I could really use some advice about international sim cards

If you have an unlocked phone, your best bet is to buy a SIM card in the first country you are visiting. Let the phone place set it up for you, and make sure you understand how to add minutes if you need them. It will work in all countries, though you will be charged slightly more when using it in a country that you didn't buy it in. That difference is limited by law, so it's not a lot different. There is no need for a special "international" SIM. You would have to ask them about the data situation, but I would suggest that you plan to mostly use wifi, which you can find free in many, many places, or at a small cost. A locally purchased SIM will be the most cost-effective way to go.

snow,

I know most of you seasoned travelers probably buy a Sim at each country

That's not something I ever do. Having to buy a new SIM in each country would be a darn nuisance!

In addition to Telestial, you could also check some of the other travel phone firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Mobal, EuroBuzz, Lebara, OneSim, Max Roam or KeepGo. While at least some of them will provide data service, you'll probably find that it's not cheap and the limits are somewhat "low" for heavy data users.

Which country will you be visiting first? You could also buy a SIM from one of the networks there, and use that for the duration of your trip. However, it may be difficult to top-up once you've left the country of purchase, and the rates will be slightly higher since you'll be "roaming" once out of the country where the SIM was purchased.

You could possibly manage with a smaller data limit by using data in Wi-Fi areas as much as possible. In addition to hotels, you can find Wi-Fi in places like Starbucks or McDonalds. You may find it helpful to read these related Threads....

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/sims-ipad-chip-multi-countries

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/iphone-in-italy-sim-card

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/new-security-measures-for-departures-from-europe

We will be in Norway first. I heard good things about Lebara, but I don't think I can purchase their card in the US before we leave. I really wanted to have this set up and ready to go as soon as we got off the plane.

snow,

As you want a SIM card prior to departure that will work as soon as you step off the plane, the easiest option would be to use one of the travel phone firms I mentioned earlier. For example, THIS firm offers a Europe SIM card for $5 (higher cost for Micro or Nano cards). These usually have a U.K. number, post paid billing (calls charged to a credit card) so no need to top up, and fairly consistent rates across Europe. Charges are determined by "zone" and some countries are higher cost (especially eastern European countries).

However, the data rates for many of these firms are still fairly "steep", so if you use a lot of data the costs could be significant. If you try to use Wi-Fi as much as possible and cellular data sparingly, you should be able to keep your costs at a reasonable level. I'd suggest checking the websites for some of these firms or give them a call (many have toll free numbers).

I'd strongly recommend not buying a SIM before you arrive. There will be Kiosks selling SIM cards in the airport, you can have one in hand before you even leave to go downtown.

If you buy it locally and have them set it up before you leave the kiosk, you know it works before you pay for it. If you buy it here, there's always a chance that it doesn't work and you have no one to help you.

Other than that, what Nancy said. If you don't want to buy multiple SIM cards (only reason I can think of is you really want to keep one phone number for your entire trip), just learn how to add value (many require a visit to a store, so a company with stores everywhere would be your best bet).

Regarding emails and Facebook, I think leave your phone in WiFi mode. WiFi is everywhere in Europe, free and convenient.

I bought a Telestisl card years ago and it wasn't any good. Lousy quality. Another year I purchased a SIM for the country I was in in europe. Took an hour and I will never waste an hour of precious travel time for such nonsense agsin. My T-MOBILE plan costs twenty cents a minute and has unlimited dsta. It has worked all across Europe including the back woods of Bulgaria without a hitch.

Unfortunately, I don't have the option of using the cheap international roaming that T-Mobile offers. My network provider here doesn't have comparable rates, so I had to look for other options. I've been using Roam Simple for the last few years and the quality of service has been great across multiple countries in Europe. They use O2 SIM cards from the U.K. and I've never had any problems with them. The costs were very reasonable when I was using only voice and text with a cheap flip phone. However, I have an iPhone now so have to consider data which can be somewhat expensive so I try to use Wi-Fi as much as possible.

As others have mentioned, I also don't want to waste time finding a SIM card when arriving in Europe. I much prefer to have a working phone as soon as I step off the plane.

" I'm not looking to surf the Internet especially, but do what to check emails and Facebook on a regular basis. As well as have access to maps, etc." How much data will you consume when not in contact with Wi-Fi? Are you planning to use data extensively throughout the day? On my last trip to Europe, I purchased a modestly priced international data plan from my U.S. cell carrier. That plan allowed me to access the Internet for maps, etc. when WiFi was not available and to make calls cheaply via Skype (with a few dollars added before the trip) to call anyone not using Skype. My phone worked immediately upon arrival in Europe with no fuss.

I thank everyone for your help. I am finding out that I am clearly a dunce on this subject. And it is a LOT more expensive than I expected. Example: I had no idea that you had to pay $30 for the Sim card itself--dumb me thought that was the preloaded minutes charge.

I sort of decided on OneSim card as they seem to have decent reviews. Called them. Sim card for me=$30. Sim card for husband=$30. Then we have to each buy $25 in "time". Net=$110. And I'm guessing we'll have to top that off at least once on a 35-day tour. So our phone charges will will be $160/minimum. And again I'm guessing that won't give us much data either.

I checked with AT&T for their international plan and don't think that is a viable option either.

You have been very nice to help me. Apparently this is going to be expensive.

In your situation, I'd post a question in the European Forums of Prepaid GSM: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22. Be aware that discussions here can get VERY technical, so don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

Unless you get a better answer, I'd buy a SIM card in my first country and load it with credit, having researched on Prepaid GSM which SIM had the best deal for my needs. As posted above, roaming charges within the EU are capped (so Norway and Switzerland can be potentially much more expensive). If that SIM ran out, I'd buy a new one in the country you happen to be in when it ran out. Heavy data usage will indeed cost something, but not nearly as much as roaming on a US plan or using one of the multi-country SIM cards for this purpose. And instead of paying €30 just for the SIM, you get it for about €5, or free, so that gives you €25-30 extra for data usage right there.