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Staying in touch while you’re in Europe article

Great article appeared in our city newspaper and the information on the Rick Steve's web pages is also very good. However, one idea was missing: use a Google Fi cellphone.

Two options here: 1) purchase and full up Google Fi cell phone or 2) obtain a free SIM card free from Google Fi and use it in your personal cell phone. There are advantages to using the full-up Google Fi cell phone for phone calls, data and text messaging.

I purchased a Google Fi Motorola phone 2 years ago prior to a trip to Europe. It was incredibly easy to use in Europe--in Germany, Austria and Hungary (although in Hungary I used an app developed for Google Fi to assist network provider selections). Previously I had used Verizon and for one trip even used a T-Mobile SIM card but it was a lot more costly overall and more difficult to use. A friend of mine and his wife have traveled extensively around Central and Eastern Europe in recent years and have reported widespread success with their Google Fi phone.

Oh by the way, the Google Fi also works without extra charge, based on my personal experience, in Puerto Rico, Canada, and Costa Rica; and, basically most other places.

Normally, I try to limit most of my use to WiFi, but what a useful tool to have data access. For example, on my last rip to Europe a river boat ferry was not running due to low water levels. Using local German transit apps I was able to identify a bus to route us to our destination and back. And, back home in the USA, I pay half of what my wife pays for her Verizon account.

Posted by
1864 posts

No need to buy anything. Any phone can use WhatsApp on WiFi. Free app and free usage for texting and calling. If you just want to stay in touch you can't beat it.

Posted by
4063 posts

When on Wi-Fi, I use FaceTime or Skype to be in contact with my husband if he’s not on the trip with me. No cost whatsoever. No need to buy a separate travel phone.

Posted by
5687 posts

If you are from the US, the Google Voice app lets you call US phone numbers (even landlines) for free from a smart phone, as long as you have WiFi. (or a SIM card with mobile data.) WhatApp and Skype of course let you call for free too, but the other person must have an account - not so with Google Voice.

Google Fi is a good solution for some, but it's just more expensive than I need to pay for US phone service. I use Mint Mobile (uses the T-Mobile network) which is $15/month for unlimited talk and text plus 3GB of 4GLTE data per month. I do have to prepay for a whole year to get that price (they have a 3 month trial for $15/month to try it out). But it's been over a year now since I signed up and it's been great. (And I've never used more than 3GB of data per month.)

Mint doesn't have a good international plan - for travel, I just use my Dutch Vodafone SIM, lately only about once a year. If I traveled overseas more often, then having international roaming included with Google Fi or T-Mobile might make more sense for me.

Posted by
32345 posts

It's important to note that Google Fi does not work in all phones, and AFAIK it's only available for those living in the U.S. It's a good idea for each traveller to look at all the options available to them, and choose the best one for their needs. In my case, I simply use international roaming with my home cell network, as it's the easiest and most effective solution (although not the cheapest). It works extremely well and in the overall expenses of a European trip, the cost isn't a big deal.

Posted by
4 posts

The advantage of Google Fi is for data and phone calling when one does not have WiFi when traveling in Europe where WiFi really is not ever present, especially when connectivity is needed.

Not sure if this utility/app would have worked for the Liberia issue, but it did the job in Hungary. It is named Signal Spy. Often times I would automatically connect to a lousy default cell provider in Budapest so using Signal Spy one could select T-Mobile which provided a great connection--the connection for T-Mobile would be active for two hours, and then just run the app connect again. There are also some other suggestions on the Google Fi website when traveling outside of the USA although some areas like Canada and Puerto Rico are transparent.

I also like using the Google Fi connection to make a secure Hot Spot when in Costa Rica.

Posted by
5687 posts

Sure, Google Fi would probably work well for some people, depending their travel habits, especially those who travel outside the US more than occasionally or just don't want to mess with a SIM card. But as I said, it would cost me much more than I pay now for Google Fi vs having Mint + my Vodafone SIM, which I also use ever year (in Europe, anyway). The Vodafone SIM also lets me create a hotspot (handy for trains and buses, for my laptop) and gives me access to mobile internet and Google Voice for calls anywhere there is cell phone reception but no WiFi. My ten day Italy trip cost me 9 euros on my Vodafone SIM to provide more data than I needed, even with using the hotspot a lot on trains, etc.

Posted by
4 posts

AndrewH, just a couple of questions out of curiosity that might also be useful for other people:
1) Does the Vodafone SIM keep your regular MINT phone number?
2) Does the Vodafone SIM access all your regular data and apps on your cell phone?
3) Is the Dutch Vodafone SIM easily and affordably available for everyone?
4) Does the Vodafone SIM work with all phones?

Posted by
5687 posts

1) Does the Vodafone SIM keep your regular MINT phone number?

No, it gives me a Dutch phone number while the Vodafone SIM is in place - though because I use Google Voice, I can still use my same US phone number for texting and calls even while I have the Vodafone SIM in place. There can be a benefit to having a European phone number to give to locals while traveling in Europe vs. only a US number.

2) Does the Vodafone SIM access all your regular data and apps on your cell phone?

It's separate phone service from my "regular" phone service, so it doesn't use my "regular" data - it uses Vodafone data. I can use all my regular apps, yes - they don't care whether I am using Mint or Vodafone to provide mobile data.

3) Is the Dutch Vodafone SIM easily and affordably available for everyone?

It was when I got my SIM (even Canadians, who can't get/use Google Fi). Today I'd get a UK Vodafone SIM or maybe a Three SIM - they seem cheap and easy to get ahead of time. You can still buy a Dutch Vodafone SIM on eBay, but it's a bit more expensive.

4) Does the Vodafone SIM work with all phones?

As far as I know.