Phones in Europe... HELP!

Patti, To begin with, which Cellular network is your Smartphone with? Also, you mentioned "calling home", so it would be helpful to get some idea on what you plan on mostly using the phone for? I'd be interested to know what the "technology" lectures at ETBD consisted of, since they didn't seem to provide the answers you were looking for. With a bit more information, it will be easier to provide more specific advice and recommendations. Cheers!

There are cheap choices and convenient choices. Generally you trade one for the other. The two cheap choices I've used are PIN cards (pick them up a news stand/tobacco shops or 7-11 type stores) and internet cafes. PIN cards work fine but you have to go to a telephone booth that takes them (ask where a booth is when you buy the card, then try it right away). I've had some amazingly cheap calls home from internet cafes, but they are going the way of the dinosaur as more people carry smart phones and have WiFi and other internet options. Skype is one I haven't used. If you combine a laptop or other device with WiFi, Skype can be very cheap. I'll bring an Ipod this time and will use Skype for calls back to the states.

Convenient choices are to bring your own cell phone, rent one or buy one that works in Europe. It's most convenient to simply use your cell phone whenever you need it. Some phones use multiple bands and work in Europe. If yours does, you simply have to pay the $1 or $2 per minute and you're all set. If your phone won't work in Europe, your provider will rent a phone temporarily, so you can pay $1 or $2 per minute. For local calls in Europe, it's better to unlock your phone (if it works in Europe), and buy a local Sim card. Unlocking wasn't as simple as it sounded for me. My T-Mobile Razr phone was capable but no one seemed able or willing to unlock it (even after I had the code). You can also rent/buy a phone that will work from other sources (Ebay, Amazon, etc.). Since my Razr died, I plan on buying a "travel" phone in Europe this trip along with a pay as you go Sim card. I opted not to buy a phone before I go because there are too many bad reviews about the phones either not working or dropping dead too quickly after purchase. If I buy a phone there, I'll know it works when I buy it. Since I'll be in one country, it's cheapest to get a card in that country. On future vacations, I'll bring the phone and buy a new local Sim card.

If you have AT&T you can get an international plan temporarily while you are there to cut down the cost of calls a bit. Each country has a different fee (I am talking about calls home to the US as I am assuming that is what you need) You can also pay $5.00 to have texting to US added, and that includes up to 50 texts. No charge for incoming texts. In most cases I would think texting would work, if not you have the option to call from most anywhere. Just be sure to turn off the data roaming or you will be charged a fortune for emails, etc. You can still access your email when you are in a wifi zone, but otherwise leave it off. I have done this a number of times and it worked out great.

We have an internacional SIM and also an unlocked iPhone (older model)
Which we use abroad. Win December I took my 4s and had it on airplane mode. Saw texts come in but did not respond and waited to check mail when I had free wifi. No costly surprises.

You should concentrate on using your smartphone with Skype from the hotels connected to their wifi. 1. Using your home computer, sign up for Skype. 2. Pay $10 to buy Skype credit. 3. Download Skype App to your smart phone. 4. Go to your smart phone settings and turn off "data " and "voice" syncs or connections (whatever your phone calls them) If unsure go to where you bought the phone and have them show you how although they won't be able to help with Skype. 5. Turn on wifi and connect your phone to the internet with wifi. You must be close to the wifi box, probably in the same building so if you don't have it at home go to where it is available. 6. Learn how to enter the wifi password (each hotel will have a different one.
7. Go on Skype and make a call to any phone in the world for under 3 cents a minute. Once you figure it out the first time it becomes easy.

Because you asked about calling home, I will assume that keeping in touch with your aunt if you two are separated or being able to be easily reached by those back home are not your main priorities. If so, buying a telephone calling card at the European equivalent of a convenience store is the cheapest option. Skype over a wifi connection on your phone is probably about the same in cost, but requires a little more work on your part. If you want to communicate with your aunt while over there, or allow others to reach you, post again and let us know and we'll give you more advice. As you've discovered, this can be complicated, more complicated than you'd like. Do you get email on your phone? If you're used to doing that, turn off the phone part of the phone and just use it over wifi to send email. That would be even easier than trying to figure out how to use skype over a smartphone.

E-mail with your phone (over a wifi connection) is another good option especially, with time differences. I'd like to add that you don't have to buy any credit from Skype in order to test it out or download the phone app. You only need credit to call a phone, calling to another computer is free.

What if the connection is poor at the hotel? Or like some, only Free in the lobby? Some hotels charge a
Quite a bit for Internet in the room.

We, too, got inundated with information prior to a recent trip my husband took solo. It seems like now that phone booths are going the way of the dodo, phoning home is getting infinitely more confusing! We have an account with Verizon, so I called them up and asked to rent a phone for European travel. They sent one via overnight mail, ready to go right out of the box. My husband turned off his American phone when he got on the plane, and fired up the rental when he landed at Heathrow. It worked perfectly and the minutes weren't horribly expensive. When he got home we mailed it back (Verizon provided a pre-printed label) and got a charge for the minutes and rental on our next bill. I think it was under $100, total, maybe a lot less. So that is what I would suggest. Just call your cell phone company!

My advice is to check with your mobile phone service provider and see what they recommend. We have a very simple "global ready" phone from Verizon. We call them to set up the discount they offer for travelers and do that only for the time we are in Europe. We follow their instructions and our phone automatiically sets itself as we cross each country's border. We have used it in over 10 countries so far. It's cheaper for us to make calls to the US than it is to receive them, so we tell people not to call us. It's still pretty expensive so I nag my husband to limit his calls to friends from places they like, like under the Eiffel Tower or the Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. We don't forward the house phone to our mobile but rather call home for messages. But when I think about it, we rarely use the phone in Europe except to call each other, as in "Where did you go now?" and to confirm or make reservations. I take a cheat sheet of Rick's Telephone Tips just so I don't have to memorize everything. If your smart phone isn't global ready, I think the recommendation to rent a phone that is from your provider is a good one. Dialing a few numbers is far better than fooling around with SIM cards IMHO.

