Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Dial the country code of the country you're calling (385 for Croatia, 386 for Slovenia,
387 for Bosnia-Herzegovina, 382 for Montenegro, or 1 for the US or Canada).
•Dialtheareacode(ifapplicable)andthelocalnumber—keepinginmindthatyoumust
droptheinitialzerooftheareacodewhencallingfromanothercountrytoCroatia,Slovenia,
Bosnia, or Montenegro (the European calling chart lists specifics per country).
Calling from the US to Croatia:
Tocall a recommended Dubrovnik B&B from the US,
dial 011 (US access code), 385 (Croatia's country code), 20 (Dubrovnik's area code minus
the initial zero), then 453-834 (local number). The same formula works for Slovenia, Bos-
nia, and Montenegro.
Calling from any European country to the US:
To call my office in Edmonds, Wash-
ington, from anywhere in Europe, I dial 00 (Europe's access code), 1 (US country code),
425 (Edmonds' area code), and 771-8303.
Mobile Phones
Traveling with a mobile phone is handy and practical. There are two basic options: roaming
with your own phone (expensive but easy) or buying and using SIM cards with an unlocked
phone (a bit more hassle, but potentially much cheaper).
Roaming with Your US Mobile Phone:
This pricier option can be worthwhile if you
won't be making or receiving many calls, don't want to bother with SIM cards, or want
to stay reachable at your US number. Start by calling your mobile-phone service provider
to ask whether your phone works in Europe and what the rates are (likely $1.29-1.99 per
minutetomakeorreceivecalls,and20-50centstosendorreceivetextmessages).Tellthem
to enable international calling on your account, and if you know you'll be making multiple
calls, ask your carrier about any global calling deals to lower the per-minute costs. When
youlandinEurope,turnonyourphoneand—bingo!—youhaveservice.Becauseyou'llpay
for receiving calls and texts, be sure your family knows to call only in an emergency. Note
that Verizon and Sprint use a different technology than European providers, so their phones
are less likely to work abroad; if yours doesn't, your provider may be able to send you a
loaner phone (arrange in advance).
Buying and Using SIM Cards in Europe:
If you're comfortable with mobile-phone
technology,willbemakinglotsofcalls,andwanttosavesomeseriousmoney,considerthis
very affordable alternative: Carry an unlocked mobile phone, and use it with a European
SIM card to get much cheaper rates.
Getting an
unlocked phone
may be easier than you think. You may already have an old,
unused mobile phone in a drawer somewhere. When you got the phone, it was probably
“locked” to work only with one company—but if your contract is now up, your provider
may be willing to send you a code to unlock it. Just call and ask. Otherwise, you can simply
buy an unlocked phone: Search your favorite online shopping site for an “unlocked quad-
