Cell Phone Usage when you Travel Internationally

One thing to ruin a great trip quick is being hit by a large cell phone bill when you return.  This, unfortunately, happened to me after my first cruise.  My teenager was texting and calling like she was at home.  We also would call her on the ship to find out where she was.  No one told me about roaming and international calling.  Silly me, I thought since I had unlimited text messages I was covered.  Although, most cell phone plans these days cover the US unlike when cell phones first came out, you will get hit with international fees and ship fees when talking on your phone from an international destination and/or at at sea.  First find out from your carrier if they have any options for an international sim card while you travel and about your policy for calls outside the US network.  Many countries you can get a cheap sim card for use while you travel.

I'm still trying to figure out the best options for cell phone usage when traveling.  I use a "free" google voice account at home.  I love it, I can call internationally very very cheaply, have phones forwarded to the number and use my iphone app to call using the google voice number in lieu of my cell phone number.  However, Google Voice, when you are in another country, you can't use your google voice number without those pesky additional charges.  If your not into a lot of different configurations needed to use google voice overseas try renting a phone.

Travel agents have recently told me about two possible solutions for cell phone usage overseas.  One is Travel Cell and the other is PlanetFone.  Travel cell phone companies seem to be pretty comparably priced. They either have a higher weekly rental fee and a lower air time charge, or vice verse. Most companies will send you the phone with complete instructions, a fanny pack, recharger that works in the country you're going to, extra battery, and a phone case. They often also apparently include a FedEx envelope for you to mail the phone back when you're home.  They give you the phone's number and instructions for calling it from the U.S., as well as instructions for calling out from your phone to local numbers as well as calling the U.S. and other international destinations.  I think with my next trip out of country, I'll give one of these a try.  Others have told me they use their skype account.  Feel free to let me know what cleaver way you have come up with to call from overseas or out to sea.
 
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Leslie@PamperMeTravel.net
Pamper Me Travel, Ashburn VA
http://pampermetravel.net/
571-445-0440