How to text using only pocket wifi and an iPhone without a carrier?

I use Google Voice as my full-time messaging and calling service in the US. It is not phone service (like Google Fi), but it gives me a separate (free) phone number for calling and texting. Incoming calls are forwarded to my mobile number (which I never give out). Outgoing calls show as coming from my Google Voice number.

It works overseas too, to an extent. The Google Voice app works to text even when you have only WiFi or mobile data (SIM card). Calls work too - calls to US numbers are free even if you are overseas. Incoming calls are more tricky. You can get them (Google Voice also provides free voicemail if you miss a call), but I could not get incoming calls to work in Italy in the Google Voice app when I was there last May. I used to use Google Hangouts (being phased out) for incoming calls overseas.

But it sounds like you care only about the texting. Google Voice will work fine for this. You can set it up right now and try it out in the US. Once you've set it up, put the phone in airplane mode, then turn on WiFi and try sending a text. It won't come from your US Mobile number - it will come from your new Google number, so the recipient will need to be expecting that. Send a test text to someone and ask them to respond while the phone is still in airplane mode. This is how you will use it in Europe.

Google Voice works with all phone numbers. The person you are texting does not need to have a Google Voice number (as would be the case with WhatsApp). Again - try it. (Overseas, you will need to add a +1 to the front of US numbers to text them.)

I use an Android phone, so I'm not sure how Google Voice integrates on an iPhone, but it is pretty smooth on an Android. You'll just have to play with it. There must be info out there from iPhone users who use Google Voice.

I will have a pocket wifi

Will you really? Are you bringing one from home, or plan on getting one there? By the way, your home carrier has nothing to do with any of this, so you can leave them out of the discussion (unless one of us is confused, perhaps me, but maybe not).

A pocket wifi device typically provides connectivity to the local cellular network, wherever you are. Then your device - iPhone or whatever - just connects to your "wifi" gizmo (like connecting to any wifi network), and that's all there is to it. The trick, of course, is not connecting your phone to the pocket wifi, it's getting the pocket wifi working (with perhaps multiple cellular networks) in foreign countries with the local cellular service, as things may (and often do) change each time you cross a border into a new country and your pocket wifi device has to negotiate a connection with the new country's cellular network (depends on which countries - some cellular services work across multiple EU countries but not all of them).

Do you really have such a device? Which one? Have you used it before?

GM,

I've never used Pocket WiFi so don't know how well it will work in the countries you'll be travelling in. It still requires a cellular connection, so be sure that it will connect to the cell networks in all of the Balkan countries.

If you haven't upgraded the iOS on your iPhone 6S in awhile, you may want to have a look at this - https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/whatsapp-will-stop-working-on-millions-of-phones-today-1.4793436 .

I've found on the last few trips that texts sometimes don't send or receive unless cellular data is switched "on". I typically leave cellular data blocked when I'm out touring and just switch it on periodically. I've found that when I first switch data back on, texts will arrive that were sent several hours before. I haven't yet figured out whey that's happening?

I'm not familiar with US Mobile so don't know whether their phones are sold "unlocked". Unless your phone is unlocked, you won't be able to use any other SIM cards anyway.

I'd have to give some further thought to your questions, but can't think of an easy solution at the moment.

If your phone is unlocked, consider buying a SIM card from the British operator Three. I believe it works in all the Balkan countries and it can be purchased on (where else?) Amazon. It might be the simplest solution for you.

My pocketwifi is from Glocalme. I have used it before, and frustratingly, I can't recall if I used it in conjunction with a texting app- probably not.
I have never bought SIM card, and don't like the idea of having to hunt one down in every country I visit (is that true)?

Is it possible to buy a SIM card ahead of time, before I leave the States, that I could have in place, and working, as the plane touches down, and works in most European countries (most particularly, Croatia)? I estimate I will need to text 5-20x during my trip.

I appreciate the answers I've been getting, although there doesn't seem to be any kind of consensus. I have been wrestling with this problem for a week, getting more confused, so all help welcome, and oversimplification encouraged!

