In preparation for your Independent Adventures, organizing internet access for your arrival in a new land is among the most vital.
Modern day travel is made easy through technology, and though there’s sometimes offline alternatives, having internet access at your fingertips makes everything simple.
Because everyone’s situation is different so there’s no one size fits all solution.
Easy but expensive
When I travel it’s important, for work reasons, that I have access to incoming calls and texts from my Australian mobile phone number. With that in mind I set up something called Global Roaming.
Global Roaming, as the name suggests, allows you to make and receive calls, texts and data, in almost any country via the phone you use at home.
There is one major drawback with Global Roaming though, it can be very expensive. In a future post I will fully explain how to keep the cost under control, but until that time, I do not recommend it.
Before you go
Probably the easiest option it to purchase a “Travel SIM” from a retailer before you leave home. This option gives you the peace of mind that you are sorted from day 1.
A quick look via your favorite search engine will find plenty of options from the major telecom companies, as well as specialists such as SIM Corner
On my last trip to South America, I used one from SIM Corner for data only and found it simple to use. Simply go to the website, pick the country or region you’re traveling to, the amount of data required and you’re good to go.
A few days later you’ll receive your SIM in the mail. Full instructions are in the package but they are pretty straight forward. On arrival at your destination just plug it into your smartphone, register and go.
Buy local
Another great option is getting yourself a local SIM on arrival at your destination. Most airports and major train stations will have local SIMs available for tourists, often at a fantastic price.
The advantage of buying one on arrival is that the cost will usually be lower and you can choose the best local network. If buying at an airport the sales person will usually set it up for you for free.
Other options
In some countries, such as Japan, major airports can rent out local phones or small mobile WiFi hotspots. Use these with caution though. The price tends to be higher and you must leave from the same airport you used to enter the country. Not something I’ve personally used but it may be an option for some.
The final option is local WiFi. In almost all airports free public WiFi is available and in many public transport hubs too. After this it tends to be different in every country.
I’ve got free public WiFi at a park in Khorog, Tajikistan, but not on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. A few minutes of research before you leave home will probably let you know how widespread public WiFi is in your destination.
This covers off most of the easy options for internet access. In coming weeks I’ll discuss the must have apps for any traveler.