Ending a call with “good morning and good night” may seem weird, but it’s just what happens when calling home during an international trip. I was recently in London and Paris for a work trip, which put me half a day ahead of Seattle. I would stay up late to catch my family just as the school day was ending. And I had to remember texting during the day was bad because the notifications could wake up my family.
Cell phones have made it easier to navigate foreign cities, which is why having an international cell phone plan is a must for any trip. On this trip, I used my phone’s GPS and maps to navigate the cities. I used a translator app to read signs in French. I did countless searches on Wikipedia to learn more about historic landmarks. And of course, I used my phone to stay in touch with my family and to answer work email.
The first time that I traveled internationally, I was worried about roaming costs and I avoided using my phone. I kept the phone in airplane mode and used Wi-Fi hotspots when I needed to check email. My perspective changed when I saw my coworker use Google Translate to read a sign in German, and I realized that navigating the city could be much easier with my phone. For this recent trip, I did my homework and added a Verizon international plan before my trip.
Verizon International Plan – Travel Pass
Verizon recently added an international plan called Travel Pass which lets you use your domestic talk, text and data allowances while traveling outside the US in more than 130 countries. Instead of paying per minute, per message, or per MB of data used, you’ll be charged a flat rate with Travel Pass. The daily rate is $5/day in Mexico and Canada and $10/day in other countries where Travel Pass is available (like England and France). This plan really simplifies things when you just want to stay in touch.
When I learned about Verizon Travel Pass, I wondered if it would actually save any money. As luck would have it, I got to find out because I couldn’t add Travel Pass to my ancient cell phone plan. I’ve never upgraded to one of the family plans they currently offer, which left me with the option of a traditional international plan at $40/mo. This only gave me 100 min of talk time and 100 MB of data. I was then charged the pay as you go rate after I used that allowance. By the end of my trip, I had $105 in international charges. If I had used Travel Pass, I would only have paid $70.
It’s worth noting that I was careful with how much data I used during my trip and connected to open Wi-Fi networks to reduce my data use. If I had the Verizon Travel Pass, I could have relaxed knowing that my regular data allotment was in effect. And I would have had extra money to spend on souvenirs.
Do I need to unlock my phone for international travel?
There was a time when cell phones would only work in specific countries because they used different types of networks. International travel often meant renting a cell phone in the country you were visiting or you could buy a new SIM card to use with your existing phone. To use the new SIM card, you would need to unlock your phone so it could accept the new SIM card and connect to the local network. If that all sounds confusing, it is. And it was frustrating to go through all that hassle just to stay connected during a trip.
The great thing is that modern cell phones can often work internationally without the hassle of swapping SIM cards. For my London and Paris trip, I just used an iPhone X which can work across several cell phone network types. I never had to swap out a SIM card. I just turned it on when the plane landed and everything connected like usual. I just had to turn on voice and data roaming (in the Settings menu) to activate my international plan.
I also brought along the Samsung Galaxy S9, which Verizon had loaned me to try out. The Galaxy S9 is another phone that you can use on international travel without a problem. Just turn on roaming and the phone can work in most countries. Android phones are also great for using Google’s services, like Google Voice or Hangouts, which allow you to make calls over WiFi networks. And of course, Google Maps and Google Translate are a must for navigating any foreign city.
Samsung Galaxy S9
I brought the Samsung Galaxy S9 on this trip because of its much hyped 12 MP camera. The S9 has a dual aperture f2.4-f1.5 lens that lets in just the right amount of a light, even in dark or poorly-lit conditions. Low light photos has always been the weak spot of any cell phone camera, but Samsung has developed a camera that takes some remarkably good photos in dim light. The Samsung S9 camera can also capture some great slo-mo shots with a 960 FPS capture rate (about 4x more than other phones).
Samsung advertises that the Galaxy S9 offers 27 hours of usage time. I found that the phone’s battery was more than enough to get through my long flight, extensive use during a conference, and for all of my tourist photos. Battery life is always hard to measure, but I never had a moment where I was left stranded with a dead phone. The S9 had plenty of battery life to spare.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is a sleek, modern phone that makes a great travel companion. It is fast and the battery life and camera are among the best on the market today. Verizon has the Samsung Galaxy S9 for $33.33/mo or $799.99 at full retail price.
International Calling
When you visit another country, jetlag should be the only thing keeping you awake at night. Your cell phone plan doesn’t have to be scary. With the right phone and the right international plan, you can stay connected without breaking the bank.