Recommended phones to purchase for a 2-month trip

European phones are no different from American phones. I'm not aware of any "short term use phones". Normally I would advise you just switch your SIM card to a local plan, rather than using your US SIM. If your phone is under contract and locked to the network, you will need to buy a new phone, which you can easily do in the US. Samsung has some good models in its A model range under $300-$400.

Just to he clear, WiFi is available regardless of phone plan. I think you mean mobile network data, not WiFi.

When I'm traveling I'm just using my good ol' Samsung phone, and for service in Europe I'm using Verizon's TravelPass.
https://www.verizon.com/plans/international/international-travel/travel-pass/

I'm content with the plan & cost and have little interest playing around with SIM cards.

Verizon also has a monthly plan for $100 a month. I think this would make more sense than buying another phone:
https://www.verizon.com/plans/international/international-travel/monthly-plan/

What would be less expensive would be to verify your current phone is unlocked and get a data plan in Europe (as mentioned above). If you only need wifi (e.g., connecting to hotel wifi network), your phone will work without anything extra. I assume that you really are asking about mobile data.

my regular phone with Verizon

What type of phone? If a modern phone, and "unlocked", an eSIM is the no-brainer route to meet your plan - both simple and cheap (especially if just wanting data).

I have an Apple phone with a basic Verizon plan of unlimited text and data.
When I’m unable to send or receive messages it’s usually because I am in region where there isn’t any Wi-Fi to hop onto. I have a month by month plan and an unlocked phone.

If I get a phone that requires replacing the Sim card as I go, I would need six Sim cards, one for each country. That doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Paying $10 a day would cost at least $600 for a two month visit. Now Verizon’s hundred dollar month plan doesn’t sound too bad!

Anyone who’ suggests to someone that their phone doesn’t provide Wi-Fi is making the assumption that the person doesn’t know anything about technology. It might be better to ask a question than to assume the person is unaware that Wi-Fi exists outside of their phone

Thank you for the constructive feedback from those of you who Shared pragmatic, useful info!

You can get ESims that do all of Europe with one Sim.

You can buy a cheap unlocked phone to put it in for very little money.

You can sign up for Verision International service or you can change to TMmobile's international plan that is cheap and easy.

You can connect to WiFi for free at dang near every Cafe in Europe, Albania included. With wifi no Sim is required.

When not connected to WiFi, if iMessage is turned on, try turning it off. I had that issue a few years ago and turning it off worked.

Thank you, Mr. E— I’m going to check out the ESims for next summer. Appreciate the solid ideas :-)

IslandGirl, welcome to Europe!

If you want to use WiFi, you just find a cafe, restaurant, museum or other place that provides WiFi and log onto the network.
If there isn’t such a place around and you want to look up something on the internet, use google maps or send an email, you’ll need a data plan.

The 6 countries you plan to visit are all part of the EU. EU law states that a Dutch SIM card must work throughout the EU at no extra cost. I’m from the Netherlands and my IPhone has a SIM from one of the Dutch telecom companies, but when I’m in Belgium, France or somewhere else in the EU, I can use my phone as if I were at home. I can make and receive calls and use data at no extra cost.
So if you buy a SIM in the first country you arrive in, you can use that same SIM in all 6 countries. At every airport, you’ll find stands of telecom providers that sell these SIMs and can also assist you to set it up.

Your current provider is Verizon. Go to them and have them set you up for their International Unlimited plan (or whatever they are calling it this month). It costs less than $100 (I pay $91 US Dollars), and can be used everywhere. This allows me to keep my US number and conduct business as if I was in the States, no problems. It will notify you when you cross over country borders, but the service still continues.

If you don't want to do that, and you have a newer phone, you can add an eSim from a carrier in the EU. I use Telecom (which is T-Mobile in the States). The biggest issue with that is you now have a different phone number and folks in the States using it have to dial internationally. Cost of an eSim varies, but if you do this make sure you get a plan with enough data and coverage; photos and video are large bits of data. The advantage of adding an eSim is that you have both numbers on the same phone, and you can share back and forth. But unless you think you will need a local number it's probably not worth it.

Another thank you to all the recent posters who have shared excellent pragmatic info! I really appreciate this forum!