 Durant
& Cheryl Imboden'sEurope for Visitors europeforvisitors.com |
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Cellular Phones in EuropeHow to rent or buy a phone if you're visiting from the United States or Canada
ABOVE: With a GSM phone from Cellular Abroad, you can exchange a Grüss or a Tschüss while you schuss. by Durant Imboden When you're traveling in Europe, it's convenient--and reassuring--to have a cell phone that keeps you in touch with family, friends, and colleagues back home. Unfortunately for American visitors, most cell phones that work in the U.S. and Canada don't work overseas--or, if they do, horrendous "roaming rates" make them impractical for leisure travel. (I've heard horror stories about tourists whose phone bills have racked up hundreds or even thousands of dollars in roaming fees.) What's the solution? Here's mine: Buy or rent a phone that's compatible with the international GSM standard, and use plug-in "SIM cards" to make calls at European rates. On my own trips, I use phones from Cellular Abroad, a U.S.-based company that supplies internationally compatible mobile phones to everyone from leisure travelers to Hollywood film crews. Using the international cell phone is easier and more convenient than calling home from a pay phone or with a calling card--and during a stay at a Rome hospital that had no phone in the room, the phone let me keep in touch with home and rebook flights. (After that experience, I wouldn't dream of traveling without the phone and Cellular Abroad's Talk Abroad SIM card, which works with any unlocked GSM phone--including those that Cellular Abroad sells or rents, such as the Duet D888 Travel Phone.) Next page: Using a GSM phone and SIM card
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