How To Stay Connected Abroad

- Sascha Segan

When you’re traveling somewhere that’s relatively populated, you have four major options.

1. Try roaming.

All of the major US carriers have international roaming plans. AT&T’s International Day Pass and Verizon’s TravelPass let you use networks abroad on your existing plan for $10 per day. Just make sure to set it up before you jet off to your destination. Sprint and T-Mobile offer free, slow-speed data and texting. Calls cost $0.20 to $0.25 per minute on those carriers in most countries, and you can buy “high speed data passes” for $5 per day. If you’re with Google Fi, you get free high-speed international roaming. These solutions let you keep your US phone number, and you don’t have to worry about negotiating with local mobile-phone salespeople.

2. Get a local SIM.