Against cell phones, but now I may need one for France and Spain!

pat, Given the "age" of your Cellphone, it could be a CDMA model (won't work in Europe) or a GSM model (uses a SIM card). Which model of phone is it? As you only have a week before departure, you'll have to move quickly! My first suggestion is to check with Telus. They'll be able to tell you whether your present phone will work in Europe, and what the costs will be with their roaming plans. You MAY have to upgrade your phone though. Another option would be to contact one of the travel phone firms, and buy one of their "basic" phones. The calling rates would be consistent for both countries you'll be visiting, and typically costs would be charged to a credit card. Some offer a "local number" option, which is "mapped" to your travel phone. You forward your normal number to the local number, and calls are then re-directed to wherever you happen to be in Europe. Of course, it would be necessary to pay for express shipping of a new phone or SIM via FedEx. While you could buy a phone when you arrive in France or Spain, this forces your daughter or others to dial an international number to reach you each time, and pay applicable long distance rates. The advantage with the first two options is that they only have to dial a local number or your regular Cell phone number. Of the three options, using Telus would probably be the simplest and easiest, but at $1.50 / minute it won't be the cheapest. As you don't have a lot of time to wade through all the choices and compare rates, my suggestion would be to contact Roam Simple and have them FedEx either a Phone with SIM OR just a SIM (if you currently have an unlocked quad-band GSM phone). You can ask them about the local number option. Good luck and (hopefully) happy travels!

Pat, I agree with Ken's recommendations, but I wanted to add one more option as kind of a backup. Because you are close to the U.S., can you get to a store that sells T-Mobile prepaid phones? T-Mobile has recently been letting its prepaid phones be used overseas. (Foreign roaming used to be limited to Canada and Mexico.) The costs of calls aren't cheap, but if you don't have to use your phone much it may pay off and it gives you a local (or at least a U.S. number) that your daughter can call. Just be sure you get a phone with the necessary radio frequencies to work in Europe, namely 900 and 1800. Put the type of phone into an Internet search along with "specs" or "specifications" and the results should give you that information. I mention this as a backup option because I personally haven't tried to do this myself and I'd hate to give you bad advice. Others have reported here that they have successfully used the prepaid T-Mobile phones overseas, though.

Thanks Ken and Paul,, lots up in the air.. I have also been fortunate enough to have a local ( got to "know" him from another forum) from Paris offer to give me his old phone,, says I would just have to buy a sim card? I will come back and ask more as things progress. Ken,when I have time I will have to get into Telus.
Paul,,close and yet so far,, I live on the island,its an hour to the ferry to mainland, then 1.5 hours on the boat, then 1 hour minimum drive ( not counting the border crossing wait)so while it seems close its not easy, and I have to stick close to home for next few days,,but thanks for effort and ideas.

pat, It's great to hear that you have a "local" that can provide you with a European Cellphone. Be sure to ask him if it's "unlocked" (if it was purchased in Europe, that's likely the case). With that phone, you can either use your Telus SIM (if your present phone uses a SIM card) OR use a travel SIM. I would not suggest using a SIM purchased in Europe, for the reasons I stated previously. It will force anyone wanting to speak with you in person, to dial an international long distance number. I'm assuming those dealing with the "medical situation" with your daughter may prefer to actually talk to you rather than communicate via text messages? Of course, if you use a travel SIM without the local number option, that would also be the case. If you decide to use a travel SIM, you need to order it NOW. Even with FedEx expedited shipping, it may take a couple of days to reach you. A couple of things you'll have to check..... > The Battery in the Phone - if the phone is more than a few years old and has been used extensively, the battery may be a bit "weak". I'd suggest picking up a new or spare Battery either at The Source, local Cell phone shops, Future Shop or perhaps Telus dealers. If you decide to pack along a spare battery, you'll need to pack it in your carry-on and NOT in checked luggage. Be sure the Terminals are insulated if the Battery is not actually in the phone (ie: place it in a small Zip-Lok bag or whatever). > The Phone Charger - if it was purchased in Paris, it will likely have the Euro two-pin plug. If not, be sure you have the correct Plug Adapter. Good luck!

I know you asked about a phone, but another idea for keeping in touch on a daily basis is Skype. Have you tried that? You can Skype with each other via computer for free, but Skype also has plans for calling mobile phones that are really inexpensive. Of course, you need a computer with internet access to use Skype so that might affect your choice.

For super simple...: EuroBuzz. You can use your friend's European dual-band (I assume?) phone and purchase a US$9 SIM, or for US$29 get your own phone and SIM (charger, world adapter plugs included). You keep your phone number for life; no need to 'top off' your minutes because it's a post-paid set-up. All calls cost the same within Europe, and you have a 60-day return period if you're not satisfied. Everyone I know who's used these phones (including my husband and myself) have really liked them. The phones get really good reviews (they are available as 'regular phones' elsewhere) and the battery time is very good. Charge them before you leave home. Very simple to use. Everything was as advertised! Since you're in Canada, I checked the shipping charges - they (unfortunately) are $30 (US? CAN?), whether for only the SIM or phone/SIM/charger/adapters. But, it's once and done :-) Shipping to California from England was only a few days. Here's the page showing the rates for around the world (in US$); you'd pay $3.95 to call Canada or the USA, $1.95 to receive a call from Canada or the USA, $.95 to send a text, and all incoming texts are free. Within Europe, the rates are $.79 for calls, and outgoing texts. And you need just the one SIM card! So...no muss, no fuss. Yea. (this is the same company as Mobal, but this card ONLY works in Europe CHEAPLY and costs a lot less per minute because of that; you CAN use this SIM - and in many cases the phone - all over the world, but the price goes UP)

Pat, On our last trip we brought an Ipod touch and set up Skype ahead of time to call home phone numbers. This works fine anytime you have a wifi signal (hotels, and many cafes/bars, plus McDonalds/Starbucks all have wifi, just ask for their code). This was our first choice for calls home and worked well. When we landed we also bought a cheap cell-phone to use for calls within country. You can get one from either an airport kiosk, phone store, or most department stores. You will spend more to call home with these, but it works in an emergency; plus incoming calls are free, so you can always receive calls too.