AT&T data and call plans

Allen, the first answer is "yes," it will keep you connected, but the second answer is emphatically, "NO," it is not reasonable. With Google Maps & Google Navigation, you can easily use 20 MB in just a few minutes. At $20 per MB that is $400! That is crazy . . . at least to my reckoning. Calling with a U.S. carrier might make some sense from a convenience standpoint - if you don't get or make many calls, especially long calls. But using a U.S. carrier to roam in Europe for data is a killer. The solution is to have your phone unlocked, ensure it has European radio frequencies, and then buy a local SIM. Check out this message thread for more details: For overseas DATA use, local prepaid is best solution

Allen, The information that Paul provided would be good to consider, however there are a few points I'm wondering about. As you're apparently only travelling in Italy, you won't be able to access the UK SIM mentioned in the net link. I'm not sure if any of the networks in Italy offer a similar product? Also, it would help to know what type of phone you're using? Some models may be easier to unlock than others. Using the AT&T data and call plans would probably be reasonable if: > You only make or receive occasional voice calls. This could be a problem if you have a large list of friends that call you at various hours. Unless they refrain from calling you during the trip, your bill will add up quickly. Using text is the most cost effective method (received texts are usually free). > You turn OFF the data portion of your phone and ONLY use it with Wi-Fi when that's available. That means of course that you wouldn't be able to access Google Navigation when out touring. A dedicated GPS unit would undoubtedly be cheaper! Also, not everyone is comfortable with re-programming the phone settings, so that would be a problem for me. It's great that you're asking the questions now, as that will hopefully avoid any "billing surprises" when you return home. Good luck and happy travels!

Allen, if you aren't going to the U.K., that does make it more difficult to get a U.K. SIM. You can do so over ebay, but it requires a bit of work to get someone to send it to a U.S. address and then activating it and adding credit. But although my link referred to a U.K. number, the principles should apply to any European mobile provider. Check out this link for someone who recently outlined all the data options for Italy: Prepaid Data in Italy. Wifi is definitely an option, but I assume based on your question about Google Navigation that you need something that will work while you are on the move. That limits the ability to go with wifi. There are now some apps that will let you load maps onto the phone so you can access them without a data connection. You might want to look into that possibility. You might also consider getting a separate GPS unit that will work in Italy. How long are you going to be gone and where do you expect to travel? If it is not long or if you are in one place, you might just go the old fashioned route and use a paper map. That would be a lot simpler.