Travel and Phones

[snoWYmonkey]

I certainly don't want this to turn political...and I suppose I've known this is a possibility (immigration officials can search your phone/laptop/ipad/etc), but is this actually happening often enough for this to be a concern where you would be deleting apps prior to arrival?

I do not either and realized after I posted how it might be perceived as such, yet it was more just where my brain is at. Hard to know and will post if I notice a change as I reenter.

 

[Jenny]

T-Mobile has free texting in Europe.
The other thing to do is to get a burner phone and buy a e-sim card. They are pretty cheap. That's what my friends who travel intl all the time do. The phone just needs to be unlocked.

Do they buy the phones in the country they're traveling in, or do they get them here ahead of time?

 

[Jenny]

Can you just delete those apps for your trip, then reinstall? And even if you lose your phone, is it actually very likely someone would be able to get into your accounts via those apps? Won't you want to use your own phone for photos?

I've had free international service with T Mobile for so long that the idea of getting another phone or a sim for international travel sounds really annoying. The last time I had to buy a sim was in Spain in 2011.

I could, and I don’t know how easy it would be for anyone to get into them if they weren’t on the phone. But I really would like to just make sure that someone smarter than I am couldn’t poke around and find them, and then go exploring/purchasing/changing AppleID or passwords or anything like that.

As for pictures, we have a small digital camera already, and if newer ones aren’t that much better I think it would be fine. Phone pics would definitely be more convenient, and older Samsung’s always had great cameras well before my iPhone finally caught up, so I’m thinking I could get a reasonably cheap Samsung with decent camera and connectivity. Because I also, as someone further down thread mentions, want to be able to monitor cc usage if necessary and we’ll want to use maps for wandering around. Not to mention having airline contact and various tour companies able to contact us.

We both currently have T Mobile, but my siblings and mom have Verizon, I think, so we’ll likely have to use an app for texting anyway.

 

[Jenny]

This is so interesting because my mind immediately went to the current concerns with phones being looked at by immigration officials coming back into the US rather than concerns while actually traveling outside of the country. I am coming back to the States in a little over a week and will almost certainly be deleting my social media accounts from my phone even though I don't post anything controversial on those platforms.

Also something that I’ve been thinking about. While we're not on any social media, and don’t text/email anything that should be concerning to anyone, my feeling is that my life is none of their business and I’ll do what I can to make sure it stays that way.

 

[Jenny]

I do not either and realized after I posted how it might be perceived as such, yet it was more just where my brain is at. Hard to know and will post if I notice a change as I reenter.

Looking forward to an update of how it is coming back and what you see happening to others, as well.

 

[marzNC]

We both currently have T Mobile, but my siblings and mom have Verizon, I think, so we’ll likely have to use an app for texting anyway.

WhatsApp has worked fine for texting. My daughter went to Europe a week before I did. We have a 1-1 link, one for her and her godmother who was hosting her along with me, plus one that is for her and I to stay in touch with my husband and her BF. She also has a 1-1 link with her father.

 

[mustski]

I've had to use WhatsApp for texting with friends who live in Europe/UK - even while visiting. It's also been necessary for communicating with taxi drivers and Airbnb managers.

 

[Jenny]

I've had to use WhatsApp for texting with friends who live in Europe/UK - even while visiting. It's also been necessary for communicating with taxi drivers and Airbnb managers.

Gonna have to figure out google translate, too, lol. I can learn some basic phrases between now and September, but nothing fancy.

 

[mustski]

Google translate is very helpful!

 

[BlueSkies]

We just returned (last weekend) from Belgium and an overnight in London. Other than a longer line through customs since it was a weekend, I didn't notice anything different from the trips we've taken to Europe (5) in the past 5 years.

 

[santacruz skier]

Going to Puerto Vallarta next month (usually go every year) and always bring my phone and have never worried about it. I don't do any banking when traveling nor do I check my credit cards or bank balances. I've always brought my phone on European trips as well using wi fi or what's app. Have also paid extra for one month for data etc.

 

[geargrrl]

E-sim for sure. I use an E-Sim as I have found it's very affordable. Most US plans that have international are very spendy and will throttle you; not unlimited. Changing a physical sim card is a pain in the butt. Our provider of choice is Holafly. It's as simple as placing your order and scanning a QR to get it set up. We then use WhatsApp for calls and text. If you need to have actual cell phone and SMS an esim won't work.

I just returned from 3 weeks in Italy. I thought about doing the burner phone thing. Instead I delete all my SM prior to loading my return flight and reinstalled it once stateside.

 

[geargrrl]

Anyone do anything special when they travel overseas with their phones? I'm considering a burner of some sort for Rome - something that's not tied to my Apple account. My daily phone has financial apps for home and work (as much as I tried to not do that, I caved, and they proliferated) and I just don't think I need the worry when I'm over there. Would just need something to be able to communicate with the others on the trip, on the off chance we get separated. And to be able to respond to messages from the states.

