Cell phones in Europe for extended trip

If you have an unlocked cell phone you can buy an Orange prepaid SIM card and use it pretty much anywhere in Europe. You can easily recharge when you run out call time.
http://business.orange.co.uk/home/small/plans/roaming-and-international-plans/international-cost-checker

Regarding Telestial, I have an unlocked phone and bought a SIM card from them. I just returned from my trip and I would NOT recommend them. Even though I followed all of their rather complicated instructions I was never able to make a call or text. I was able to receive calls. It turned out to not be so economical. Last year I bought a SIM card in Italy. The problem was the prompts were in Italian. How much do you plan to use a phone? Who is your current cell phone with?

Fran, Given the fact that you're going to be in several countries prior to Italy, an Italian SIM card won't initially be an option. If you buy a SIM card in the country you arrive in, you'll be roaming during the two months in Italy and the other countries, so the rates will be higher. One point to mention is that some recent travellers have reported that retailers in Italy are requesting a "Codice Fiscale" when buying SIM cards. However, this rule seems to be inconsistently applied. You might consider using a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Cellular Abroad or others. This would provide the same rates throughout western Europe, so no "surprises". Check their respective websites for details. Another advantage of a travel SIM is that you'll have one number for the entire trip (each time you change SIM's, the phone no. changes so you'd have to notify all your contacts). The plans are post paid with calls billed to a credit card, so there's no need to "top-up". This will also provide a working phone as soon as you step off the plane. Of course the first step will be to obtain a phone. One possibility would be to buy an unlocked quad-band GSM phone off E-Bay. For example, there are currently Motorola V-551 "flip" phones listed for ~$24.99. If you decide to use a travel SIM, you could also purchase a phone from whichever carrier you choose. Don't forget to pack appropriate Plug Adapters for the countries you'll be visiting. I've used a SIM from one of the above firms for the last two years, and so far it's worked well. With reference to the previous reply, I haven't used Telestial so can't comment on their service. Good luck and happy travels!

Fran, A few questions (ran out of room in the previous reply)..... > Do you presently have a Cell phone and if so, which carrier are you with? > Which countries will you be travelling to? > What type of usage are you anticipating - mostly local voice calls, text to family at home or ???

I got my phone unlocked and used Cellular Abroad. The rates were pretty good for calls back to the US and very good for European calls. You load up minutes as you go so you'll only spend as much as you use for the most part. I had no problems with logistics though I had to do something (I forget what) to make it work in Italy. Italian use instructions were provided. Any carrier should unlock your phone for you if you explain your situation. Just be sure it will work in Europe. Also consider using Skype for calls to the US as much as possible. And use an online chat service for communicating home too - not as personable as the phone but cheaper and still pretty effective.

Fran, One additional comment, which will apply to whichever option you choose for the phone. Be sure to review the calling methods for Europe. There's a section in the Guidebooks that provide a chart of the different number sequences, which vary from country-to-country. On my trip this year, I had to make a call from the train to notify my Hotel of the time I'd be arriving (it was a "late" arrival). It took me several tries to get the number sequence right. The call proved to be a good idea, as the Hotel sent a Taxi to pick me up at the station. Cheers!

Fran, if you are going to spend that much time in Europe, the best solution, or at least the least expensive solution, is to purchase a SIM card (and phone, if necessary) there. You'll want a local, prepaid SIM. If you buy from a travel phone company such as Telestial, they will likely be selling you a local SIM card anyway, just rebranded as one of theirs. The advantage of that is that calls will be billed to a credit card so you don't have to worry about reloading the account and messages on the phone from the company are likely to be in English. The disadvantage: it will cost you more. When I researched this earlier this year, most of the travel phone companies looked like they were selling cell service through a U.K. carrier. Cut out the middleman and just buy a prepaid SIM from a U.K. carrier if England is one of your first stops. I've been using prepaid SIMs from T-Mobile U.K. for several years now. This summer we used them in Germany, Italy, and France and never set foot in the U.K. I added credit to the account by buying prepaid vouchers off ebay. All the messages were in English (although that strange variant that is British English). Although we were roaming, the European Union regulates what cell companies can charge for roaming so the costs were not that much (and may be better than what travel phone companies offer). Here are some links to a discussion of using a local prepaid SIM: disposable phones in Europe Pre-paid Cell phones Buy SIM card in Amsterdam or London?