First of all, thank you for all of the honest and helpful advice. I don't think that I added in my original post that I have also read all of the posts and tips in the Graffitti Wall on this subject and was still confused. I appreciate that nobody told me to look there for my answers since that is partly why I am so confused. It seems everyone has their own preferred way of communicating abroad and I was curious why certain ways worked best for some people and not well for others. Paul and Ken, when I said I want to be able to call home, I was mostly referring to calling my mom. I will be with my aunt and am not too worried about trying to get ahold of her. My aunt is also having the same trouble I am trying to figure out the best option for us. My uncle is paraplegic and will be staying home alone for 22 days so we need to be able to communicate easily. I don't plan on really calling anyone but my mom and my uncle. I have T-mobile as my phone service provider. My phone will work there according to the company. I'm just not sure I want to risk the charges if I forget to turn something off. Still thinking about my options I guess. I think my aunt is going to rent a phone but she will be needing it more than I will since my uncle needs to be able to reach her if something happens. I don't think it would be worth it for me to rent a phone. I won't use it enough to justify the cost. The technology class we attended was mostly about chargers, adapters, and the best way to take every electronic device made by Apple with you everywhere you go. Didn't go into details about phone issues other than to tell you to use Skype on your laptop or Ipad or Iphone to make calls home. None of which we are bringing. Thanks again for the helpful suggestions! It really has helped. I'm feeling at least slightly less overwhelmed than I was! :)

Patti, Thanks for the additional information. I have some comments and a few more questions. Which model of T-Mobile Smartphone are you using? I'd suggest "double checking" that it will in fact work in Europe, as I've found that CS rep's aren't always the best informed in terms of international roaming. Also, can you determine from T-Mobile if your phone is unlocked, and if not ask them if it would be possible to do that. An unlocked phone will allow you to use other options in addition to roaming with T-Mobile. IF your phone will work in Europe and IF you can get it unlocked, these are some options you can consider for your "travel phone": > Use international roaming with T-Mobile. This is the easiest solution, but may not be the cheapest. You'll have to check with them regarding current rates. If your Aunt wanted to call you, she would have to dial your U.S. number and the call would be "bounced back" to you in Europe. If you receive calls from friends back home, you'd pay for incoming calls so be sure to tell them NOT to call while you're abroad! You'd also have to BE SURE to disable the data portion of the phone, unless you arranged for a limited data plan. > Use a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Telestial or Mobal. These are usually supplied with a U.K. phone number, with billing on a post-paid basis (calls charged to a credit card). The cost is quite reasonable, and this is the method I've been using for the last few years. Some of these firms do offer data plans, but those tend to be a bit expensive (or you can just buy a SIM that provides voice & text). continued.....

Patti - Part 2..... > Buy a SIM when you arrive in Europe. As you'll be travelling in multiple countries, rates would be cheapest in the country of purchase, but slightly higher in other countries since you'd be "roaming". The E.U. has capped roaming rates, so they're not much more expensive. The first country you'll visit on the "flagship" Best of Europe tour is the Netherlands as I recall, but I don't have much information on phone plans there. > Leave your Smartphone at home, and pick up an inexpensive PAYG phone, either from one of the "travel phone" firms OR from a local Cell shop when you arrive in Europe. One of the characteristics of the plans provided by the travel phone firms, is that the rates are arranged in "zones" and are the same throughout western Europe. Communicating via text message is the cheapest method, with sent texts about 50¢ each and received texts are usually FREE. NEXT, regarding a phone for your Aunt. There probably aren't too many firms that rent phones, as cheap phones are so readily available. If she can find someone that rents a phone, the cost will likely be quite expensive. My suggestion is that she should consider either buying an inexpensive travel phone, either from one of the travel phone firms or from a local Cell shop when she arrives in Europe. One point to consider is that if your Uncle has to phone her, he will have to dial an international number, which will involve long distance charges and of course an unfamiliar sequence of numbers. continued.....

Patti - Part 3.... One option that might make the process easier would be to purchase a phone from one of the travel phone firms, as some of them are able to provide a local number that is "mapped" to the travel number. That way people at home only have to dial a local number, and the system will "find" the destination phone regardless of where it is. Check the respective websites for details. If you decide to take your Smartphone, BE SURE to check the Charger to ensure this is designed for "world operation". Plug Adapters will of course be required, and I'd recommend packing along at least two of these, as they're easy to misplace. I realize this is a lot of information to go through, but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible about your options. Hopefully Paul or some of the others will have a few thoughts to add. BTW, do you know yet who your Guide will be??? Cheers!

Thanks Ken! I am feeling a lot better about trying to navigate my options now than I was. My phone is the HTC Wildfire S. I contacted HTC customer service to make sure that my phone is capable of working (and charging) in Europe and they told me that it is. I'm going to try contacting T-mobile soon to find out if I will have any trouble getting my phone unlocked. That might make up my mind for me. I like the idea of being able to use the features of my phone abroad but am not set on it quite yet. Still need to review all of my options vs. cost. Thank you all again for your help!

Like Terry kathryn, I've always gotten the international plan on my AT&T cell phone and just text home. It's not expensive unless you call.

Sorry no one mentioned it but check out roam simple. If you have an unlocked phone they will provide you wit a sim card that will work throughout most of Europe so you don't need to keep changing cards also they have something called direct connect where you can use your home number to connect with your international one The rates are good and I may not be explaining this very well but check them out