We used "Whatsapp" for our communication to family back home, and to our Paris friend and apartment manager while we were in Paris. You can text, send really good quality photos and do video-call/chats. It doesn't use a phone line, instead it uses Wifi. So whenever our phone was connected to WiFi we were able to send photos, text, talk, etc without charges. We have Cricket $35/month and there we no international/roaming charges... just like we were back in the USA. You do have to download it and then invite/accept friends before leaving to Europe. Just a tip, hope you enjoy!
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
WhatsApp is one of several good VOIP (Voice over IP) apps for making calls. One benefit for Europe is that it is popular there - if you have someone you need to communicate with there, it's not unlikely they already have WhatsApp.
But for calls home to the US, I use Google Hangouts, because I can call any US number for free, even a landline, and I don't have to invite people to join it or make sure they have it - they don't need it. And as with WhatsApp, I don't need phone service, only WiFi, to use it. (Though I have a SIM for data when I travel anyway.) Some still use Skype though it's not as popular as WhatsApp in Europe, it seems. Of course, you can have more than one app on your phone - nothing wrong with installing both Hangouts and WhatsApp, to have the best of both worlds.
Posted by
11 posts
These are both handy tips for me as we prepare for our three week trip as well. Thanks!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Check with your phone provider. My Verizon phone (Droid Turbo 2) has wifi calling built in. If I'm in wifi, I can call normally, no WhatsApp (though I use that for photos and videos) or Hangouts. In my phone, it is turned on in Settings, in a section called Advanced Calling.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
If you have T-Mobile or Sprint (free 2G roaming data), WhatsApp and Hangouts are still useful, because you can avoid those 20 cents/minute calls, and you can make calls even when not on WiFi. Some T-Mobile and Sprint phones support WiFi calling, too.
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
We have utilized WhatsApp for numerous trips to Europe. Great way to communicate to family and friends back home. As another contributor mentioned, it's being widely used in Europe. On a recent trip to the Greek Islands we were able to communicate with our tour guide while on wifi.
Posted by
France
408 posts
The Telegram app also is widely used in France. Skype for video calls and Telegram for texts, combined with our inexpensive international plan (which treats calls to the U.S. and several other countries as if they were local calls) works well for us.