Is it better to add to my phone plan with Verizon and try to do 26 days in Germany, France, Italy with airplane mode on most of time or should I get a SIM card and a plan with data plan when I get there. How good is google maps for directions in airplane mode to travel with? Is there a good app with turn by turn for walking that will work on airplane mode. Global travel pass is $10 per day. won't turn on if we don't use data or make a call. Have been told we can use free wifi at many places and use that option to make free wifi phone calls to check reservations etc. Since we spill into 2 monthly cycles we would have to bump data for 2 months.
Posted by
Brian. NV, USA.
492 posts
This thread has some good insight on offline maps and such - options and recommendations for walking routes, since offline Google maps will only show driving.
26 days is a reasonably long time, and you might be better off getting a SIM card for that. You can buy prepaid ones that come with a decent amount of 4G LTE data at prices comparable to or less than what you'd pay if you tapped in to just a few days of your Verizon travel pass plan. There are lots of options out there for $20-$50 depending on data allowances, and you can even search for "European sim card" on Amazon to see who's offering what. I suppose things depend a lot on your phone habits, though - I'm the type that's constantly using data, so playing the airplane mode/turn off roaming game wouldn't be an option for me. My T-Mobile plan includes data/talk/text throughout Europe, but often at 3G speeds so I keep a SIM card handy for that. Since many SIM card options even operate on a monthly schedule, I feel like your 26 days gets you a bit of added value from one as you won't necessarily leave behind a bunch of unused allowances.
Posted by
449 posts
I am facing the same situation, but for 17 days or $170 to Verizon. My concern though is that with a SIM card, you are now using a different and now European phone number. If friends or family want to contact you while you are away, they must have first been given the European number, and then make an international call to contact me.
My current plan with Verizon is unlimited, so I do see a cost relief by adopting a travel SIM card, but I also see the down side of receiving communication from home.
I am NOT the sharpest knife in the drawer, so my logic may be a bit "fuzzy". If I am incorrect, I would appreciation a heads up.
Other than that, enjoy!!
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2195 posts
We have the Verizon International Plan. Our strategy worked well for us, but our trips were shorter.
We just used the Verizon Plan. We did not use it every day. I think we only used it 2 or 3 times each trip. We did not use Google maps, we brought our Garmin with appropriate maps. We used Skype via free Wi-Fi to talk to family back home.
We will be returning to France and London in two weeks for 14 days and this is the plan we'll use for that trip.
Posted by
Brian. NV, USA.
492 posts
My concern though is that with a SIM card, you are now using a different and now European phone number. If friends or family want to contact you while you are away, they must have first been given the European number, and then make an international call to contact me.
That is true, but I find the best way around that is to rely on texting or email for people back home instead. With phone calls, someone's going to be paying for it anyways - either you with the Verizon plan, and/or someone else by calling you. I suppose it depends a lot on how you use your phone, though - I text and use messaging apps and email way more than phone calls, so that avoids those issues (with most US plans, including Verizon, it's free for someone in the US to text an overseas number). If you travel often enough, you can keep your European number and SIM card and just reload it as needed with each new trip. Further, having that local number can really come in handy when abroad - if you need to give the number to a tour guide or someone else that needs to reach you locally, it can be handy.
Posted by
North Carolina
318 posts
I get a SIM card - I appreciate the ability to use online maps, and also to check websites for different locations. I know some people don't see the need; that's just what works best for me (partly because I travel alone, and I think it gives me an extra measure of security).
To handle the issue of people calling my regular number while I'm away, I forward it to a Google Voice number. Google Voice transcribes any voicemails and emails them to me; it also notifies me of calls without a voicemail. So I know when I get a call, and I can use Skype to call back when I have wi-fi and avoid the cost of international calls.
For texts, it depends. I have an iPhone, and texts from other iPhone users can travel via iMessage, which uses data. Other texts sent to my home number aren't delivered. But if a text is important and I don't respond, I would think they'd try phone or email, and in either case I have it covered.