{"id":12433,"date":"2017-05-23T03:02:51","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T07:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=12433"},"modified":"2020-09-07T10:47:37","modified_gmt":"2020-09-07T14:47:37","slug":"cell-phone-service-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/cell-phone-service-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do About Cell Phone Service When Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"
I\u2019d guess that most people are reading this on their phone. If not, then I suspect your phone is nearby. As a culture, we have become addicted to our smart devices – and no, it\u2019s not just the younger generations. Our devices give us access to everything: our friends and family hundreds or thousands of miles away, work, the weather, directions to the newest restaurants, etc. And one of the questions I am most commonly asked by folks traveling abroad is what to do about cell phone service.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re planning to spend time outside of your home country and are not too sure what to do with your phone, the good news is that you have options. What you need to identify is how long you are going to be on the road for, since not all options make sense for the quick getaway, long-term visits, or permanent relocation.<\/p>\n
For 12 years, I had the same cell phone carrier. When spending time in the States, the plan was great. Service was reliable, with some exceptions in a few desolate pockets. Then I moved to Nicaragua. I froze my account for the first 3 months I was there and told friends and family at home to reach me via email or Google Voice. While a good money saver, this wasn\u2019t practical when I didn\u2019t have WiFi. It took a few years of playing around with different options to come across the option that made the most sense.<\/p>\n
Below you\u2019ll find a few options that may work for you. Note, this is applicable for a smartphone. \u00a0If you\u2019re still hanging onto a flip phone, we\u2019ll get to that after.<\/p>\n