Enjoy your vacation and don’t be taken by surprise by roaming charges when you come home! Check with your carrier before you leave home but take advantage of plans like AT&T’s International Day Pass or Verizon’s Travel Pass that give you access to cell and data functionality for a flat rate per day. While they are not inexpensive ($12+/day), they are definitely cheaper than roaming charges and here’s why it may be worth paying the extra money:
- Connectivity: allows you to stay connected to cellular networks while traveling ensuring access to calls, text messages, translation, and data services.
- Convenience: With a roaming plan, you can use your existing mobile phone number and device without needing to purchase a new SIM card or phone.
- Familiarity: By using your own phone and number, you can easily communicate with contacts, access your apps, and receive important notifications while abroad.
- Emergency Communication: Roaming plans enable you to make emergency calls to local authorities or contact your embassy if needed.
- Seamless Transition: You can maintain your regular communication habits without interruption, such as accessing emails, social media, and other online services.
If you are planning on an extended stay, it may be worth looking into a local SIM, but you will need to be sure your phone is unlocked, and you may need your passport to buy a local plan. Remember also that you can use Wi-Fi calling if your carrier supports it, and applications like iMessage and WhatsApp will allow calls over Wi-Fi.
For data connectivity, leverage Wi-Fi connectivity when possible. If you are connecting to a public network, remember that your connection is not private. You can always use your phone as a hotspot to provide secure connectivity.
Many users ask us about VPNs. VPNs are NOT the secure connections many people assumed them to be. While they can hide your IP, your traffic is exposed to the VPN provider. Some providers have been known to use your traffic for data harvesting, and your computer is still accessible and vulnerable on the local network with or without a VPN. VPNS do not make you anonymous or protect you from malware. They can, however, allow you to finish that Netflix show you’re binging while abroad or give you connectivity to certain applications from places with restrictions like China or Russia.
Other things to consider while traveling:
- Make sure to back up photos as you go, by default they won’t back up when roaming, so be sure to connect to Wi-Fi each day so photo backup can run. You don’t want to lose those precious vacation memories.
- Phones usually use more power when roaming, so consider bringing a portable power bank, Anker is our recommended brand.
- Test and download your favorite translation app before you go - that way it will be ready to go when you need it.
So have fun, enjoy the sites, but remember to have a plan in place for connectivity while abroad! If you have any questions or concerns, email us at support at Hybridge.com.
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