Euro Travel - Phones

[Solecismic]

I'll be across the pond soon, and in a place that doesn't have 'net access. I realize I need a smart phone of some sort. The area has 3G, not 4G. My current phone does not have internet capabilities (I think it's zero-G).

What is the best way to gain this access? Is it good to rent a smart phone? If so, what are the best companies? Or should I buy a cheap one (if that's possible) and get a SIM card when I'm over there? What's a reasonable amount of MB to purchase, per day, for basics like looking at maps/looking up travel stuff for someone who doesn't plan on being online a lot?

Thanks for any advice.

[ColtCrazy]

Depends on the country you are going to, but several have stores you can buy pay as you go phones and use those. They'll have everything from a $10 throw away phone that can do calls and text only to $300 smart phones. You can probably find a lower end smart phone that will do what you want. I always went through Orange and they worked very well. Vodafone is pretty good too.

[Alf]

For GPS : you can do it without 3/4G access

I live in France and have a "local" data and phone contract. We went abroad in Belgium and before going there, I download a free android application (not sure it's there on ios) called MapFactorNavigator. (https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ctor.navigator) . You can use the free maps (from open street maps) or paying ones. And the great thing about this application is that you pre-download the maps where you have wifi access (before leaving the US for example) and once abroad, you don't need data access and it still works with the pone GPS.

Saved us in a couple of traffic jam situation in Brussels

[Ryan S]

How long are you going to be in Europe, and which countries will you be visiting?

[terpkristin]

Interesting related article showed up on Ars Technica today: New startup wants you to save on crazy roaming fees while traveling | Ars Technica

Some interesting links in the article, including the website for the startup they're featuring--hackmytrip is a site I've visited before trips to the UK and to Luxembourg. That said, since a lot of my travel is work-related, I end up taking my AT&T phone and making work foot the bill.

Google Maps has an offline mode whereby you can locally store what you need with respect to the maps and stuff, assuming you have a data (3/4G or wifi) connection at some point to grab it...

[Dutch]

I know others that travel regularly have purchased a SIM chip to swap out in their phones when they are abroad.

I personally just use my free Wi-Fi connection and then a google-voice/VOIP app which sounds shitty but hey...it's free.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

How long are you going to be in Europe, and which countries will you be visiting?

We're covered very well with preparations for part of our trip - I've printed out a thorough trip guide. Where we'll need access is Iceland, where we will spend a week. Vodafone has a store at the airport there. Unfortunately, no internet where we will be staying. I do have a hiking GPS, which I've loaded with a good Iceland map. It's very slow for road use, but it will do in a pinch.

[terpkristin]

If you're looking specifically it for GPS for maps, you might consider either asking to rent a GPS with the rental car or downloading the Iceland-specific maps for your own GPS (if you have one). When I was last in Luxembourg, I rented a GPS with the car (which was more expensive than it needed to be but was invaluable in driving around there), and my friend (who went after I did) went to garmin.com and downloaded the Iceland maps for his Garmin GPS (which turned out to be less expensive than my car rental--works well if you already have a GPS).

/tk

[Marc Vaughan]

If travelling using a US phone/account make sure you purchase data up front or the costs are ludicrous, even with purchasing up front they're hardly sane (ie. don't watch any TV shows via. streams unless you want to remortgage your house ).

In the UK its dead easy to pick up a disposable android phone with a pay-as-you-go setup fairly cheaply (circa $60-90 with some credit included depending on what model you want) and then just pump in more cash as required .... I don't know about the rest of Europe but I presume it'd be the same.