Communication

Learn how to keep in touch internationally.

Data

Data, which you'll know as 4G, LTE, and 5G, is different than calls and texts. Research your international data plan to know what to expect. You may be charged per kilobyte. Multiply that by 100 for a megabyte, and a 1000 for a gigabyte. Note: it does not take long to blow through a gigabyte if you're not careful. Your phone, as well as most every app, has a low data mode that might help.

Your phone may have the option of turning off data, but leaving on Wi-Fi. If you really don't want to use minutes, texts, or data, you can switch it off to ensure you do not. But then your phone will work with Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi only.

If you need to connect to the Internet with your laptop but aren't near Wi-Fi, you can consider connecting to your phone as a hotspot, at least as a backup. Your current plan may or may not include hotspot privileges. 

Texting and Minutes

Remember when we had to pay for every text and call? Congratulations, you got to live the glory days again when you travel abroad. Research your cell phone plan's policies: does your plan include international SMS and MMS? Does your plan include international calls, and how much by minute if so?

If you use an iPhone and iMessage, know that iMessage uses data. It is neither SMS not MMS. If you have iMessage enabled, your "texts" will be sent via data, and you'll be charged for data. You can disable iMessage to force SMS.

Communication Apps

Outside of texts and calls, you probably communicate with other systems that all use Wi-Fi or data. For example:

Facebook Messenger

Whatsapp 

FaceTime 

Google Meet

iMessage

If you have Wi-Fi access, you can simply use these services and avoid any texting, calling, and data fees. Turn off data entirely, as described above, to ensure you're using Wi-Fi. 

There are a few free apps that help you find free Wi-Fi signals, although, ironically, you'll need data initially to hunt them down. One example is "Find Wi-Fi and Connect to Wi-Fi" by WeFi. This is super useful for hunting down Wi-Fi to work from, just try to not watch Game of Thrones with their data; have some class and watch Samurai Jack. 


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