Mobile phone abroad

I never said I was going to be continually on the phone at everyone's beck and call! I just wanted to access the Internet and not be cut off and isolated. I was glad I was advised to turn off data roaming and there was more free wifi around than I expected. So it worked well without costing an arm and a leg. I didn't want to be clobbered by a huge bill as happened to someone I know.
Thanks to all who replied.
Had a lovely holiday, arrived home to pouring rain! But that doesn't bother me. ?

A holiday I spent with 3 close friends, was spoilt by one of the group, continuously on the phone to her two 30 something children, both married with children, she liked to be in the picture. What is wrong with sorting out places of interest before travelling and talking to those you are with, surely those loved ones just want to know you have arrived safely.

MrsM, agree phone is extremely useful for all the things you mentioned, but I think you are missing Sarah's point which (I think) was that a lot of us go on holiday to have a break from everyday life. You can find places to visit, check the weather forecast, and read the news if you must, in the hotel/on campsite with wifi, and you can play games etc if you're sitting around bored - but you don't really want constant texts & phone calls when you are trying to relax. If you're going to be at everyone's beck and call what's the point of going on holiday? Apart from the weather, you might as well stay at home and save the money!

Hi Sarah.... Well maybe there are still some people for whom a phone is a large black BT device that sits on the hall table all day, but some of us have moved on and use phones for texting, taking photos, watching weather forecast, making phone calls, checking restaurants reviews on tripadvisor, playing games, searching interesting places to visit, reading the news, listening to music, reading books on the kindle app, checking the family is OK, using the maps, using the sat nav, etc etc need I continue?

Shoot me down if you must but how did we manage to go abroad 40 or more years ago without a mobile phone and still return home finding all as we left it.
Why,need a phone unless its a business trip.Don't we have holidays to get away from the stresses and strains of everyday life?
Hotels have phones for you to use, if essential, and yes a phone if you are camping in the middle of nowhere(lucky to get a signal) and for me there is nothing worse than lazing on a beach or by a pool with the constant ringing of phones and shouts of 'hello how lovely to hear from you' when maybe you only spoke to them a few hours ago before boarding your flight.

Agree that you should switch data off & use wifi only - it's usually free in hotels & campsites anywhere but in the UK! Also be aware that in most cases if you pay for a data package it will be uk only so nothing will be inclusive.

I switch the phone off altogether unless I actually need to ring to make a reservation or something locally, or in emergency. That way you're not going to be charged for receiving sales calls or anything. Before you go, tell friends & family to text you if they need to get in contact, and switch the phone on for a few minutes once or twice a day to pick up any texts and send replies.

In our experience, we found that you have to have your phone "unlocked" in the UK, at a cost, but once unlocked, we just buy a Sim card for the country we are visiting, which is almost always beyond Europe. Or buy a phone in the country you are visiting, outside of Europe and the US, which will not be "locked" and can be used anywhere, just by buying a local Sim card. So the costs to make local calls are really, really low, such as 2p to 3p in Kenya. And even calls back to the UK are very cheap. This is with a basic phone, which we now take to the various countries we visit. Free Wi-Fi is widely available, but if you have to resort to an internet café, the costs to access Wi-Fi are minimal. It may be worth keeping your UK phone with you, for back-up. Or Skype is free.

I have not got an i-phone but would like one. I have an ordinary mobile with Tesco. The contract Mumofmadboys has sounds good. I do not use my phone that much. I am going to Canada in June though so would like to update mine instead of taking a Tablet.

What phone is it please?

I have just come back from France but before I left I rang my provider. It cost me an extra £3.50 per day For roaming. I hope this helps.

3 mobile have something they call 'Feel at Home'. Where they have an arrangement with a supplier in other countries, we can just use out minutes and data as if we were at home (same cost, inclusive and if you go beyond your package limit, charges are the same as in the UK). The included countries can be quite quirky. For instance, Singapore isn't included, but Sri Lanka is!

