| Author |
Message |
    
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 1800
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 3:45 pm: | 
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easy to obtain?
too expensive?
A must-have when traveling abroad?
not worth it?
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doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 1091
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 3:51 pm: |
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for us it's a must have - especially if without the kids on a trip. We rent & find the cost reasonable - our cell phones are with Verizon & we rent through them...all done by mail (they even give you a return label)- phone works when you get there. Certain countries get free incoming calls (the UK for sure)...can forward your regular cell to the int'l number, but we don't.
My folks have used another company & had no problems.
You can hire one when you reach your destination but I'd rather have it done on this end. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 1801
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 4:01 pm: |
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doula - are they much more expensive than regular cell phones?
I would think not forwarding your number would keep costs down - fewer people can reach you! |
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 5786
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 4:11 pm: |
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Pip,
You guys don't have kids yet, so unless you're traveling on business, leave the damn thing at home! I wish I could throw that damn thing out the window (I so hate phones!) |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 1802
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 4:20 pm: |
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Mem - Notehead is traveling in Europe for 2 weeks, I will be home
(party?)...his itinerary is subject to change every day, so I figure we'd best keep in touch via cell. If we were together I would agree 100% (when we went to spain on our honeymoon we barely gave our parents our intinerary and we definitely didn't bring our cells!!) |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3067
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
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Mrs. Notehead, you beat me to starting this thread by 35 minutes!
I'm going to take Doula's advice and get in touch with Verizon, but would be glad to hear anyone else's advice/opinions on this!
Regards,
Mr. Pippi |
dougw
Citizen
Username: Dougw
Post Number: 719
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 4:40 pm: |
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Verizon now sells a GSM phone that will work in Europe. Cingular (my service) has had these for years now. It is pretty cool in that people call your regular US number and it rings there. SMS are pretty cheap but the cost for calls is high at about $1 per minute. This varies by country.
I used to rent a cell until ATT started service over there. If you are willing to not answer the phone for most callers (caller ID works fine) then it is not too expensive. You can see you have a message and then retrieve it on a less expensive land line. |
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 5792
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 5:46 pm: |
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Pip - Oh! That sure explains it. You can call your carrier and get it activated in Europe...I have AT&T & Cingular. |
Shawna
Citizen
Username: Lucies_mom
Post Number: 96
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 6:14 pm: |
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I spent a year travelling and I'd say the international cell phone is not worth it. Anyone who needed to reach me could just send me an e-mail. Phone cards are much cheaper for calls you need to make.
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akb
Citizen
Username: Akb
Post Number: 393
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 9:48 pm: |
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We spend a couple of months plus each year in Europe so we have a separate European cellphone. You can get a pay as you go (Virgin, for example) pretty cheaply and top up as necessary.
If I only went on vacation, I would not bother. How reachable do you need to be?
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Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 12606
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 11:42 pm: |
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dougw, Verizon isn't rolling out GSM service in the US, is it? If they're not, that phone they sell that works in Europe won't work in the US. And that's not a terrible thing, anyway.
Whatever you buy, be sure it comes with a charger that runs on 220V. Some chargers work on both voltages, but check. And make sure you have adaptors, because different countries use different style plugs.
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Elgato
Citizen
Username: Elgato
Post Number: 25
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 8:23 am: |
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I also gave up trying to get a US phone to work abroad and got a separate phone pay as you go phone for use in Europe. I tried the Cingular one and could call the UK on it but couldn't call Maplewood half the time so I switched back to Verizon who convinced me they'd finally joined the 21st century and had a phone that could place international calls (an ability that the rest of the western world seems to have had for years). However I can't even seem to get my new one Verizon phone to place a call from here to Europe! I'm sure it's just a case of yet another call to customer service but I just can't face it. Europeans don't seem to have any problem calling worldwide on their phones when they come over here and they look at me stunned when I say mine never works. They also seem to text much more than we do here (my friends, anyway!). |
campbell29
Citizen
Username: Campbell29
Post Number: 353
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 9:20 am: |
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I have a T-Mobile worldwide phone and it was actually one of the cheaper models. I use it with my regular plan. Same as a US cell. Used it in Ireland and Italy with no problems |
dougw
Citizen
Username: Dougw
Post Number: 724
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 9:26 am: |
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Tom - I don't think Verizon is rolling out GSM here. But their GSM phone is multi band so it works on their network here and on GSM abroad.
Elgato - I have had three different ATT/Cingular phones over the past 6 years and they have worked fine here, all over europe and in mexico. Both for making and recieving international calls and sms. No problems. |
eliz
Supporter
Username: Eliz
Post Number: 1324
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, February 24, 2006 - 9:13 pm: |
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If you have TMobile or Cingular and you have a tri or quad band phone you can subscribe to international service and use your phone pretty much anywhere (the only place my phone doesn't work is Japan).
I have T Mobile and the service has been great - it's much cheaper than calling any other way. I travel a lot internationally and want to be able to be in touch at all times because I have a young child.
If you don't have either service I'm not sure I would go through the trouble for a 2 week trip. |
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