Telestial.com, I am looking at purchasing the:
Global Roaming - Pack Lite
Includes: Kit V520 + Passport US Lite SIM Card
This package deal saves you an extra $26.00!
$39
It's listed under special promotions. Or I was thinking of renting this same package.
We will be traveling in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria for 17 days. We only want to use this to keep in contact with our kids while gone.
Can you tell me what you think of this?
Thanks,
Wendy
We looked into Verizon Wireless. They will supply a GSM cell phone that you can carry. Depending on the country you are going to the per minute charges are different. If no calls are made no charge. They do have a plan which you can get for a small charge. If you have a local Verizon store, go in and talk with them. Most of their store can supply the phone or if they send you one you have to pay shipping charges both ways.
If your kids are grown, maybe you could just get by with a phone card or email. The cell phone might be unnecessary if you don't need for them to have a way to contact YOU in an emergency.
Or maybe your phone company can unlock your cell phone unless you have a CDMA phone as I do (common with phones on Sprint or Verizon, but you might have a global ready phone). If you have a tri-band or quad-band phone, you're in luck.
I looked at this same package from Telestial too, but the per minute rates were so exorbitant that I bought an unlocked phone elsewhere and plan to buy a local SIM card when I arrive. Actually, though, I also bought a T-Mobile SIM from their website ($7.50 with tax and free shipping) that comes with 10 minutes in the US (and can be topped up), so I could use the phone in the US too while in transit and not drag my useless regular phone around Europe for 4 weeks.
I did look at unlocked phones on eBay, but I decided to buy a new unlocked Razr directly from Amazon for $64 (so the battery would be new, and I could return it if it didn't work). I need the phone for emergency use in the country, though, so I was willing to pay extra for this.
If you do go with the Telestial phone, you can still buy a SIM card locally. And you can use this coupon code to get 15% off your purchase from Telestial: FROMMERS01. I found it on retailmenot.com and it works.
I used a Telestial SIM for a multi-country trip -- it was pretty convenient to have one phone number to give out instead of getting a different SIM in each country. Calls and texts worked flawlessly. I did have trouble getting notifications when someone left me a voice mail. (I wasn't using the particular SIM you're considering, though. I was using one with an Estonian phone number, and I think the Estonian carrier ate my voice mails.)
If you're only going to use this to contact family in an emergency, it's fine. But otherwise, I'd get a SIM in whichever country you'll be spending the most time. Either way, I'd skip the phone they're offering and get an unlocked quad-band phone off eBay, which should run you about the same amount. Then you can pop any SIM into it.
I bought the unlocked GSM & then bought a SIM from Mobal for $10. It works in 180 countries, rates vary per country, always have the same #. I am only charged when I use the phone, so it never expires. If I am in a country for an extended time period I buy a local SIM & then notify family/friends of the change in #. Also can receive text & short emails.
Thanks everyone, this was really helpful. I think I will look on ebay for a phone. We will be spending the most time in Germany.
Any type of phone in particular you would recommend?