My pocketwifi is from Glocalme. I have used it before

Good. At least you have it set up and are at least somewhat familiar with using it (presumably you don't have to futz with settings when changing from one country to another - true?).

Is this your device (that is, you're bringing it with you, taking it home) or one that you're renting once you "get there".

IME pocket wifi devices are either brain-dead simple and trouble-free, or at least sometimes quite finicky and require way too much fiddling with (for my taste). The brain-dead simple ones I've used were rented (I've done this multiple times), essentially set up for me and handed to me, and were only used within a single country (Japan), the country for which they were set up (Japan). Easy, peasey, Japanesey. Then there's one I own, which was not my favorite tech purchase, but usually works (sometimes only after lots of frustration and fighting with it, and it's expensive).

I would just caution you that in my experience, it may take some fiddling to get it to work with the local cellular networks in some countries. The Balkans may or may not have cellular networks that work seamlessly with this unit (I have learned to take claims of network compatibility with a grain of salt), the only way to know is to give it a try. Don't expect high speed connections, but for text messages you won't need that.

I have never bought SIM card, and don't like the idea of having to hunt one down in every country I visit (is that true)?

It's actually not much of a task (usually). It's easy to find places that sell SIMs, only issues I've had were language barrier (in Lithuania and Poland, SIMs were easy to find, but understanding the plans was not simple). You may or may not need to swap SIMs when you cross a border - don't be shocked if you need to (I did). Some companies claim their SIMs work across the EU, but that may be squishy and filled with asterisks when you get to edgy countries (perhaps including at least some of the Balkans). My advice would be to try to be flexible when you have to. But getting and using a local SIM is fairly straightforward (just save the SIM from home!).

After your trip, please come back and post a review of your experience with the Glocalme pocket wifi device, I'll be curious to hear how it worked out. Good luck.

I've used my pocket wifi in Spain, Italy, Portugal with ease and success, and I am (obviously) technologically inept.

I'm still on my Quixotian quest to not use SIM cards, and to find a way to use only wifi and a phone app (or iPhone feature) to do in-country texting (when I don't know if the other person is signed up for a specific app)- any suggestions on how to make that happen?

I'm still on my Quixotian quest to not use SIM cards, and to find a way to use only wifi and a phone app (or iPhone feature) to do in-country texting (when I don't know if the other person is signed up for a specific app)- any suggestions on how to make that happen?

Again - try Google Voice. No one will know you are using any special app to text them.

I'd also recommend Google Voice as I think it's the best solution here if you really don't want to use a different SIM card, and unfortunately cannot also use any US carrier roaming plan as is the case.

Is it possible to buy a SIM card ahead of time, before I leave the
States, that I could have in place, and working, as the plane touches
down, and works in most European countries (most particularly,
Croatia)?

Orange does sell their Orange Holiday SIM card online. I have used this card several times in France with no problems whatsoever, but I have to put in a disclaimer that I always buy the card in person in France at an Orange store. There is a list of countries where this card will work, including Croatia, in the description of the card.

(Of course, you cannot test the card before you arrive in Europe -- there is no US carrier so there will be no signal to try.)

Is there a way for me to try Google Voice on my iPhone 6S before I leave the States to make sure it works for texting?

TWO !! people suggesting the same approach!! Feels magical!

The magic is gone.

1. Google Voice says it can be used only in the USA: "Voice is only available in the U.S. If you're outside the U.S., you can make calls with Hangouts." Later on it says, "Calls to places outside the U.S. are at listed rates.", which negates the first statement. So I'm not understanding, and there's nothing about using GV for texting when in a non-US country. Please help me understand why I'd want GV.

2. My cell phone number isn't available. How can that be? I'll have to use a special phone number only for Google Voice?

My cell phone number isn't available. How can that be? I'll have to use a special phone number only for Google Voice?

Yes, you have to use a special phone number (a US phone number that Google gives you for free) just for Google Voice.

There's also a Google Voice app. You need to use that for texting. You'll have to give people your new Google number.

Yes, Google Voice works in Europe - I have used it there for years. But there are restrictions. In the US, Google will forward calls from your Google number to your original cell number. That won't work in Europe. BUT (this is relatively new) the Google Voice app now supports calling too (if you read old info that mentions Hangouts, it is out of date). I made calls with it last May from Italy - you have to switch it to use mobile data or WiFi.

