My traveling partner is not bringing her Iphone, I suggested not to because of lack of charging, risk of being stolen in bag, or when charging, having to worry about loosing it as oposed to a $20 mp3 player. Am I wrong about this? Do the pros outweigh the cons? How can you use it as a phone there, and there are GPS things right?
I should mention that we are staying in Hostels for 9 of the 10 nights.
We just talked to AT&T about this as well. We are planning to take iPhones and turn off the roaming data option and just use it with WiFi. One thing we are going to do is pay to have 100 texts each while we are in Europe - fairly cheap (I don't remember the exact amount but it seemed reasonable). This will be a easy way to keep in touch with people at home and for them to be able to get to us in case of an emergency. (Of course, I will be asking people who send tons of random texts to us to stop for the time we are in Europe!) We are mostly staying in hotels though and plan to have access to free WiFi on most evenings (in the hotel).
I agree it is a good idea to talk to AT&T to make sure you don't end up with huge charges. We are planning to go back to AT&T and make sure we understand everything a few days before we leave. Always good to get the same information from more than one person - feel a little bit better that we have "good" information.
You need an AT&T international plan to use the iPhone in Europe. Otherwise, you will get a really horrendous phone bill when you get home. The international plan is probably not cheap either, but it's cheaper than not having one.
I can't comment on risks of losing your phone, but if you want to take it, maybe you could look into getting some kind of cell phone loss insurance?
If you do decide to take it, make sure you completely understand the AT&T international plan. Like, I don't know if, with an international plan, whether the data portion is unlimited use, or not. Here in the USA, you pay $30 a month for unlimited data, but that may not be true in Europe. Get all the facts before you buy!
The stealing part I mostly meant while staying in Hostels out of a bag or trying to charge it at a wall socket and having to keep an eye on it the whole time.
"The stealing part I mostly meant while staying in Hostels out of a bag or trying to charge it at a wall socket and having to keep an eye on it the whole time."
Yea, that would no doubt be more of an issue at a hostel then at a hotel, where you have a private room. Maybe you could arrange with the hostel management to charge your phone at the front desk, or something, where they can keep an eye on it?
I brought mine and it was used when we got lost and could not find our hotel. Also, we used ours at a lot of hotels that had free Wi-Fi. That was extremely handy. Being that you are staying at hostels...I am not sure of their availability of free Wi-Fi or not? If they have it, I would recommend bringing it. For a quick call home it is good. (emphasis on quick)
But know this...you MUST turn off your Data Roaming when you go for the duration you are out of the country. If not, you will come home to a $500+ phone bill without ever even using your phone. (unless you have international roaming on your package).
I tried to jump onto a Wi-Fi network at a Starbucks in Germany and it was a hassel. Obviously the directions to get going were all in German. So I wouldn't count on popping into a Starbucks for internet access. At least that was my experience.
Are you planning to use it as a cell phone primarily, or to use the apps? For the apps, you can turn off the iPhone's use of network and use WiFi to connect to the internet instead. For occasional talking, you might want to try the Skype app.
If I get my iPhone by the time my trip rolls around, I definitely plan on taking it. And if it's like any other phone, you can probably purchase insurance from your wireless provider, if you are worried about losing it.
can you listen to local FM radio on it?
well one reason i like the cheap MP3's is because they take AAA batteries that i can bring, no charging, and i want the ones that have FM so i change it from North America to World. I like to listen to the local FM in the city, of course every other station is pretty much American top 40 and hip hop, but it gives a good feeling for the city.
Bryan,
If your budget will allow, I'd suggest bringing the IPhone using roaming from AT&T, however arrange some kind of international plan with them before you leave (one that includes voice and text) to reduce the costs somewhat.
BEFORE you arrive in Europe, disable the data portion of the phone (ie: the portion that uses the cellular network) or you'll face a HUGE roaming bill when you return home. Be sure to check that data roaming is "OFF" periodically during the trip, as I've heard from a few people that it can mysteriously turn "On" again.
That will allow you to:
use voice sparingly as calls will be expensive, including incoming calls, so be sure to tell your contacts NOT to call you unless absolutely necessary and tell them to check the time difference!!!
text messages when required, which will be the least expensive but can add up if used extensively
Wi-Fi for Internet access at Hostels or other locations with free Wi-Fi.
Using the GPS when out touring will probably use the data portion, so I don't believe that will be an option unless you're willing to pay for it.
I wouldn't bother with unlocking the IPhone (something which is often called "jailbreak") as I've been told by those in the industry that if the firmware is updated, the phone will re-lock.
Most IPhones charge fairly quickly, so you could sit in the room for a few hours and read a book while it's charging, or ask the staff at the front desk to charge it. You could also try to get a private room (available at some Hostels) every few nights so you could leave the room while it's charging.
Cheers!
I used an iPhone this year for the first time and really enjoyed having my own phone. I did what everyone says--disabled the data and signed up for the International plan. I find that the iphone charges pretty quickly, so you might find that charging is less of an issue. remember you won't be incurring the searching and data drains on the battery.
Pam
Take it. Just be careful. I've used my phone a bunch in Switzerland and Italy. I found free wi-fi at my hotels and was able to check email. Turned off the data roaming before I left the US. Didn't sign up for the international plan...I just didn't use the phone enough to pay the extra.
I used Text messages to stay in touch with home --only when needed. Didn't answer my phone when it rang, unless I knew someone was calling.
the Iphone is a must for travel.
