Will your cellphone work in another country?? How much will that cost??
These are just a few questions friends and family asked when I told them we were going to Iceland. I’ve heard horror stories about texts and phone calls costing upwards of $10 per day, per phone! Insane! The last thing you want to spend your precious vacation dollars on is cellphone costs.
1. Cellular Data and Roaming
When you arrive in another country and turn off ‘Airplane Mode’, your phone should automatically recognize being out of its regular network. Some cellular carriers will ask if you want to opt-in to a set roaming plan. Typically these cost about $10 per day. I don’t know about you, but cellphone carriers don’t often seem the most forthcoming with potential chargers you’ll incur.
AT&T sent me an automatic message when we landed in Iceland. It was pretty vague and essentially told me it would cost $10 per day to use my data, on top my regular plan. It was unclear if this fee would be per device, if it was just included phone calls, or texts and data usage as well.
We tried this option for the first day, figuring it would be best to use our own devices and we would limit only one phone to be used for phone calls, texts and data usage when not connected to wi-fi. Although the built-in map program was still functional, we did not receive texts and were unable to access the internet unless we were connected to wi-fi. This made travel around an unknown city difficult and potentially somewhat dangerous.
On many bus tours, almost all provide wi-fi. Although this is a great feature, sometimes too many people streaming data at once can be cumbersome and not provide the best experience. This also does not solve the issue of communication at other times during your travel.
2. Buy a New SIM Card
A second option is to purchase a new SIM card for your cell phone When you arrive at your destination airport. Often, cell phone stores and airport convenience stores sell these tiny, money-saving chips. Airlines may also have SIM cards available if you ask the flight attendants. This is the case with WOW Airlines but I did not know that until the trip back home.
Purchasing SIM cards in your desination country cost can around $30 each. If you’re traveling alone or you plan to visit frequently, this might be a cost-effective option. If you have 2 or more phones or devices you plan to use without wifi, purchsasing SIM cards for each device could get expensive. If you do buy a new SIM card, just keep your original card in a safe place so you don’t lose it-you’ll need that when you get back home!
3. Mobile Hotspots
The best solution for staying in contact with your friends back home while traveling to Iceland is definitely a Trawire mobile hotspot. This device was incredibly useful while we roamed the shops and streets of Reykjavik and on sightseeing tours.
Our Trawire modem allows you to know exactly how much you are spending with the unlimited data plan for $9 per day. We were able to take photos and videos on the edge of Gulfoss and as Geysir erupted and send them immediately to family members at home. We were also able to easily make phone calls to check dinner and travel reservations (this was particularly helpful after we got stuck in an elevator for half an hour and were late to a tour pickup!). Most importantly, having a working, dependable cell phone provided immeasurable security to a mother and daughter traveling alone in an unfamiliar country.
The Trawire modem allowed both of us to use the data at the same time without any speed delays. My daughter streamed a few movies while I checked Facebook and my email, on a bus tour and never a problem.
My only complaint about the Trawire modem is that it was a little confusing to set up. The directions are not quite as clear as they could have been, as it seemed a few key pieces of information were missing on the instruction sheet that comes in the box. If you’re confused, and you have wi-fi to call or message customer service, I highly recommend doing so. The customer service was excellent and highly responsive.
Having a modem is one more thing to lug around and keep charged. The device is small enough to fit into your coat pocket without hardly noticing it’s there. The cord is short enough not to get tangled. Just be sure to bring an extra wall block and charge it each night as you would your cell phone. THe battery on this thing lasted at least 10 hours, and when the battery started to get low, we were able to charge it up with one of the portable battery charges in our day bag.
If you want dependable serice at a reasonable price, I highly recommend Trawire mobile hotspot. These devices can be picked up right in the airport in the Arrivals area and again dropped off in the Departures when you’re finsished.
Trawire mobile wifi modems do not disappoint. If you travel to Iceland, let me know what you think of them.
Comment below if you have any other ways to keep your cellphones working in foreign countries!
(All opinions are my own however, this is a sponsored post and I did received a free trial of a Trawire WiFi-modem.)