Alas, I re-read you original post and Google Voice may not fulfill all your needs, because I'm not sure you can SEND a text to a European phone number. You can RECEIVE them (I got a few texts on my Google Voice number while in Europe but never tried to send any). Google Voice is great for texting to the US (and Canada) but not for Europe, perhaps. Calling US numbers is free; calling European numbers is possible (a few cents a minute). Not sure why texting is the way it is.

You really have nothing to lose by installing Google Voice and trying it at home and keeping it for when you travel. Perhaps you won't find a "one size fits all" solution. Give people your Google number, and at least you can receive incoming texts - and call them back if you have to for a few cents/minute. They can leave you voicemail too which you can listen to for free.

I'd also install WhatsApp, which is widely popular in Europe. Most likely if you just need to message locals in Europe, they will want you to use WhatsApp so it's a good idea to set it up. Maybe older or proper hotels will not.

Because European SIM cards are so cheap, the only reason not to use one is your reluctance to do so - for whatever reason that is.

Okay, I think I'll stick with Whatsapp, and will find out from my European airbnb hosts ahead of time if they are also on it.

I'm against SIM cards because, perhaps, my lack of understanding. Here's how I think SIM cards work:

1. The plane lands, or the train arrives in a new country, and I have to find a store to sell me a SIM card. Where do I find these stores? Are they open when I arrive? Do they speak enough English to help me? How much does each SIM card cost? Then I have to pry the case off my phone? What kind of SIM card to buy when I need to send/receive only a handful of texts?

2. And repeat for each new country? My upcoming trip has 9 countries.

I'm not being argumentative- I just don't get how this works, and don't know anyone to talk me through it. Also, if my understanding of how SIM cards is correct, they seem so cumbersome, and yet I know many, many people use SIM cards, which makes me think I'm not understanding. ????

Well, I don't have to hunt for a store when my plane lands in Europe - I just turn my phone on, with the Dutch Vodafone SIM I had already bought (via eBay) years ago already in my phone. I turn the phone on, it hunts for a local network and locks in and the I'm online (may take 4-5 minutes the first time).

And because Europe has (with restrictions) set up "Roam like at Home," my phone works in most European countries just like it works in the Netherlands - or rather, the way I assume it works in the Netherlands, given that I've never actually used my Dutch Vodafone SIM there. But it has worked great in Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal over the last three years. I already knew that these European countries were part of the "roam while at home" agreement so my phone would work there.

I do have a Dutch phone number. It gets free incoming calls and free incoming texts. Outgoing are not free - texts costs a few cents each. But I don't text much - I mostly need the SIM for the mobile data. I use my laptop on trains and in places without WiFi, so I just use my Android phone as a hotspot so I have WiFi anywhere I can get phone reception. Last May it cost me a whopping 9 euros for 2GB of data, more than enough for my 10 day visit to Italy.

And as stated above, I use Google Voice to call or text the US for free. Sounds like something you don't need to worry about.

I've just not needed to communicate with locals much in Europe - if I did, I'd install WhatsApp. If some lodging needs a local phone number, I give them the Dutch Vodafone number so they call or text me anyway, and I can figure out if/how to get back to them.

You can of course just buy a SIM when you get to Europe, though if Germany is your first stop, that may not be easy - they restrict how SIM cards can be sold and registered (some tourists still manage to do it - you need to provide a local address). Every European country has different regulations. Germany's are pretty strict; the Netherlands' are not.

Your phone must also be unlocked to use a European SIM in it.

And it also must be able to work on European frequencies. I'm guessing most iPhones will - I don't know, I've only used Android phones, and they are obviously different. Some older Android phones I've used had only the slowest data frequencies for Europe. My current phone has all the LTE frequencies used there - no issue at all on my last trip.

I don't know which "8 Balkan Countries" you will visit - a few of them are surely covered by the "Roam like at Home" roaming. Slovenia is, Croatia too. Bosnia and Montenegro are not. When I visited the latter countries a few years back, I did just buy local SIM cards in stores. They were crazy cheap in Bosnia - I think I paid $3 USD for a SIM that lasted me a week.

