Cell phone for European travel

On Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:24:53 +0200, "Tim C." wrote:


On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 15:34:39 -0400, Frank Clarke wrote in post :
news


I actually expect to use it only for (a) contacting other members of my party
"Where the hell did you go off to NOW??" or (b) calling ahead to my next lodging
"We're stuck in heavy traffic, but we'll be there. Don't give our reservation
away." or (c) drunk-calling the kids at midnight Paris time to tell them what a
great time we're having on their inheritance :-)

FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)

I see no need for you to get a SIM in every country you go to (that would
be the only reason to get an unlocked phone - so you can use other
companies' SIMs). Personally I'd just get a PAYG card from the first
country you are in, and get any old phone that works with it. That leaves
you with the problem of refilling the card when the credit runs out. But
that can normally be done online with a credit-card number.
(I'm assuming you can get to an internet cafe/hotel at some stage wherever
you are travelling to)

I expect so. We rarely do more than one or two countries on a trip, so I'll
probably get a SIM at the first stop and eat the overcharges when out of its
home range.

Some here seem to be saying I should just get a new phone for each trip. Did I
misunderstand? That doesn't seem to be a very cost-efficient method, but given
the cost of electronics these days...??

We're also contemplating a "repositioning cruise" to get us -to- Europe,
followed by 5-6 months on the road (possibly in an RV), followed by a
repositioning cruise to get us back (to Florida). In that case, we'd break the
two-country rule easily. I suspect that might change the equation some, but I
expect it won't matter much.

What I'm hearing is that it's fairly easy (minutes or hours rather than days or
weeks; tens of dollars rather than hundreds) to get communicating. That's a
relief. I will stop worrying about getting the right kind of phone here
pre-trip and just buy one locally when I arrive.



FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)