cell phone reception

I don't think Verizon provides coverage in Europe (but I could be wrong). Cingular works well and I've never had a problem with coverage including inside really long tunnels in Switzerland (those crazy Swiss). Coverage can be spotty in parts of Portugal and Spain. Txt when possible. Some people use phone cards but I found finding a pay phone to be more and more difficult. Unless someone needs to contact you for critical (as in critical) work related issues remember you are on vacation.

Darleen,

You have a couple of options......

Verizon phones won't work in Europe (with a few exceptions) as they use a different technology than about 85% of the rest of the world (CDMA vs. GSM). This will be changing in future. I'm assuming the rental costs you mentioned are from the Verizon GSM rental program?

Another option would be a "travel phone" from firms such as Cellular Abroad, Call in Europe or others. These firms typically offer either rental phones or just the SIM cards (for those that already have a quad-band GSM Phone). The SIM's offered operate with a fairly consistent rate structure in most countries in western Europe (some countries in eastern Europe are more expensive).

You could also buy an unlocked quad-band GSM Phone off E-Bay (or wherever) and either use it with a travel SIM from one of the above firms or buy a SIM when you arrive in Europe (keep in mind though that when you venture outside the country where the SIM was purchased, you'll be "roaming" and the costs will be higher).

Regardless of which option you choose, it's a good idea to keep voice calls to a minimum. I roam with my home cell network and tend to use text as much as possible, as each sent message is only about 75¢ and received texts are FREE (those are the terms on my plan and the one you quoted may differ). The per minute rate you quoted is about "normal" these days, and a bit less expensive than my network.

The answer to your question is YES, you can expect decent coverage! I've never had a problem with coverage anywhere, including hiking the trails in the Cinque Terre or in the mountains of Switzerland.

Happy travels!

Darleen,

Regardless of which option you choose, be sure to check the Charger that is supplied with the Cell Phone, to ensure this is designed for operation on Euro electrical systems (100-240 VAC). You'll need a Plug Adapter for the Charger.

Cheers!

Thanks for the replies. Yes there are work related issues basically can be covered twice a day for a few minutes. Is emailing and gmail readily avail. with our laptop?

This year we used the Verizon rental program- got 2 phones to share between 4 people, was very convenient to coordinate while out and about. Ordering and receipt of the phones was very easy. We're already verizon customers so this was the absolutly least inexpensive route. Just be sure to leave at home the adapters you wont need or be prepared to keep up with all those little plastic thingys in baggies. We'd use Verizon again.

Yes, you will find internet connectivity readily available almost everywhere.

Sorry if I'm repeating anything above - we're using our quad-band Blackberry with Verizon's international plan. $0.99 per minute + unlimited web access and you start and terminate the plan at will. Telestial has cheaper phone minutes but web access is charged by content download - up to $10.00 per megabyte in Germany and Italy, ouch!

Good luck!

This may seem like a strange question, but what about car chargers? If the cars are different in Europe would that mean the car chargers would or wouldnt work

Traci: that part of cars is the same in Europe as here.

Car chargers are 12V but slightly different in size than in the US.

To the point - a US 12V plug works just fine in a European 12V socket.