Sure, your WiFi hotspot would make things a lot more simple - but it's a lot more expensive than using cheap SIM cards, and it doesn't give you a phone number for texting. Some people are happy to pay the extra cost for the convenience. The again, the people who feel that way also tend to have a US phone provider like Verizon (just pay extra for roaming) or T-Mobile (free roaming). I'm frugal; my cheap US carrier doesn't have a good roaming plan, but when I can get all the mobile data I need for a trip for all of 9 euros, I don't have much incentive to pay a lot more for my US phone service just to get the roaming for an occasional trip overseas.

Thanks Andrew-

New info begets new questions:

My phone is unlocked. So for me to get something like your Dutch Vodaphone SIM card, when I arrive at the airport in Dubrovnik, I search for:

1. What kind of store?
2. Ask for what?

All this just in case I lose my resolve not to deal with SIM cards! ; )

GM, they have mobile stores in Europe just like we have in the US - T-Mobile, Verizon, etc. So that's the most obvious place to get one. In addition, you may be able to find them at convenience stores or even little mobile kiosks. It all depends on the country - they all have different regulations. The first time I visited Croatia, they had actual T-Mobile stores (T-Mobile operates in different countries - is actually owned by a European company) but I think they have since changed the brand name there.

I never actually bought a SIM card in Croatia - last time I was there, I had a T-Mobile US plan with free data roaming, and I used that. I bought my Dutch Vodafone SIM a few years later.

When you go to one of these stores, just ask for a prepaid SIM card. Ask locals - they'll all know what you are talking about or where to get one (especially younger people). I had no trouble speaking English to locals (especially younger people) in Croatia. When buying the SIM, make sure you let them know you want to use it in different countries. Because Bosnia and Montenegro are not in the EU, a Croatian SIM may not work in those countries with free roaming.

This blog has per-country info about local mobile companies and the SIM card options. Here's the page for Croatia. If you are starting your trip there, that's probably better than starting in Germany - you should have no trouble buying a SIM card. that will work in at least some of the countries (if not Bosnia or Montenegro). Based on this, you could just look for a Hrvatski Telekom store, an A1 store, or a Tele2 store like you'd look for a T-Mobile, AT&T, or Verizon store in the US. Or...maybe you can buy them at convenience stores.

https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Croatia

One thing to remember: when you switch SIM cards, you'll get a Croatian phone number while that SIM is in place. Make sure you keep your US SIM in a safe place - they can be tiny and easily lost. If the new SIM comes in a container, you might put the old SIM in that.

One benefit of buying a SIM at a mobile store vs. a convenience store is that you can make sure it works before you leave the store - have them set up the SIM for you and activate it. That's what I did in Montenegro when I bought a SIM at the T-Mobile store there. I bought a Bosnian SIM at a kiosk and had trouble with it until I later found that company's mobile store and had them finish setting it up.

Thank you, thank you, for the step by step guidance! Thank you.

T-Mobile's international plan isn't going to work for me. Even with the over-55 plan, it would cost $30 to activate a T-Moblie SIM card, and $50 for a month of data/texting, calling = $80. Way too much money just to be able to send a few texts in-country.

Yeah, T-Mobile these days is not worth paying for just for the international roaming, unless you will be using it for more than one trip. In 2016, before I got my Vodafone SIM, I switched to them just for a month before trip to the Baltics + St. Petersburg. At that time, you could get a free T-Mobile SIM card, and it was only $50/month, so it didn't cost me much for the quick switch. Today the SIM isn't free and it costs more for a monthly plan. I went back to my previous phone service as soon as I got home. But, in 2016, T-Mobile worked great in all countries and even occasionally on the ferry between Helsinki and St. Petersburg (picking up a cell tower on either side of the gulf). My Vodafone SIM wouldn't have worked in St. Petersburg anyway.

