Communicating while in Europe
May 8th, 2006, 08:04 PM
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Communicating while in Europe
We're traveling to Germany, Italy and France this summer with our kids, 15 and 12. We'd like to have cell phones with us, primarily for local calls (ie allowing kids to wander off by themselves from time to time, making reservations, etc), with the occasional call to/from the US. I have tried to follow the threads on this forum, but admit that I'm still hopelessly confused as to our best option. Our provider here in the US is Verizon. Any recommendations appreciated.
May 8th, 2006, 08:21 PM
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I'm in Canada, so don't have Verizon. However, I've looked into this with my cellphone provider, and it seems to me the best solution will be to keep our current phones with us, and just text-message each other. The cost for this will be minimal. We'll have to tell our provider before we leave so they can set us up.
I'd look on the Verizon web site and see if they have information about roaming, service in Europe, and text-messaging while overseas.
I'd look on the Verizon web site and see if they have information about roaming, service in Europe, and text-messaging while overseas.
May 8th, 2006, 08:22 PM
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For your phone calls to the US, I'd recommend a phone card that you purchase at a local corner store type place, once you get to each country. I'd then head to the nearest payphone. wouldn't use the cellphone for these calls, just so I could be sure of the cost and could talk as long as I wanted without worrying about the bill.
May 8th, 2006, 10:50 PM
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Your Verizon phone doesn't work in Europe. I'll need to buy (or rent, if cost isn't an issue) a GSM 900/1800 Mhz phone and a SIM card. Look on ebay and the other numerous threads explaining how to. (Search for United-Mobile, Riiing, O9, xyz123, Callbackworld, CBWorld)
May 8th, 2006, 11:49 PM
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using landline through broadband connection will point to vonage or equivalent by bringing your adapter from the states. this is the best ever in utilizing local access call from any city outside of the US through broadband connection.
May 8th, 2006, 11:58 PM
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Yes international calls using calling cards very cheap for calls to USA via landlines but they need or want a mobile phone to keep in contact with each other...complicated by fact they will be in 3 countries.
Best way to keep in touch simply is with text messaging each other and if you had a gsm carrier in the USA that would probably be the direction one would suggest...
International cards such as united-mobile are a possibility and probably the best direction right now...you can get 2 united-mobile sims plus open up an account with callbackworld to call each other...united-mobile alas is not all that good for text messaging (as a matter of fact it stinks) so you could call each other using callbackworld although it is a little bit of a pain to make calls using callbackworld (read up on it using a search function)...
There are some real experts on this on the forums at www.prepaidgsm.net....why don't you go there and try them.
The mobile phone part here is complicated...I know what I would suggest if only 1 phone were needed or if only 1 country were involved...
Actually depending on which country you hit first, assuming it's Germany, you might also consider Vodafone DE along with Vodafone Passport (although it has a long name in German)...that way you can text each other and calls between each other are billed no matter where you are at local German rates with a 75 euro cent surcharge (not too bad) for each call and very reasonable prices for text messages...seems the best solution to the problem and most economical..
Unfortunately I don't have a simple answer for you.
Best way to keep in touch simply is with text messaging each other and if you had a gsm carrier in the USA that would probably be the direction one would suggest...
International cards such as united-mobile are a possibility and probably the best direction right now...you can get 2 united-mobile sims plus open up an account with callbackworld to call each other...united-mobile alas is not all that good for text messaging (as a matter of fact it stinks) so you could call each other using callbackworld although it is a little bit of a pain to make calls using callbackworld (read up on it using a search function)...
There are some real experts on this on the forums at www.prepaidgsm.net....why don't you go there and try them.
The mobile phone part here is complicated...I know what I would suggest if only 1 phone were needed or if only 1 country were involved...
Actually depending on which country you hit first, assuming it's Germany, you might also consider Vodafone DE along with Vodafone Passport (although it has a long name in German)...that way you can text each other and calls between each other are billed no matter where you are at local German rates with a 75 euro cent surcharge (not too bad) for each call and very reasonable prices for text messages...seems the best solution to the problem and most economical..
Unfortunately I don't have a simple answer for you.
May 9th, 2006, 03:38 AM
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Intrepid 1....
Verizon does not use GSM which is a prerequisite for use on European networks.
They have very few phones, actually I am only aware of 1, which work both on CDMA (their system) and GSM....but it's very very expensive. They also are willing to rent you a GSM phone and provide a sim card but again at very high prices and renting a mobile phone in this day and age doesn't make any sense, especially in this case when as noted we are talking about communicating with each other during stays in 3 different countries.
It is indeed the "problem" if we may call it that with Verizon that complicates this discussion and the fact most of the international mobile phone cards do not excel at text messaging as well.
Or maybe somebody smarter than me, and I know there are at least a few people who feel they are smarter than me, can come up with a nice simple solution to cover all the bases here.
Verizon does not use GSM which is a prerequisite for use on European networks.
They have very few phones, actually I am only aware of 1, which work both on CDMA (their system) and GSM....but it's very very expensive. They also are willing to rent you a GSM phone and provide a sim card but again at very high prices and renting a mobile phone in this day and age doesn't make any sense, especially in this case when as noted we are talking about communicating with each other during stays in 3 different countries.
It is indeed the "problem" if we may call it that with Verizon that complicates this discussion and the fact most of the international mobile phone cards do not excel at text messaging as well.
Or maybe somebody smarter than me, and I know there are at least a few people who feel they are smarter than me, can come up with a nice simple solution to cover all the bases here.
May 9th, 2006, 05:58 AM
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This doesn't answer your cell phone question, but a nice thing to do is to give some loved ones back home with fax machines the fax number to the hotels where you will be staying.
Every evening, my parents would summarize the day's news or happenings (Piston's scores too) and even sometimes a photo, and fax it to our hotel so that when we woke up in the morning, we had a little newsletter from home. The cost to them was minimal and it was an easy way to be assured all was well without having to try to coordinated times to talk.
Every evening, my parents would summarize the day's news or happenings (Piston's scores too) and even sometimes a photo, and fax it to our hotel so that when we woke up in the morning, we had a little newsletter from home. The cost to them was minimal and it was an easy way to be assured all was well without having to try to coordinated times to talk.
May 10th, 2006, 08:58 PM
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Each time I leave Australia, I connect my mobile phone to Global Roaming via my provider Telstra. Then, when I use the phone in Europe, I am connected to the nearest participating provider in Europe. The bill is paid as usual in Australia to Telstra. Does such a service not exist among US providers?
May 10th, 2006, 10:10 PM
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adeben...
The problem in this case is the original poster's home mobile company uses a technology completely alien to those in Europe and doing as you do is totally impossible...had they had a gsm provider, that would be an alternative although global roaming is quite expensive.
The problem in this case is the original poster's home mobile company uses a technology completely alien to those in Europe and doing as you do is totally impossible...had they had a gsm provider, that would be an alternative although global roaming is quite expensive.
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