Article courtesy of DiversityAbroad.com
Depending on the type of person you are, using technology abroad may be the first or last thing on your mind when preparing for your adventure overseas. No matter how much you use technology in your daily life, the use of technology is important, especially when in a foreign country. This article will provide cell phone advice (as silly as that may sound) of a young traveler that has done both long and short-term periods abroad in North America, Europe and Asia.
Depending on the type of person you are, using technology abroad may be the first or last thing on your mind when preparing for your adventure overseas. No matter how much you use technology in your daily life, the use of technology is important, especially when in a foreign country. This article will provide cell phone advice (as silly as that may sound) of a young traveler that has done both long and short-term periods abroad in North America, Europe and Asia.
Mobile Phones: many phones do not
automatically come with an international plan and they can get quite
expensive depending on the type of plan you are looking for and the
extent of your stay abroad. Here are some quick tips to make sure you
make the most of your phone while you’re overseas:
Check with your mobile phone company: The
first thing that I would advise would be to talk with your mobile
company at home, prior to your departure. If you tell them where you are
going they will tell you what settings to put your phone in so you
won’t be charged for international roaming, data, talk, text, etc. In
some instances (depending on your phone company) texting people back
home with US numbers is free, just make sure you check with your mobile
company.
Local sim card: Another option is to
purchase a local sim card once you arrive to your destination. This is
especially true for those who will be abroad for a long period of
time, such as 6 months or longer. In order to have a local sim card for
your regular phone, it has to be unlocked. Again, talk with your phone
company to make sure you can use a foreign sim card in your phone.
Messaging Apps: while in China and the Netherlands
I had two phones, one local and one from home. I used my local phone to
contact my local friends and colleagues. I had a local pay-as-you-go
sim card and just added minutes and data as needed. While in Canada
and Belgium I used my phone from home to text people, and used a few
different apps to get in touch with people both locally and abroad.
Below are just a few of those apps that I found useful when hoping to
get in touch with others:
Facebook: So many people around the world use Facebook everyday. I used it to contact people locally, and with messenger it becomes it’s own messaging app.
Google Talk/Hangout: I also occasionally used google talk when I had access to wifi. Google talk is available if you have a gmail account, which is free to open. To contact people back home, it’s free to call from within your gmail account. To contact people abroad, add about $10 to your google talk account and you should be able to talk for a lifetime.
Skype: Before heading abroad download and
make an account on Skype, and make sure the people you want to
communicate with while abroad do the same. Once everyone has Skype you
can easily communicate through live video.
I survived 6.5 months abroad traveling around Europe and Asia using the above “techniques”, you can too!