I now use Mint Mobile (works on the T-Mobile network) for my US phone service: $15/month for unlimited talk + text and 3GB of fast LTE data per month. This has worked beautifully for me, though you do have to pre-pay for a year to get that price. Their international roaming plan is poor, though, so I don't use it - my Dutch Vodafone SIM is just fine for my phone needs while I travel in Europe. In other countries, I'd just use WiFi once I arrive until I can buy a local SIM card.

By God, I think I've got it. Thanks for the help!

GM - just to repeat my post about Three. It is inexpensive, will work in all Balkan countries, can turn it on before you leave US, can be ordered here in US from Amazon.

GM - just to repeat my post about Three. It is inexpensive, will work in all Balkan countries, can turn it on before you leave US, can be ordered here in US from Amazon.

As with the Vodafone SIMs, there is no free roaming in Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, or Kosovo - but like the Vodafone SIMs would work in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bulgaria.

http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Roaming_and_international/Roaming_Abroad/Destinations

According to this blog, one issue with the Three SIM cards is topping up when you are outside the UK. This is an issue for all UK SIM cards, it seems, but we have had recent verification on this forum that the UK Vodafone SIM can be topped up with Paypal, at least. Top-up is not an issue with the Dutch Vodafone SIM, but that SIM isn't as cheap anymore as it was when I first bought mine. Today I'd probably buy a UK Vodafone SIM instead.

https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/United_Kingdom

I'm lost again. How can I risk buying a SIM card that I can't top off? I didn't see where PayPal is accepted- might have missed that. And I did see something about a surcharge. Perhaps I won't need to top it off, at least for this trip, since I won't be using voice, and will be doing only a little texting.

Am I better off ordering a UK SIM card ahead of time? For 10 pounds I get unlimited texting? I'm interested in data and texting, and was planning to by data for my pocket wifi. With one of those Everything packs, do I even care about the data?

If I don't buy a UK SIM card, if I have time during my layover in Germany, on the way to Croatia, should I stop at a store in the German airport to buy a SIM card?

I am grateful for more information about how to make use of a UK SIM card.

Part 2:

Re: 3, how does one activate it?

Which card should I be interested in?: 12 GB $20, 10 GB $17, 4 GB $14. They all come with more calling and texting than I'll ever need, at least on one trip. Later this year, going to Thailand, so I don't know if that should impact which SIM I get now.

I will be traveling for 4 solid weeks, and do lots of internet searches throughout the day. Would I still want to bring my pocket wifi with me, to have my own wifi source? My phone has no international service plan.

I am so not of this world.

Because Germany has some restrictions on SIM cards, I wouldn't bother trying to do anything at the airport.

Every SIM card has its own method to activate it. The Three cards I am seeing on Amazon seem to come with some credit already on them. If you don't want to worry about topping it off, get a card that already has enough credit or data on it for your entire trip. It sounds like activating one of those cards is pretty easy - just insert it in your phone and follow the instructions. Be sure not to do that until you are about to leave on your trip - it sounds like it will be good for 30 days from the time of activation.

If you wait until you get to Croatia, at least you can have someone at a store do all of the setup for you. Occasionally, there's a setting in your phone you must change to allow it to work, and at the store they can do all of that. But will have to wait until you get to Dubrovnik. If you buy say the Three card and can get it working, at least it would work the minute you land in Germany. You could tinker around with it on your layover so when you get to Croatia you might be all set.

Is the pocket WiFi something you have to pay for whether you take it with you or not? Or can you decide once you get to Europe that you need to turn it on and use it? Personally, I'd try to get a SIM card with enough data on it to last your entire trip and not mess with the pocket WiFi. Just use the WIFi at the hotel or at restaurants etc. wherever you can so you won't eat up all of your data.

These European SIM cards (e.g. Three) still wont' work (not with free roaming, anyway) in a few countries like Bosnia, so either plan on buying additional SIM cards as you travel or bring the pocket WiFi and use it when your main SIM won't work.

Every SIM card has its own method to activate it. The Three cards I am seeing on Amazon seem to come with some credit already on them...

