Cell Phones in Europe
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Cell phone for Europe Trip
Sept 2007
I will be driving around Italy in October. Would like to have a cell phone to use for safety reason (buy/rent)and maybe a call home or two. I don't expect to use it a lot but also don't want to spend $10 a minute. My local carrier has no support in Italy. Suggestions?? Thanks Jesse
Visit mobal.com and see what they have. I bought a cell phone from them a few years ago and have used it in England, Italy and Greece. The phone was reasonably priced and the bill for the calls was not outrageous, though I can't quite remember what it was. They provided excellent service and answered all questions. Worth checking it out. satisfied customer
Buy an unlocked quad band GSM phone and then when you arrive in Italy buy a sim card for the phone, sold at magazine stands (I think) and you'll be good to go. You should also be able to buy a recharge card as well if you will need it. This phone and system will work in most other countries. You might want to check into a discount access code, a number you will dial before the phone number. Good Luck traveller
You can get a bunch of info about using cell phones in Europe on Fodors.com at their talk site. The best way to use that forum is to go to the Europe section of Fodors Talk and search for past discussions on cell phones or mobile phones. If you still have questions after reading the archives, then ask a question. It is a great site for other travel questions, too; just make sure you always check their archives first. You can also try the Rick Steves site. Anon.
I always used these funny things called maps. You plan your route in advance. If something new crops up, you pull off the road and look for a new route. Never had a problem -- from Cornwall to Land's End. I like the spiral-bound AA Road Atlas: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Road-Atlas-Britain-2020/dp/0749581298/ref=sr…
You can download maps on Google to use offline in the Google maps app. You can also download TripAdvisor city guides to use offline within the app.
Or, get T-Mobile and stop worrying about international roaming and data charges!
We moved from Oakland to London a few years ago. There are plenty of cell phone stores on any high road (main street) where you can pick up a chip and have it put into your phone for the duration of your trip. Then before you head back you can just pop your regular, US SIM card back in. I have an unlimited plan for about $35/month through a UK carrier called Vodafone, and there are much cheaper packages available for less data, which would be fine for the duration of your trip. I’ve held onto my US SIM card while we’ve lived here and have switched back and forth between the two whenever we visit the US and then come back here. Enjoy, and definitely check out the Cotswold villages during your trip!
If you know where you'll be in advance, you can download Google Maps and use them offline (instructions: https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838) - we did a lot of that when we went to Europe, because we didn't want to splurge for data while we were there (actually left the phones in airplane mode the entire 2 weeks). Also, I know it's old school, but I really highly recommend paper maps, especially when traveling to new places - they don't require batteries/reception/data, and they really help you get a sense of the shape of a place rather than just one turn at a time. We bought paper maps of the cities where we'd be spending the most time and they were very useful, plus the kids enjoyed looking at them in the evenings to see where we'd been and plan where we were going the next day.
Did you know you can download area maps on google maps and use them offline for traffic directions? You won't get live traffic-related updates, but you will have the step-by-step directions. And if you have "location" on (but in airplane mode to avoid data use), it will even still know where you are. It works best if you have someone other than the driver in the car who can read along - not sure if it will "talk" to you.
You might also look into getting a UK sim card to use in your phone (downside is that it will be a new phone number, so your current number won't work; but you only need it for one phone if you are traveling together all the time, so you can decide who can be without a U.S. phone number with the least hassle).
We spent a year in Oxford, and you should be aware that driving and parking within Oxford itself can be a nightmare, so you might review your itinerary and limit your car use to when you really need to get away. Feel free to message me if you'd like to converse more about the area.
My suggestion. Get a tablet and get google maps or whatever. Before you head out on a trip, duck into a cafe or someplace you can get wifi, and set up your map with the way to your destination. Then someone can watch the blue dot to make sure you stay on the route. You will have no voice telling you where to turn, but it is much better than a paper map. Try it at home first.
We travel a lot, and do not have coverage in foreign countries. We just get sim cards when we arrive. They cost $20-50. In England, we arrived at Gatwick and had to drive around a bit to find a phone store to get our SIM card; Heathrow might have a kiosk. Google maps is super reliable. Especially in England.
Several possible solutions:
(1) The $90 (or less) solution: Sign up in advance for the $10/day international plan for either your AT&T or Verizon phone (obviously not both) and, for the days that you'll need to use Google Maps to navigate, use the phone for navigation whilst driving. You'll only be charged for days during which you use data on the phone. (Make sure it's on Airplane Mode on days when you're not driving).
(2) Or, the totally free solution: Keep your phones on Airplane Mode. When you have WiFi, download the section of Google Maps to your phone(s). You'll be able to use the navigation features of Google Maps without using cell phone signals.