I am looking for a cell phone to have in Europe only if we need to be reached by someone at home in the event of any emergency. Our last stay is an apartment in Prague which doesn't have a phone...which led me to think maybe I should have a phone with me. We'll also be in Germany, Austria and Budapest for a total of 20 days. Is there an inexpensive recommendation out there? Thanks.

Forgoing the expense and hassle of having a cell phone at hand for an <i>if-maybe-might</i> incoming call, and instead checking your web-based email account daily for messages is what I would do. You can instruct those who might attempt to contact you in an emergency to just email with a message of &quot;call me asap&quot; or similar. You could alternatively purchase an inexpensive calling card and call home daily to see what's up.

TTT. This has come up before and there is a phone you can get for about $35 which has a UK number (I cannot remember the name of the company but hopefully someone who does will see this and respond).

My quad-band phone works in Europe and, personally, I like having it for receiving calls immediately, rather than having to look for a place where I can check e-mail.

If it's only your last place which doesn't have a phone, they can reach you on all other places, and as the others said, you can have e-mail or calling home yourself as an option.

Perhaps one of your friends or acquaintances has a mobile phone they purchased for European travels and they let you borrow it?

www.mobalrental.com
$49 Nokia (yours to keep)
$1.29/min and up for rates
no contract, monthly fees or min.charges

I agree with Intrepid. We use our own tri-band phone (T-Mobile, but I'm sure there must be others). So far, it's worked everywhere we've gone and it's the phone we're already used to. We also use it just for emergencies.

many US carriers now have phones that work abroad. check the one you have, if it's new, it may be a simple matter to activate it. it won't be cheap (1.50 a minute sometimes) but as long as you don't use it like you do at home who cares.

I use T-Mobile, too ... was 'assuming' the OP didn't already have this option.

Hi C,

I also suggest you get the www.mobalrental.com phone.

The phone and the phone number are yours forever.

Ok, if there is an emergency, what can you do? You will be in Europe and unable to be there in time of trouble. The cat is still sick, the sheriff's department probably won't send a deputy to escort you home, and hopefully the caller shut off the water so the basement doesn't flood any more, etc. You probably won't be able to fix the issue so why would you want to learn about it RIGHT NOW.

You're on vacation, enjoy it. Let your co-workers figure out where the toner cartridges are stored.

Put down the phone and enjoy your vacation.

End of rant. Thank you for letting me vent.

Now that I've thought about it for a bit, maybe you do want to know if the sheriff's dept. is at the front door if you want to go into hiding.

ncgrrl, I would like to be told that my parent has fallen deathly ill, or that my house has sustained damage during the zillion hurricanes we have in Florida, even if I am &quot;on vacation&quot;. I would cut my vacation short to return home under circumstances like those.

I don't think I'd like to find out while checking email in an internet cafe 2 days later, either.

No one needs to explain WHY they would personally like to have a phone while traveling.

Thank you for letting me vent.

Yes, hurricanes and sick relatives are good reasons.

My parents were in Europe when Hugo hit (pre web days). No damage to their house and European tv didn't even cover the event. I guess it was kind of strange to return home from vacation and find your adult children living in the house.

But even if they knew, what could they do besides worry? Of course, my parents don't tell me about medical issues and they live 12 miles away. (What, Mom/Dad is having WHAT done WHEN?!?)

Simly buy a prepay phone kit (phone + sim + 10-15&euro; worth of calls) when you arrive in Europe. Here in Munich those kits with all kind of different phones cost between 30&euro; and 50&euro;, occasionally thdere is the 15&euro; and 20&euro; offer. It can be use all over Europe as an emergency phone.

Those of you using T-Mobile, please help me understand my phone. I have T-Mobile (though I always swore I'd never have a cell phone, I purchased this for emergencies and bought T-Mobile expressly because it can be used in Europe.) How to use it in Europe is what I don't know. Do I just put it on and make and take calls like I was in the US? Do I need some special sim card to put in it for Europe? If so, where do I get them? Suppose I also need currency convertor for my recharger, huh? I will be truly greatful for any advice/direction you can give me. Because I've always hated cell phones I've never learned how to use them to advantage. Thanks.

&gt; Do I just put it on and make and take calls like I was in the US?

Right, it will be expensive though

1. You must have a &quot;World Phone&quot; - 3 bands or more
2. You need to ask T-Mobile to activate the International roaming feature
3. You use the same SIM, therefore you keep your usual phone number
4. Each time you change 'areas', you may need to select a service provider, ie. Orange or such
5. If the phone doesn't search for the provider automatically, then you go into Settings menu and ask phone to search for provider (I've got the details written somewhere but that's probably equipment-specific)
6. Calls are $0.99/minute, and no monthly fee or minimum charges (the best rate plan of any of the domestic providers), but the fee is for both incoming and outgoing. We spent $12 one trip and $20 another, just for a few quick calls home (pet sitter, fish pond emergency). This is cheaper than changing to local SIM, however higher usage would be cheaper with local SIM. You would have to ask T-Mobile to unlock the phone in order to do that. (a phone card from a pay phone is even cheaper, of course, but half the purpose is so YOU can be called).
7. FYI to those who go this route: ALL calls, even in US, require the full 10-digit dialing sequence (ie. 1-xxx-123-4567). You can set up a + as short-cut for the country codes for overseas calls. You have the 'phone book' in the phone's memory, but you need to copy it over to the SIM in order to use it overseas. The handbook says it all.

Gosh logos999, you're much better than the booklet. Thanks so much. Really appreciate your complete response to techno-moron questions.

Oops. Just realized that it was Travelnut who provided the lengthy and complete directions. Thanks Travelnut. You could have a future with the xxx for Dummies publishing people.

If you don't already have a cell phone, look at T-Mobile, Cingular, and Verizon. They all offer multi-band phones and European roaming on a normal domestic account.

I've done it, and it works. It requires no setup or extra fees, just a dollar or so per minute when you're out of the country.