We (me and spouse) got the "Three" (company name) UK SIMs off of Amazon before out trip to Ireland, Scotland and the Faroe Islands last summer. They had plenty of data on them, we never ran out - and we used them extensively in Ireland and in Scotland (they did not work in the Faroes, but I didn't expect them to; we got local Faroese SIMs there). Anyway, the "Three" cards were essentially trouble-free (we were just confused because we had UK phone numbers and we had to figure out when we were in the UK and when we were dialing to the UK from outside it, just clueless user error) and they worked just fine for us in Ireland and the UK (the only EU countries we tried them in). We were able to activate them before we departed from the US. Probably a reasonable choice for most of the EU. That said, IME some "edgy" countries (eg in Lithuania and Latvia) other SIMs that promised compatibility across all of the EU did not work well (or at all)...so things may not go perfectly smoothly in the Balkans. But it's worth a try.

Is the pocket WiFi something you have to pay for whether you take it with you or not? Or can you decide once you get to Europe that you need to turn it on and use it?

Typically you buy the device, and then you need to pay for some kind of data plan - and the data plan may be specific to the country you're in. The rub (for me, with a different model pocket wifi than yours) is that in order to buy the data plan, you must be able to connect to the internet (!)...a very annoying and frustrating catch-22. If you want to be able to just cross a border and immediately get online, you may need to purchase the data plan for the next country before you leave the last one (before you lose connectivity) - assuming you can. Once we crossed a border, we had to find some public wifi to access the pocket wifi service provider's website to buy the appropriate plan (I found that infuriating, as we "needed" to get critical info a few times right after crossing into a new country). Check about that with your pocket wifi company - maybe they have some kind of pan-European data plan...but take their claims of seamless connectivity with a grain of salt.

It's going to be an adventure. Good luck and please report back on how it went.

Isn't it a good idea to carry one's own wifi, instead of depending upon the unsecured wifi at airports, hotels, public places? I keep reading advice NOT to use free wifi. This is not a rhetorical question: shouldn't I bring my pocket wifi with me so my wifi will be secure?

I have found my pocket wifi cheap and easy (enough) to use, and enough data to last for a month, costs about $12. And I understand the concept, which heightens my comfort level in using it. I still don't understand SIM cards, so I remain anxious about using them.

BTW, one of my Croatian tour guides emailed me, and spontaneously mentioned that I could text him via Whatsapp- so that was heartening. Thanks for the previous advice to use Whatsapp.

Isn't it a good idea to carry one's own wifi, instead of depending upon the unsecured wifi at airports, hotels, public places? I keep reading advice NOT to use free wifi. This is not a rhetorical question: shouldn't I bring my pocket wifi with me so my wifi will be secure?

I think the worries about public WiFi are highly exaggerated. I never worry about it, and i'm a tech guy. (I have my own VPN I connect to back at my home in the US but don't use it for purposes of security.) The security issues are much different than they were 15 years ago, when indeed most web connections were not encrypted, so anyone with the right equipment could spy on you and read everything you were doing on the webs. Today almost all web connections are encrypted - no one can snoop on you. If they somehow tap into the public WiFi, because of the encryption, all they'd see is gibberish.

Still, if you buy a SIM card with enough data, you won't even need to use WiFi. Your pocket WiFi is using the same technology as your cell phone is to get data and provide WiFi.

I have found my pocket wifi cheap and easy (enough) to use, and enough data to last for a month, costs about $12. And I understand the concept, which heightens my comfort level in using it. I still don't understand SIM cards, so I remain anxious about using them.

Your pocket WiFi is connecting to cell towers just like your cell phone is. There is some sort of SIM card (maybe an electronic or "eSim") inside the pocket WiFi - it's just not something you need to fuss with, all hidden from you. If you are in Croatia with a SIM card and also with your pocket WiFi, very likely they are both connected to the same cell towers. If you turn on your smart phone's "hotspot" feature (say you want to put your tablet on the internet using WiFi - if you were carrying a tablet), then your smart phone would be doing exactly the same thing as your pocket WiFi does. In fact, I use my smart phone with my Dutch Vodafone SIM as a "pocket WiFi" all the time when I travel - on trains, etc.

