Hi there, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're exploring mobile phone
services for travelers, as well as some tips to help you get connected when
visiting abroad.
(light chiming music)
A few years ago, I flew to Paris to visit a friend of mine from
graduate school. She had sent me directions on how to get to her
apartment from the airport. At the time, I had an iPhone 4 with Verizon service, and
I figured that if I needed data, or to make an emergency phone call, I could
just roam for a minute or two and be ok. I ended up getting to the front of her
apartment in Paris, but when I tried to load the email to get the instructions
to get in, it wouldn't come up. The phone wanted me to have a data connection. I
first searched for a Wi-Fi signal and I couldn't find any open signals on the
street. I then tried to make a phone call, but at the time I didn't realize that my
Verizon iPhone had a CDMA radio, which meant that it couldn't connect to the
towers in Europe because they used GSM. To make a long story short, I eventually
found a fellow American who let me use his phone to call my friend. But I wasted
like an hour and a half trying to find a Wi-Fi signal, and also messing with my
phone settings. So today, I want to talk about mobile phone service when
traveling. I think that being connected while traveling is a huge benefit. Being
able to pull directions, perform currency conversions, or check your flight status
can save a lot of time. Even just having a phone to contact hotels, restaurants, or
drivers, is extremely helpful. All of the mobile phone companies in the US
provide some kind of international plan or feature. However, most are pretty
pricey. For those of you who travel quite a bit, I think that two services really
stand out though, and that's T-Mobile and Google's Project Fi. While T-Mobile
doesn't quite have the footprint in the US as does AT&T and Verizon, they
definitely make it up in their international roaming feature. Customers
enrolled in their T-Mobile One or Simple Choice North America plan
have free texting and unlimited data in over 140 countries. Using T-Mobile's
website, you can search to see which countries are on the list. If the country
that you're visiting is on the list, you'll get free text messaging and data,
but phone calls will still be 20 cents a minute for both incoming and outgoing
calls. Keep in mind too that while the data is unlimited,
it is capped at 2g speeds. You can pay for faster speeds, but I honestly feel
like 2g is sufficient for light usage, especially when you're traveling.
Countries that are not included in the list are much more expensive, and I don't
recommend that you roam when traveling in these countries. I noticed this when I
traveled to Vietnam. The country is not on the list,
so rates are extremely high. So I ended up placing my phone in airplane mode
while I was there. Lastly, if you're traveling to Canada or
Mexico with T-Mobile, then your plan basically carries over to those
countries, so you should be able to have fast data speeds and be able to talk on
the phone without any additional charges. The only major drawback to T-Mobile
is the coverage within the US. Since I live in a major city, I feel that the
coverage is sufficient. But I definitely had better domestic coverage with
Verizon and AT&T, especially when I was outside the city.
Google's Project Fi is another great service for travelers. Project Fi
allows you to connect to three different wireless phone carriers for service
at a flat $20 per month for voice service, and $10 per
gigabyte for data, which means that you only pay every time you use up your
gigabyte of data. Your service travels with you to over 135 countries, and in
those countries, you'll still be getting high-speed data. The only major drawback
is that you're restricted to specific Android phones. While the phones include
the new Google Pixel, which is an awesome phone, you will not be able to use other
phones like Apple iPhones. Both T-Mobile and Project Fi offer plans without
contract. The only catch is that if you cancel your service, you'll have to pay
the remaining value of your phone. In addition to our two favorite services,
here are some tips to keep in mind if you're looking to use your phone
internationally. Number one: Buy prepaid SIM cards. If you don't travel very often
and aren't looking to switch carriers, then you might want to consider getting
prepaid SIM cards when traveling. This can be easy or complicated,
depending on the country that you're visiting. For example, getting one in Costa
Rica was super easy. But when I tried to get one in Germany, it was really
difficult. Some countries have regulations to keep
track of phone numbers to make sure they're not used for illegal purposes, so
you may want to do a search online before your trip if you're planning to
buy a SIM card. Number two: Wi-Fi calls. A lot of phones and carriers now offer
Wi-Fi calling, which allows you to make and receive phone calls over a Wi-Fi
network. In most cases, calls received over Wi-Fi are free even if you're
traveling overseas, and calls made to US numbers while on Wi-Fi are also
free. If all you need is to call back home, then Wi-Fi calling might be worth
considering. Number three: Make sure your phone is unlocked and supports GSM. If
you're planning to use a SIM card, then you'll need to have an unlocked GSM
phone. In the US, your phone is generally locked until you pay the full
value of your phone. Most carriers will unlock the phone once you've made all
payments. Another option would be to pay for your phone upfront, which should lower
your monthly bill. Also, you'll need to make sure that your phone supports GSM
networks in the US. T-mobile and AT&T are the largest GSM carriers. There are other
smaller carriers as well, but those are the primary ones. Verizon and Sprint support
CDMA, which is strong in the US, but not common outside of North America. While
all the carriers are moving toward the long-term evolution, or the LTE standard
for both voice and data, you're still better off going with a GSM based phone
to be safe. Lastly, some phones are marketed as "world phones" and have both
CDMA and GSM radios installed. These should work with prepaid SIM cards as
well, as long as the phone is unlocked. Number four: Rent a mobile hotspot. While it
isn't the cheapest or most convenient option, it's possible to rent a mobile
hotspot that you can carry in your pocket or day pack. I did this when I
went to London a few years ago, and it worked well. The only drawbacks are that
it's one more thing that you have to carry and charge. And since my phone
treated it like a normal Wi-Fi signal, it seems to consume data much more quickly
than when it was on the normal cellular signal. If you do end up renting a mobile
hotspot, you may want to modify your phone settings
so it isn't backing up photos and videos. while on the hotspot. And that's our
rundown of mobile phone services for travelers. What services do you use when
traveling internationally with your mobile phone? Share your experiences
below in the comments section. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful,
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