mobile abroad.Questions to ask your provider when taking your phone abroad

If you are planning to use your phone a lot, the first thing that you should do before getting to the airport is to get in touch with your provider and ask about their roaming service. By doing this, you will know if you can or cannot use your phone abroad. Here are questions that you should ask your carrier:

• Will my phone work abroad? Most of the providers today do have roaming services but they require activation, so you can opt to do so. If you don’t want to use service abroad, some carriers can opt to temporarily deactivate your service if you want to save on roaming charges.

• How much will I be charged for roaming? If your provider does offer roaming service, then you should ask how much it costs to make international calls, use the Internet, make local calls, etc.
• Is my phone locked? If the answer is yes, then you might want to unlock your phone or use an R-sim. Some carriers do lock their phones. If you are to insert a new SIM card (subscriber identity module), it wouldn’t work especially if your phone is included within your mobile plan. Alternatively, you can buy a disposable phone, where you can still call and text. If the answer is no, then you can buy a local SIM card once you reach your destination.

Some tips when taking your phone overseas

Traveling abroad without your phone is like crossing a bridge, without an actual bridge. Many travelers today rely on their phones for finding tourist destinations, affordable hotels, restaurants, checking reservations, posting on social media, getting in touch with people back home, maps, translating, and so much more! So whether you can use roaming service or not, here are great tips to maximize your phone’s usage abroad:Turn off everything that needs cellular data

If your provider doesn’t provide roaming service or you simply don’t want to, then it is advisable to turn off your cellular data, data roaming service or any such apps. It would also be helpful to turn off any automatic features that would require apps to connect to the internet such as emails, social media, automatic updates, etc. While abroad, you can also make great use of your phone’s airplane mode feature or call your provider to temporarily deactivate your SIM and reactivate it once you are back.