I don't know how much data you get for $12/month or how fast it is. But if you get a ton of data and it will work in every country not just the EU countries, then that's an amazing deal. The other "pocket WiFi" devices people have mentioned have provided WiFi for something closer to $10 per DAY. (For unlimited data, though.) I guess I'd need to learn the specific details of your device before I believe it provides a lot of fast data anywhere in the world for only $12/month.

BTW, one of my Croatian tour guides emailed me, and spontaneously mentioned that I could text him via Whatsapp- so that was heartening. Thanks for the previous advice to use Whatsapp.

Yep - WhatsApp is extremely popular in Europe.

Also consider what kind of data you will actually be sending over the internet while you're there. Logging in to your bank account, managing your 401K, or accessing your company's internal network and uploading source code (are you really going to do that while in Albania?) would expose you to a much higher risk than simply sending a text message to an AirBnB host telling them you will be arriving late. Using a credit card to buy tickets? That risk is somewhere in between (though in worst case, the credit card company should have your back in case your card is compromised - just have more than one card with you in case one gets burned...but you should have that anyway).

Of course, it's hard to know ahead of time with complete certainty exactly what you will be sending over the internet, but as long as you are just doing basic texts with content limited to ordinary travel tasks and personal chitchat, the risk (even in places that have poor security) seems pretty low to me; I'd put that pretty low on my list of things to worry about. Of course, you would need to have some awareness of this while you're connected, but anyone should, even at home, never mind in exotic corners of Europe.

I'm now planning to get a UK SIM card- as I like the idea that I can have it in hand, activated, before I leave the US.

The SIM card will not work in four countries I'll be in: North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, B+H. Would it be useful to have my pocket wifi with me for those places? If not, it will be one less thing to carry.

Glocalme (my pocket wifi company) says it provides "portable wifi only" in those countries, and I'm not sure what that means--I'll ask them.

Thanks. I have learned a lot, and went from balking against using a SIM card to being willing to give it a go (at least the kind I can order ahead of time).

Just to clarify -- once you put in the new SIM to have it "in hand and activated", your REGULAR phone number is deactivated so make all your last-minute US phone calls and texts before you switch.
Once you have the new SIM, the phone will send you a message "welcome to the United States" and tell you the international rates (UK to US) you will be charged even if you are texting/ calling across the room.
At this point I put the phone into airplane mode until I arrive in Europe.

Aaaaah! I think I'm gaining ground and confidence, then, poof--gone!

1. So how will people text me? Will I get a message telling me that I have a new phone number while that SIM card is in place? Will it be a British phone number?

2. I won't be contacting the UK at all; do I need to expect charges for my use in other countries?

3. This is the one I'm thinking of buying (it costs $25):
   Three Mobile Sim Card 12GB of High-Speed Data + Unlimited Calls & Texts for 30-Days Free-Roaming - 71 Destinations Including All European Countries

Good choice for me? I'll be on the road for 22 days, and use data for doing research, not for video watching (which I believe uses up a lot of data). I don't know why it says ALL European Countries, when at least four Balkan countries are not covered.

So how will people text me? Will I get a message telling me that I have a new phone number while that SIM card is in place? Will it be a British phone number?

If you get a UK SIM card, then yes, you'll have a British number while the SIM is in your phone. My Dutch Vodafone SIM had the number on the back of the SIM envelope so I could get it that way, but I also know how to go into my Android phone's settings to find my current phone number.

So, you'll give them your new British number and they'll text to that.

I won't be contacting the UK at all; do I need to expect charges for my use in other countries?

No data charges for the countries covered under the roaming agreement (except for those four excluded - Bosnia, etc.)

Call and text charges vary by the SIM and the company. I'm familiar with Vodafone, not with the Three SIM, so I don't know how that one works. For my Dutch Vodafone SIM, incoming calls and texts are completely free. Voice calls I make and texts I send cost per-text or per-minute. Maybe the Three SIM includes some free texting or something, no idea. All European SIMs generally have free INCOMING calls and texts, though.

Because I use Google Voice for most of my needs, I get free texting and calling (to/from the US) no matter what SIM I use. I occasionally give out my Dutch number in case someone in Europe (hotel, etc.) needs a local contact number - at least they can call or text me and it costs me nothing.