It is always easier to get the things you are used to when you are home. Even for communication services which you enjoy in the comfort of your home, there is never a day that goes by that you begin to doubt whether the telephone or network services you are used to will be there in the morning. Your phone is a major part of your day, and when you travel, you expect to enjoy the same services, which unfortunately are never the same and you need to get on a phone service plan immediately you land. This article will guide you through making the right decision when searching for a good phone service plan while travelling.
Duration-Based Plan
If you are going abroad for just a short stint, then there is no point in getting a long contract. You can simply get a burner phone and some pre-paid credits to help you navigate. You will still use your old phone for browsing and social media via WiFi but for texts and calls, you can consider the prepaid options because they are manageable and you only use then when you really have to. Furthermore, you could be lucky enough to land in a country with really cheap calling rates for prepaid users and this will be a nice way to begin your travels.
However if you plan on staying for much longer, then a Pay-As-You-Go option is the best way to manage your call costs. If there is an international phone package that is affordable, it will be better than prepaid options since the packages will have better offers in calls and data.
Locked Versus Unlocked Phones
Locked phones are locked to a particular carrier and will not work when you move somewhere where the carrier does not operate. This is the same mobile phone plans situation in Australia. Most phone contracts feature locked phones since both the phone and the mobile plans in Australia come in one package. This strategy helps the network carrier to force the user to buy data and call bundles through their channels, and this assures them of ready users and income. Unlocked phones on the other hand can use any sim card from any carrier, thereby giving the user a variety of carrier options. There is no contractual link between the phone company and the carrier and therefore the user has a lot more leverage in which device they can use.
When travelling, it is important to bring an unlocked phone as this will enable you to simply use a local sim card and continue using your phone as normal. You can walk into any shop and purchase a sim card from any network without worrying whether the network will dictate which phone to use.
International Carriers
Some carrier networks operate beyond borders and so long as the same network is in your destination you can continue using a locked phone. However, there might be some additional roaming charges but this will be minimal if the carrier network is the same.
