STAY
CONNECTED
ABROAD
BY SASCHA SEGAN
We all rely on our smartphones, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t keep doing
so while we’re traveling. Mapping and translation apps have opened up the
world in ways that weren’t possible before, and major cities across the globe
now have 3G and 4G networks.
When you’re traveling somewhere that’s relatively populated, you have four
major options.
- Try roaming. All of the major US carriers have international roaming plans.
AT&T’s International Day Pass and Verizon’s TravelPass let you use networks
abroad on your existing plan for $10 per day. Just make sure to set it up before
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and texting. Calls cost $0.20 to $0.25 per minute on those carriers in most
countries, and you can buy “high speed data passes” for $5 per day. If you’re
with Google Fi, you get free high-speed international roaming. These solutions
let you keep your US phone number, and you don’t have to worry about
negotiating with local mobile-phone salespeople.