Never bring anything you can't afford to replace. Keep in mind, the non-subsidized cost for and iPhone is $400 more than what they paid with an AT&T contract. So, for example, if your friend isn't qualified for an upgrade, the $99 iPhone will actually cost them $499 to replace.
on the charging issue--my iPhone was dead the other day (i actually freaked out and thought something was wrong--i typically never let it run down to nothing) and it charged fully in the time it took me to let my dogs out and change from my work clothing--MAYBE fifteen minutes. though the poster above is correct--if it gets stolen, it will cost a lot to have it replaced. i'd just be as careful with it as you can possibly be. i cannot imagine choosing to travel without it, but again, it is a personal preference thing.
oh and as for maps--the lonely planet app city guides have really good maps that can be used while offline; i feel they are good enough to replace a paper map (though of course they don't do the gps directions thing that is so fantastic--for that you'd need the data package) i got them for free during the volcano 'sale' event (thanks to a posting on here) but just for the maps alone, it is kind of worth the $15.
"You need an AT&T international plan to use the iPhone in Europe. Otherwise, you will get a really horrendous phone bill when you get home. The international plan is probably not cheap either, but it's cheaper than not having one."
Not always.
I took my Iphone last trip. Total "horrendous" phone bill was..... $10
Do turn off data roaming. Actually do a search on travel with the Iphone. AT&T actually has a useful set of info. But if, like me, you only make a couple of short calls it's cheaper to just use the thing.
If I ever needed to do extensive calling (Say a volocano shuts down my airport :) ) then I will go buy a local phone.
actually, she actuall has a iphone and itouch and she is going to bring the itouch, so that should work okay, i forgot that the trains have outlets to charge too!
Is there any good apps, like translations etc..that are good to download before we leave?
or even walking tours?
If you're worried about having your iphone stolen, look into signing up for mobile me. One of the features is being able to disable your phone if you lose it.
We brought 2 iPhones. For one we got two plans from ATT. The first - for phone calls - is cheap ($5) a month and gets us 'cheaper' phone calls. For our small number of anticipated calls it's probably not worth it - the rate without the plan is $1.29 a minute and .99 with it, so do the math on how much talk time makes up that reduced rate. But for $10 (2 months) it seemed like a good idea.
The second plan we got was the data plan. No, this does not give 'unlimited' data by any means. We got the cheapest plan which gives something like 20mb (and 'cheap' is something like $25 a month). There are two winkles for this. The first is how to estimate the usage. ATT advises to reset (power off) your phone when you get on the plane to activate the service, and at that time to do a reset of your data usage stats. That said, I have been told that the usage stats can lag so they cannot be trusted as a precise number. (Does anyone have better info/advice on that?). The second wrinkle is that this plan syncs with your billing cycle so to get the full 20mb (or other amount purchased) you need to start and end the plan on your billing date.
For the second phone, I'm leaving it in airplane mode. I don't trust roaming being off. I just use that one for apps and travel podcasts.
I am finding that the WiFi-only iPad gives much better peace of mind. I have no fears about stray charges and, so far, WiFi access is fine (e.g., to post this).
Another thing we did is forward the iPhone voicemail to our home phone. That way we won't get charged international rates for wrong (or junk) calls - which happened last trip at 2am in Lugano. (Hello, is Jim there? Oh, isn't this Hawaii?)
Clearly, if you're expecting incoming calls this won't be convenient. For us it's fine because the few real calls we get are captured as voicemail on our home line and we get email notice that there's a message. We can then use the phoneco app to listen to the message, so it is almost like having voicemail on the phone but without the charges.
For those who don't have a home voicemail system that sends an email when you have a new message, you may be able to create the same effect by simply unconditionally forwarding your cell phone so it goes straight to voicemail. Then you should still get the new voicemail notifications. Or even better, get a google voice account, forward calls to your google voice number, and then you'll get an email with a transcription of the voicemail.
I went to the UK and Belgium last year and would suggest the following if you do bring your phone to do the following:
1. go to the following on the Settings menu: General then Network then make sure Data Roaming is OFF. Connections from Wi Fi networks work well and don't incur any roaming charges.
2. GET the voice plan for roaming as it's only a few dollars per month and plan to leave voice roaming on for three months after you get back as call bills do trickle in and the carriers abroad have 90 days to bill you.
Steve, Your answer about forwarded calls still incurring international charges confused me (and concerned me). Here is what ATT answered when I asked how an incoming call would be handled if it comes while I am in Europe and I have my iPhone active but forwarded to another US number:
"If immediate call forwarding to a domestic number is active while you are roaming internationally, the network forwards the incoming call instead of attempting to deliver it to you who is outside of the U.S. Consequently, no international roaming charges are associated with those incoming calls."
I read this as meaning that forwarding the iPhone number (a US number) to another US number does work. Am I missing something? Is there still some exposure to unwanted charges?
read this as meaning that forwarding the iPhone number (a US number) to another US number does work. Am I missing something? Is there still some exposure to unwanted charges?
Keri:
Yes, if you forward your U.S. iPhone number to another U.S. number, you will not incur any international charges. Important "but": The call forwarding must be what the cell companies would call "unconditional." That is, your phone will not ring if a call is made to it. The call goes immediately to the forwarded number. You don't want to set "call forwarding, no answer," or "call forwarding, busy," or "call forwarding, unavailable."
I suggest trying it out before you go and then calling yourself from another phone to test it out.
Paul, Yes, we used the unconditional forwarding ... tested both phones before we left. Thanks for the further clarification.