I use Skype calls and get free connections.

I just whattsapped my family, using the hotel's free wfi when I was in Jamaica, Also made phone calls as well. No problems at all and no phone charges. Did set a buffer on charges though just in case.

Hi MrsMopp,

I use my mobile a lot abroad. As has been said, many cafes have wifi but you need to buy a cheap drink. Many tourist offices have free wifi, as do hotels if you're staying in one. My roaming stays off except for a brief period to download emails. Off again whilst I reply, and on again to send. BUT don't open attachments which cost to download until you're on wifi. The horror stories are about youngsters doing what they do at home and watching movies on their mobiles. Do not go there!

New EU regulations came in a few weeks ago to STOP the high charges!!

Ring your company to ask them what they now are. Tesco send you a text to tell you the prices when you go abroad.

Hi. I have a contract with 3 (Three) for £8 per month, which allows me to use my mobile allowed monthly minutes and data in Europe the same as if I'm in the U.K. Have a look at them online and see if it applies for the country you are travelling to. I spend a lot of time in Spain and this covers me for 60 days annually away.

Turn off your answer phone on your mobile. Surprisingly this costs a FORTUNE! I'd check with your mobile provider what's best for the country you're visiting.

Turn off mobile data or buy a local SIM card for when you absolutely must use data.

Otherwise use the free wifi whenever you prefer not engage with the people around you.

The newEU regulations are now in place and the European companies are no longer allowed to charge the high roaming charges when you are abroad in EU. Ring your phone supplier to ask their charges. We are with Tesco and you cannot use your 'free' credit abroad but the rest of their charges are about the same as UK. Many places have free wifi too.
Just another benefit we have while we are still in the EU.

Have you looked at 3? (Disclaimer: I'm nothing to do with the company!). You can get a sim-only deal with them that on their Advanced plans (about £10 a month) let you use all your UK data, calls etc with no extra roaming cost. I go to Europe a lot and got so fed up with leaving my phone on Airplane mode or being scared to actually use it or having to search out a wifi zone, and this has really been great for me. www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Plans_for_phones#?contract=All&data=2&minutes=200&type=advanced

Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated. We are going to Italy. Will search for free wifi as advised and turn off data roaming. Don't want to be clobbered by a big bill! ?

Just turn off the data and use free WiFi. There will be plenty of places which have it. Texts are usually very cheap. You'll get a text when you arrive in the new country telling you what all the costs are.

Loads of free WiFi abroad these days. When cruising we follow the crew in the ports - they always know where to go!

Having had experience of huge (£1k plus) bills for roaming data from our work phone bills I would recommend you turn off the 3g and only connect via wifi (3g takes precedence so it's best to turn it of completely. It depends where you are going and your network provider - give them a ring before you go and ask about their roaming packages. If it's outside Europe you might be better buying a local SIM if you think you're going to need it - my husband did this in NZ so that he could keep in touch with our son over there which worked well. Also beware of someone calling you from the UK - the call cost is on your bill. Data roaming is usually what racks the bills up so better to be forewarned and forearmed before you travel. Have a great holiday

Yes, the best thing is to set a safety buffer on your account, as per momb's post. I never have a clue what I should do with my phone settings abroad, but at least I know I'll never face a big bill when I get back! I always take my kindle along and use that too in conjunction with any free WiFi.

Where are you going? You need to check that your phone has 4g or 3G at least or it won't work. That's the sim stuff you were asking about. Your contract may only apply to Britain and any other charges will have to be authorised either through setting up a pre decided buffer or a prepay depending on who you are with.
Turn off the roamed unless you need it say to find out where you are when you are lost! The charges can be colossal! And you won't know until you get the bill! A casual download can be ruinous.
Surprisingly the more exotic/remote the country the better the wifi. Think this is because other forms of communication are so poor. Most hotels have it now even quite small ones and lots of cafes/bars.
Can you get to a shop run by your provider? They will explain and set up your phone for you.