Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The easiest way to get data is by signing up for an international data plan from your mobile
phone provider. You'll still pay quite a bit for data—around $20 for 100MB of data. For refer-
ence, you can burn though 100MB of data by streaming about twenty minutes worth of You-
tube videos so it really isn't very much. However, if you use Wi-Fi 99% of the time and only
access your data when absolutely necessary, this option may work for you.
If you want to use data regularly, then the cheapest option would be purchasing a data plan
in Europe. To do this, you'll most likely need to “unlock” your phone so it can accept SIM
cards from other companies. The problem is that most phones sold in the United States are
“locked” to your mobile provider so it won't work if you install a SIM card from another mo-
bile company. It's basically a way for mobile companies to keep you from switching carriers.
Contact your carrier to see if they'll unlock it but each carrier has their own policies regarding
when they'll unlock a phone.
If your carrier isn't being helpful there are other ways to unlock your phone yourself. Plenty
of online services will unlock your phone for free or a small fee but you'll have to search for
those yourself.
Once your phone is unlocked, you're all ready to go—all you need is a new SIM card and
you're ready to start using your phone. Pre-paid SIM cards can be purchased from any mobile
phone retailer and shops are numerous throughout Europe. Some countries require that you
show a passport and provide an address in that country (just use your hostel/rental apartment
address). The prices for pre-paid data won't be super cheap so you should still monitor your
usage and use Wi-Fi when possible.
Another annoying thing you should be aware of are roaming fees between countries. For
example, if you use a French SIM card in Germany you'll get charged an inflated rate. The
European Union has passed a law that prohibits this practice within the EU but it won't go
into effect until December 2015.
Also, many people don't realize that the GPS function in your phone works without needing
to use a data or mobile plan. City Maps 2Go and MapsWithMe are the two best offline city
map apps.
Some apps allow you to download city maps via Wi-Fi and then use the GPS to pinpoint
your location on the map.
Finally, if you just want a basic mobile phone while traveling, you can easily purchase a
simple pay-as-you-go phone for around $20 and it usually comes preloaded with $10 worth
of credit. These phones can be found at any mobile phone shop.
OTHER ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ELECTRONICS
Outlet plug adapters.
You'll need a few plug adapters for your electronics (UK and European
mainland have different plugs).
