Top tips for using your cell phone while traveling


Let’s face facts – modern life requires a mobile phone to be in your pocket, fully charged, and with data ready to be used. This is especially the case for when you travel abroad… what if you get lost walking around an unfamiliar city center? What if you desperately need to get hold of someone back home? More importantly, how will you keep yourself occupied on the long, tedious plane journey?

These problems you could encounter can all be solved by having a working phone, so here are our top tips to consider when using your phone when traveling.

Check out your current phone plan

The first thing to do is to check what is included in your current mobile plan. Some mobile services will already have a plan set up for when you leave the country – does that include data? If usage abroad isn’t included in your plan, most services will offer add-ons for you to purchase that allow you to stream, browse, call or message wherever you go in the world. Watch out for the prices though – always read the small print.

Top tips for using your cell phone while traveling

Take the right charging equipment

If you’re traveling here there and everywhere, the chances are that plug sockets will be rather scarce. So the best thing to do is to invest in a portable charger hub that can keep your phone topped up all day every day. There’s a variety of different battery packs out there, so get one that is great value for money. Extra tip – remember your travel adapter!

Switch off roaming data

If data allowance isn’t included in your plan, then it is very important you switch off your data roaming to make sure you aren’t charged for any usage. A lot of data downloads take place automatically in the background of your phone, so even if you aren’t using any apps, it’s best just to switch off your data to be safe.

Make the most of WiFi

We live in a world nowadays when WiFi is pretty much free for all in a lot of places, including hotels, restaurants, bars, and more. So if you’re worrying about the amount of data you’re getting through, login to as many WiFi connections as you can to reduce your data usage. The great thing about WiFi is that your phone will automatically reconnect if you’re back in the hotspot. Happy days!

Top tips for using your cell phone while traveling

Pre-download entertainment

If you’re going to be using your phone for entertainment, the chances are you will be using a lot of your data for content downloads and streaming videos. So if you like to catch up on Netflix when you’re traveling, consider pre-downloading a lot of your content beforehand. This way you can be entertained without any internet access.

Take another phone

One other option you have is to take a completely different phone to your usual daily smartphone. If you know you’re going to be making a lot of calls back home, then perhaps the best thing for you to do is buy a prepaid phone and sim card. It’ll be cheap, easy to use, and most services will allow you to top up your allowance as you go, too.

If you’re traveling abroad soon, and are starting to worry about the unwanted charges, then it’s always best to contact your mobile provider. Always double-check. Other than that, enjoy your travels!

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