We just spent 3 weeks in Italy. We needed to use google translate exactly one time.

 

[santacruz skier]

I should have added my plan includes unlimited text/data in Mexico and Canada....

 

[2ski2moro]

I travel to Europe twice a year, on average.

The critical piece of info is to own your phone, so you’re not tied to an agreement with ATT or Verizon. They most probably won’t let you add a European SIM if you are financing/monthly plan.

I have a Vodafone E-SIM. The plan is Callya, a prepaid plan. In January, I paid 20€ for 20gigs of data for 30 days. There’s a bonus, as of today, for 30 gigs for 20€

It’s valid all over Europe, so changing countries is not as difficult as it was 10 years ago.

I disconnect my local US line and activate my Euro SIM when I land. I get no US messages, but I get email.

if you keep your US number active, watch out for your message app scanning for messages, you pay for US data during those scans.

I use WhatsApp to call friends, so I don’t pay international rates at home or abroad.

I use my phone for photos, maps, CarPlay, buying public transportation tickets, tour tickets, boarding passes etc.

My credit card notifies me of all charges through my phone/Apple Watch.

I would be lost without my phone.

if you keep your phone, I recommend that you turn off all Cellular data before you land. Using WiFi is fine. Go to a local cell phone provider and they will help you connect to an ESIM or SIM card.

It’s the cheapest way.

In theory, you could buy a burner phone and a SIM card there. Depending on the service provider you choose, it is possible that you need a local address to activate.

Clear as mud? Ask me questions.

 

[geargrrl]

We *just* got hubs a new phone yesterday under a 2 years promotion. Verizon let me know that it's only provider locked for 30-60 days now, not two years. So we should be set to got for travel this fall.

E Sims can be purchased online installed and be ready to turn on before you travel. There is no need to go anywhere to get one; buy it online ahead of time. www.holafly.com is what we use.

I do pretty much same as 2ski2moro..... turn off US plan (text and phone), load euro eSim, use WhatsApp for calls/messages on WIFI or data, everything on phone. The only issue I've had is with texted two step verification as I had texts (SMS/RCS) turned off. Not a big deal as it was for a train line app.

 

[Bookworm]

Do they buy the phones in the country they're traveling in, or do they get them here ahead of time?

you can use your own phone or just buy a burner phone here.

 

[wernerslab]

Do they buy the phones in the country they're traveling in, or do they get them here ahead of time?

When I was in London years ago(15-20?), I bought my phone and a physical sim from a shop there. I kept the phone for years and used it if I went back(until it became outdated, 5 yrs). When I looked in the last year, even "cheap" burners plus a sim to use for only a couple of weeks started to seem more costly than I wanted not to mention tedious e.g adding "getting to a shop" on my list of things to do when I only have 10-14 days vacation. This is when I decided that figuring out how to make my US phone work internationally would probably be cheaper and frustrate me less (not to mention my husband and kid). It took some time but worked out great. If you are worried about your phone, suggest Investigating the eSIM route which you can set up while here and then activate when you get there, esp if you have dual eSIM capability.

 

[Christy]

We both currently have T Mobile

Doesn't everyone's explanations of the hoops they jump through to have international service put you off? To me (also on T Mobile) it sounds like the dark ages. We don't have to do anything and we get all the same services we get in the US.

My understanding is that it's quite difficult to access private info on a stolen phone and that thieves are usually looking to either do a factory reset so they can sell the phone, or they sell it for parts.

 

[Amie H]

I bought a burner phone for a trip to Canada recently to be on my person crossing BACK into the US for similar concerns mentioned by others on this thread. It was a $59.95 unlocked"Blu" brand Android phone from Best Buy with dual SIM slot AND can work on US and "rest of the world" frequencies. Bought a $2 Mint mobile SIM with a 7 day trial. All I loaded on it were some critical contacts, a browser, google maps, and some mindless games. Zero social media, no email app, no apps for the newspapers I read, no banking or work app, no music, no texts except some "clean" ones I sent to various people alerting them of my number while I was traveling. The camera on it is crap but were I taking pics/vid, I'd have been using my GoPro. I created a new Gmail account specifically to associate with the apps on the phone.

My husband travels to Mexico a few times a year, so we felt it was a worthwhile, inexpensive tool to have for our travel kit.

It turned out that getting back in to the US, for me, was a tad easier because I have Global Entry. I was asked a lot of questions at the Canadian border. (I crossed the border each way twice that weekend.) On my second crossing to the US the agent nicely pointed out that if I enjoyed visiting the area, I should apply for a NEXUS card - that the Global Entry card really only helps coming back to the US.

It's on my "to do" list!

My folks are in France rn and got a new burner phone for the trip and loaded his contacts in BEFORE leaving town, then bought a SIM in the airport after landing. He texted us with the number once he installed the new sim. Same deal: no apps other than messaging, maps, and maybe airline app?