Traveling with your cellphone

One of the biggest questions when traveling abroad is what to do with your cellphone and how to keep in contact with those back home. The answer depends on how you want to use your phone and how much you want to pay. Here are the most popular options:

Using your own phone plan:

Many, if not all, mobile plans offer an international plan allowing you to just use your phone as you normally would if you are in the United States. These plans can be comparable to most other options you can find in the country or countries you are visiting.

Verizon wireless
Travel Pass: $6 per day for Canada & Mexico. $12 per day for 200+ other countries.
International Monthly Plan: $100 for 30-days

AT&T
International Day Pass: $12 per day for 200+ countries & $6 for each additional line per day.

T-Mobile
1-Day International Pass: $5 per day for 200+ countries with 512mb of data.
10-Day International Pass: $35 with 5gb of data.
30-Day International Pass: $50 with 15gb data.

Using an International SIM:

Purchasing a prepaid SIM card has it’s advantages and disadvantages, of course. The cost of an international SIM can be as low as $1 per day but averages $9 for unlimited data and text. The downside of this option is requiring an unlocked and physical SIM card slot in your phone. iPhones stopped physical SIM cards in 2022, so the only option for these phones is your own plan or an E-SIM. The other downside to an International SIM; you don’t get to keep and use your phone number.

Using an E-SIM:

The most popular SIM option today as it does not require an unlocked phone, a physical SIM card or changing your mobile number. Costs vary by country, amount of data, and how many days you need to purchase, but expect to pay as little as $20 for one month of usage.

Using Pocket Wi-Fi:

Available in more and more destinations worldwide, this is the best option for those traveling for longer than 5 days or needing data for more than one device at a time. For as little as $5 a day, you can get unlimited data with up to 10 devices at the same time. The one downside is that all users must be within close proximity of the pocket wi-fi to use it. So if you get separated from your party or do different activities, one group will be away from the pocket wi-fi therefore will have no data connection. If you plan to all stay together, this is a great option as everyone can be on the same connection at the same time for one low price.