Hello all, I've read all of the threads on phones and cells in Italy here, and am still uncertain of the best approach for my mother and me when we travel to Italy together next month. I anticipate there could be some times we separate, and I'm wondering if it would be worth the expense and hassle for us both to have phones. Has anyone run into this situation? I'm thinking I may just bring an iPhone and use only as necessary (with data roaming turned off). However, I may also opt for a phone card upon arrival and use that to call back home. While we may separate, I anticipate it would be more like I'll go off for a walk, while she rests in the hotel. So, perhaps I've answered my own question! In this case, would an iPhone for emergencies, and a calling card for calling home suffice? (Additionally, we are staying in the Daphne Veneto hotel in Rome, which is providing us a cell phone for necessary calls during that leg of our stay.) Thank you all for your advice!
Posted by
fort montgomery, ny, usa
94 posts
my family went to Italy last summer. My father who is 83 took everything in strive. He does not use a cell. We walk together but there were times he just wanted to converse with people which he does best we went on ahead and when we were done looking at things we would head back to where he was. Mine you there were times he wasn't there so we walked around and finally came upon him. As always everything was fine. The rest of the family had cells and we knew that he could not go far.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Well, people managed for centuries without cell phones. That said, they sure can allow for additional spontaneity. We had two rented cell phones on our most recent trip and I'm really glad we did. We only used them a few times, but it was great to be able to touch base.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
If you both have an AT&T phone you can add international texting for about $5 or $10 for 50 texts in a month period while you are there. Makes it cheap and easy to keep in touch. You are only charged for outgoing texts, not incoming, so people at home can keep in touch if need be.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I think it depends on your mother's age, independence, ability to cope with surprises, and where you'll be spending time. I took a handicapped relative to Europe this time last year. We both had phones. That was only important once, but I'm so glad to have had the phones in that situation. It also brought me some peace of mind to know I could track him down if we got separated by accident. If your carrier is Verizon, they have a very inexpensive GSM phone rental program that worked well for him. Probably other carriers have something similar, and other vendors rent European cell phones.