BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm going to Morocco, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia next month. I'm looking into getting a world phone in case of family emergency at home(USA). Anyone had good.bad experiences with any companies? Also some companies seem to rent one (phone)for Africa and a seperate one for Europe. Am looking to rent one world phone for a month to cover the contries listed. thanks
andy

So you get a tri-band phone off of eBay and then buy a different SIM card whenever you go to a new country.
OR you use your current SIM card in a tri-band phone and pay an arm and a leg for each call.

Apart from whatever the rental fee is, calls to/from global phone systems will no doubt be ultra expensive.
I'd consider buying the cheapest of GSM phones in the first country you land in, making sure it is just a pay as you go starter pack connection (via a SIM card)to network and that the phone is unlocked - that is, can take SIM card starter packs from other networks as you move from country to country.
Have a look at www.telestial.com re technical side of it all.
But look, how many family emergencies really occur in any other month at home!

I would recommend email anyway. Time zone differences and all.
It's not like you will be able to do much immediately anyway. Email will work for your needs.
My recommendation: don't take along a phone.

(Salmo99 will insist that you do bring one, however)

I have a quad band GSM phone which works every where apart from Korea and Japan but these days I use SKYPE voice over IP. I have found this cheaper and mosre effective than the phone as I carry my laptop for work anyway. SKYPE is awesome....

As for costs of using my phone abroard it isnt too bad but I always try, when I cant use SKYPE, to buy phone cards. This is often the best way forward...

Philip

Will use Skype for most, but the phone is for emergency use, will be gone for a month on this trip and my dad is 86. So I need an emergency phone just in case, not an everyday type communication. ------ So I have the idea on the phone, where do you purchase SIMS cards. Do I buy one for each country, (In the Airport)? Found a compay Mobal. Phone $49.-$99 (no rental you own the phone) no fee unless you use it. has card in it. calls back home $1.49 min. varies to other countries. But as an "Emergency use only" type phone it has no contract or fees. Is this any better/worse than buying a phone on ebay and then buying individual sims cards? Thanks

Andy (ready to go apr. 4 for Morocco, Germany, Slovakia)

motorla pebl has worked great for me. im always too lazy to go get a SIM card.. but then again i dont use it unless its for emergencies anyway. well, that and to tell time! yeah, it costs a lot if you dont get a new SIM card, but.. well at least for me, the $2 per min dwarfed in comparison to finding out that my grandma was in the hospital. also, i usually forget to find out how to call home from the phone (which may actually be a good thing), but anyone from back home can call me just like normal. not sure if this is just for tmobile though.

oh, i forgot to add. the tmobile international callign plan, is just an add on (activation is free, and all you pay for are the minutes used).. you can keep your regular plan as well.

Try 09mobile. Google them. I've just got one of there SIM's for my RTW trip and it seems pretty good. 35euro's and put it into your own mobile as long as its unlocked.

If it is just going to be for the once or twice "if" situation, then if you can do an international calling add on like xoom suggests then that'd be sure the cheapest way to go and then get a phone card for calling back as Phil says.
If pursuing the GSM/SIM card approach unless it is set up for international, then you'll still need a SIM card for each country network, depend on country/network whether you can get them at a shop or kiosk in airport and I'd be wary on buying one from Ebay re being certain it was unlocked and everything else was functional, but if a new one with right features, could be OK.

I did a bit of research on this recently and what gonorth is saying is spot on.

But one of the benefits of having a phone with a sim card from the country you are in is that other travelers can send a message to your phone to try and hook up "hey we're over here now, come join us." Plus I can see the uses for getting reservations at your next stay etc.

But what do I know, I'm a greenhorn.

I'm planning to buy a quad band phone on ebay, then buy a local Sim card in South Africa. I'm also planning to use a call back service with the phone, so I can make calls to the States since there are free incoming calls. Can anyone suggestion good call back services, or have experience with good quad band phones on ebay?

I just want something cheap to make a few "call back" calls to the States and to make a few calls here and there to friends within the country while I'm traveling.

I used Skype when I can to call back home, very low cost. For an emergency phone I carry a Mobal phone (have had i for three years)good support from the company. If you text message it can be cheap.

What GoNorth said.

Gsm phones are used pretty much all over the world, and their prices are low. They come automatically unlocked, once you get past the unlocking for the particular country, which the vendors will help you with.

Buy sim cards for every country you stay some time in. If you still feel insecure, use an expensive Roaming phone, and only use it for emergencies. But, for those all important social connections inside the countries, the sim cards are usually the best bet.

In spain, you have to be careful what sim card you get. My phone charges 5 cents a minute to call other countries, 18 cents to call inside spain. Other plans are cheaper in country, barely, and very expensive outcountry. So, look for the best plans that suit you.

Oh, in holland, its hard to find a public phone that doesn't use a special card that you have to buy, and using it sucks up the money. Its best to get a sim card there for sure.

Every country is different.