Ciao again Italy travelers!

It's getting closer and closer...our trip is a few weeks away and we have some useful information coming up for you. You may have noticed that we like to send it as a slow drip instead of inundating you via the firehouse method! 🙂

Have you ever come home from an international trip and opened your phone bill to a staggering and unanticipated sum?! If not, then please know that this can certainly happen. In this digital age, we’ve grown accustomed to staying connected and well-informed. While traveling with me, you may want to seamlessly call back home, navigate through cities on your own, or at least find your way back to a rendezvous point.

Having a way to navigate can be extremely important as you will be free to roam, eat, shop, and soak up all of the atmosphere! From time-to-time we will have a designated meeting time and spot and we may provide you with a map link to navigate to that meeting location. So, please make sure that you and/or your traveling partner have access to data, so that you can seamlessly get to the meeting location, if needed.

First, you’ll want to activate an international plan with your cell phone service provider. This will allow you to not only have cell phone service while abroad but also tap into data if needed. When in a foreign country, wireless access is available but not always guaranteed, so the ability to use cellular service is a bonus.

AT&T

International Day Pass

Add this free option to your account via the online portal prior to traveling. Each day that you use data, talk or send a text in any of the 210+ included countries, you’ll be charged $12/day for 1 line and $6/day for each additional line used on the same day. They cap to a maximum of 10 daily fees per line per monthly bill cycle (i.e., $100/month for the first line if used >10 days in a given month). We feel this is a great deal if you want to use your phone exactly like you do at home.

If you are certain you will not use your phone except in the most extreme case, AT&T defaults to “pay-per-use rates” including $2.00/minute calls from Europe. Text messages run $0.50/message. If you include pictures and/or video in your text messages they charge $1.30/message. Data rates are $2.05/MB.

Verizon

TravelPass

Add this feature by texting TRAVEL to 4004 or through the online portal. With TravelPass your wireless plan travels with you. You are charged $12/day per device on the days you use calls, send texts or use data. High-speed data is capped after the first 0.5 GB/day. After that, you'll have 2G reduced speeds data and then if you still need more they will send you a text to opt in to more data. If you happen to be a member of VerizonUp you may be able to claim a Free TravelPass day.

Verizon’s default “pay as you go” rates are $1.79 for talk, $0.50 for texts you send and $0.05 for texts that you receive and $0.25 for (both send and receive) multimedia texts. Data is charged at $2.05/MB.

T-Mobile

Check with T-Mobile to determine what plan you currently have.

The Magenta®, T-Mobile ONE™, Simple Choice™, and Select Choice plans provide unlimited 5G data, unlimited texting and calling for $0.25 per minute. The T-Mobile Essentials plan provides unlimited text and calling at $0.25 per minute (but not data). If you have one of these plans, there is no need to add a separate feature or service to your account. International roaming is included in qualifying plans at no extra charge.

Data speeds abroad with T-Mobile may not be fast enough to stream music or movies or to use GPS apps extensively. If you think that you want a more high-speed streaming experience, there are several packages that you can purchase.

**These are current international plans for the largest U.S. cell phone carriers at the time of this writing. Please check with your personal provider to confirm these plans and for more details on how best to activate your desired international coverage.

Hot Tip: We all mindlessly pick up our phones and start browsing social media or searching for information without thinking twice about the effects on our future wireless bill. If you want to alert yourself that you are about to dip into your international plan, keep your phone in airplane mode while in foreign countries. This forces you to decide whether you want to turn on your data.



As always, if you have questions about anything at all regarding your tour, we are here for you!