3 Ways to Stay Connected While Traveling Abroad

The age-old dilemma of travelers: how can you stay connected while traveling abroad? Maybe you need to use your map app to find directions. Or Skype your parents to let them know you’re alive and well. Maybe you just need to post to Instagram to make all your friends jealous of your travels. Whatever the reason, let’s face it. Being connected to the internet is important in today’s world. Have no fear, I figured out how to conquer this problem! And not only that, but you have options to fit into what works best with your schedule.

How do you stay connected while on a camel in Morocco?

International/Global Roaming Daily Phone Service Plan

I remember a time when there was no global roaming mobile plan and you had to pay exorbitant fees to use local cell towers. True story: I once had a $700 phone bill from one month in Mexico.

Then, I remember a time when business owners could get your regular service plan abroad for $10 a month. BUT you had to have a business plan to get this perk. Now, the $10 international service plan is available to us small folk as well.

If I knew that phone bill was going to be $700, I wouldn't be giving that thumbs up! Flip phones were not the way to go in Mexico — If I knew that phone bill was going to be $700, I wouldn’t be giving that thumbs up! Flip phones were not the way to go in Mexico

There’s not much to it. Call up your service provider and let them know you’re traveling abroad. They will click a button on their end and turn on the option for the International Plan. It gets activated when you go on your phone abroad and charges you $10 a day, and you get the same exact plan as your plan at home. For example, I have 8gb of data when I’m home; I had 8gb of data when I went to Bermuda. No extra fees, no slow data, no extra data usage, nothing. Just like using my phone at home! Super easy.

And the bright side? You get to keep your same phone number.

Stay Connected Using A Local SIM Card

If you’re going abroad for a long time, $10 a day can add up. If you’re away for a month, that’s $300 to use your phone abroad!

Another option I discovered while living in Spain is to buy a local SIM card. You can buy them pretty cheap. I paid 5 euros for my SIM card in my small town in Spain. In the cities, it could get up to 30 euros, so check around for good prices.

Find a local convenience shop, like this plaza in Cadiz, Spain, and get a local SIM. Not only does it save on roaming costs, it makes you look like a local to have a local phone number

There are also options. If you don’t plan to be on data much, you can get a smaller plan for cheaper. If you’re going into the wilderness where there’s no WiFi anywhere and you’ll need a lot of data, get a bigger plan for a little extra money.

The downside? Getting a local SIM card will change your number. Which is cool if you want a local number, but unless you have an Apple phone with iMessage, people trying to get in touch with your old number won’t be able to reach you. But with Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, iMessaging, and everything else out there, odds are they will be able to contact you.

Skyroam Solis, A Mobile WiFi Hotspot

Another great option to ensure you don’t use any roaming data is the Skyroam global hotspot. Skyroam is a great option for jet setters who don’t want to use up their data on their home plan in the middle of their trip.

Skyroam kept me connected in Aruba without using any of your own plan's data — Skyroam kept me connected in Aruba without using any of your own plan’s data

I love the Skyroam Solis and carry it with me every time I go abroad. The hotspot costs $149.99 and you have it forever. You can buy daypasses as needed for $10 a day, which provide unlimited data for 24 hours at a time. Not only is it a WiFi hotspot, it’s also a power bank to charge your phone for all those selfies at the beach!

Skyroam even kept me connected in the remote areas of Iceland, like in a frozen glacial lagoon

The Skyroam is small and fits in a pocket, purse, or backpack easily. The 4G capabilities make uploading, searching the Internet, or getting directions super fast. Not using any of my own data was a perk too! Just don’t go streaming movies on it and you’ll have fast WiFi for hours.

The Skyroam Solis accompanied me to Spain to keep my friends jealous just about every minute of the day

If you’re interested, you can read more about my Skyroam Solis review here. If you don’t trust me yet, read what Forbes has to say about the Skyroam here.

So there you have it, my three favorite ways to stay connected while traveling abroad. Of course using WiFi only is an option, but not the best option if you go off the grid at all (like I do). All of these methods are great and work well and I use them all!

Full disclaimer: If you buy a Skyroam using my code, I will make a small commission on your purchase but it doesn’t change the price for you or my opinion of the product.

How do you stay connected while traveling abroad? Give me some more ideas in the comments below, or tell me how any of these methods work for you!

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