Best way to save a cell phone number for an extended trip

"Since I'm going to be there 2-4 months I'm not in a hurry." Apologies that this doesn't answer your question, but to start off, make sure you're aware of the Schengen Treaty. This limits your time in the EU (which of course, Turkey is not a member) to 90 days in any 180 day period. I'm not certain I completely understand the question. Do you need a number where people can reach you while you travel through Europe? In that case, just buy a cheap pre-paid phone when you get here. Although I'm not positive about Turkey, a cell phone registered in one European country usually works throughout the continent- I haven't been anywhere yet where my German Vodafon doesn't work. Of course, minutes become more expensive once you leave the country where you bought the phone. I know less than squat about mobile internet access, so I'll let others chime in...

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize the time limitation, but since that should be my only travel to Europe this year, 90 days falls nicely in the middle there. Especially since the Turkey time wouldn't count against it. Although I do wonder if there's a way to get a visa to increase that to a specific country if I later need to travel on business? I need three things really for my phone: 1)I need to be able to read text and voicemails on my US number, as I'll be in between jobs and either talking to people about a new business idea or doing phone interviews for my return, and that's the number on my resume. I'd also prefer not to pay my $100+ a month bill while I'm gone, but I can eat that if needed. Also, my US phone won't work in Europe, so I need to switch the number to something that will. Sprint can rent me a phone like that, but once again that's money. 2)I need data at a reasonable rate. Which I won't get via my US number. 3)I need an affordable way of making calls to the US. My family won't accept going 3 months without talking to me. It is ok if this is slightly inconvenient though- if I need to call them rather than them call me I'm ok with that.

Taking what Tom said a little further, all the Schengen countries are in the EU (European Union), but not all the EU are Schengen countries. You will require a separate visa for Turkey, usually available at the border. The limit in the Schengen area, under the Schengen visa waiver program, is no more than a cumulative 90 days anywhere within the area in any 180 days. If you need to return for business you will require a different business visa. = = = If you are intending to roam either a European or US phone it is likely that your data bill will make all your other travel costs small potatoes. I saw recently where somebody recently wound up with a €30,000 charge for something similar.

"...all the Schengen countries are in the EU (European Union), but not all the EU are Schengen countries..." Not quite.....Switzerland is a part of the Schengen zone, but not a member of the EU.

"Not quite.....Switzerland is a part of the Schengen zone, but not a member of the EU." Ditto Norway, Lichtenstein... and probably the other micro-states, but I can't say for certain.

One option would be to get a cheap phone for calls and text messages (I bought one with a SIM and some minutes from Cellular Abroad) and carry an iPod touch for email and entertainment. While you can only use an iPod touch with WIFI, that is so prevalent it should not be a huge limitation. You can certainly transfer your number or at least scale back your plan. Ask Sprint the minimum plan you can subscribe to to maintain your service, then reactivate when you return to the US. They should let you drop the data portion temporarily even with a smartphone.

Can you leave your current number active, but maybe reduced, and let all those people who have your number just leave messages? You could then return them on your cheap European phone.

Or leave your old phone active with a cheaper plan and a voicemail message of how to get in touch with you in an emergency - email, other phone. Thanks to this forum for the iPod Touch tip. I'm not a big phone talker, so I have a prepaid phone. But before I went to Europe last summer, I bought an iPod Touch. Best travel tip ever! Carole

Gabe, The others have provided good information on the Schengen Accord, so I won't address that. Regarding the phone, I don't see any way that you'll be able to keep your existing number for "emergencies, family, and job opportunities" without paying for it as well as a European phone. Are you currently on a term contract with Sprint and what type of Smartphone are you using? You may find it interesting to have a look at This Website, which covers the topic of roaming with Sprint in GSM service areas. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to limit your "internet in my pocket" uses to those areas which have Wi-Fi access. While there are some prepaid data services in Europe, I'm not sure if there will be any available in the countries you mentioned. You might also have a look at some of the "travel SIM" firms such as Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal to see if any of their products might work for you. Some firms offer a local calling number which is "mapped" to your travel number, so you could call forward your existing phone to the local number. Of course, you'd also have to pay to maintain your existing phone in order to have that number available to family, friends or work contacts. Keep in mind that if you obtain a Euro phone, anyone wanting to call you will have to make an international long distance call. That could be a cost burden to family and friends, and an annoyance to work contacts. There are many ways you could handle this issue, but the "bottom line" is that there's a cost associated with travel with a Cell phone (and especially a Smartphone). Good luck and happy travels!

Look into www.worldsim.com and see if that will work for you on your unlocked quad band phone. You have the option of a U.K. phone number or a U.S. one, but the U.K. one is cheaper to use. Good luck!

A few thoughts assuming you will have a laptop/tablet with you: For staying in touch with family, consider Skype. It's free and just about any phone connection will be at least a $1 a minute. For data, use WiFi from your hotels. There are lots of phone plans out there that get you calls to the US for about $1 a minute. The other posts have given you some leads on those. As to how to access your existing voicemail and data, that is the tricky part. You may have to bite the bullet and pay for it and use it sparingly. Depending on your current plan and contract, you may or may not be able to alter the terms.

Gabe, get a Google Voice number; they are free. Get the lowest cost phone plan you can from some provider that permits you to set your own forwarding number for missed calls (the voicemail number). If it isn't with Sprint, port your Sprint number to that new U.S. provider (note: most prepaid plans don't let you alter the voicemail forwarding number). Forward all calls unconditionally to your Google Voice number. Google Voice will transcribe any voicemail messages left and then send them to you in an email, text message, or both. Get a prepaid U.K. phone and number as the first thing on your trip. You can roam with a U.K. phone in other countries. The rates are controlled by the E.U. so they aren't deadly expensive. You can also buy Internet packages for your phone that likewise aren't super expensive, but your total data usage will be limited. For example, T-Mobile U.K. sets a 500 MB monthly cap on data usage with these low-cost plans. Consequently, you will want to use wifi whenever you can. You can use this phone to call the U.S. in a pinch, but any calls to the U.S. are always going to be somewhat pricey over a cell phone. Cheaper alternatives: Skype or a prepaid phone calling card. If you aren't going to the U.K. first, you may be able to get a SIM card and phone online before your trip. (Check ebay or ebay U.K.) The travel phone companies usually just provide you with a U.K. telephone number that they resell at their usually higher rates. Their data rates are still pretty horrible, though.