I love my phone number, but using cell phones when traveling abroad tests my loyalty. I’ve had it since I moved to San Francisco five years ago, and much like the pride some New Yorkers have when it comes to their beloved 212 numbers, I was embarrassingly proud to snag one of the few remaining 415 area codes when I moved here. It is, to date, my longest running relationship.  Now that this area code is officially filled up and there are no more 415 area codes to grab, I can go to sleep at night, secure in the knowledge that my treasured 415 is mine, all mine. I plan to will it to my children.)

So when traveling overseas, the idea of not having that phone number as my point of access is somewhat jarring. However, using cell phones when traveling abroad is not negotiable, and budget is a major factorWhile shooting in Australia and New Zealand, I took my 415 with me, and it served me well. However, there were good reasons not to use this number, or even use my regular phone. When heading overseas, you as a traveler need to think about when the best option is not to use your own phone or your own number. Insisting on using your own phone in all circumstances can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. In the prior post, I made the case for when to use your own phone… and now it’s time to talk about the flip side.

What this often means in terms of using cell phones when traveling abroad, of course, is not using your own phone number. Your number resides on your SIM card and is as transferrable as the card itself is. There are efforts underway to meld a SIM card’s information and chipset into cell phones, but this is not standard practice as of this writing.

There are basically three options facing the overseas traveler while using cell phones when traveling abroad, and for the purposes of this post, let’s assume that your actual phone number will remain merged with its current SIM card.

OK. The options.

1. Keep your phone, get a new number

In my opinion, this is the simplest and most economical option while using cell phones when traveling abroad if you are not using both your own phone and your own SIM Card.. You will be using a brand new phone number, though, so anyone who needs to reach you will need to know that number, and anyone you need to reach may want to know in advance that the number showing up on the caller ID is you. However, sliding a new SIM card into your phone lets you keep almost all of your settings, contacts, calendars and apps, and the calls can be much cheaper.

The best part about this method is  you don’t have to worry about it until you reach your destination. Most, or at least many SIM cards that you can purchase by themselves come with a preloaded number of minutes or currency on it… the equivalent of the old-school calling cards you purchased at the supermarket. The cards are usually reloadable and you can find them, especially in Europe, at train stations, drug stores and other locations frequented by travelers. As you hop from country to country, you pop out one SIM card and slide in another. Needless to say, if you are country hopping and need a number for calls mostly within that country, having a SIM card based in that country can give you the advantages of having a local phone number. There are drawbacks to this workflow, though. If you are traveling on business through several countries, it can be a major inconvenience to your clients to deal with an ever changing array of contact numbers. Also, if you are planning on using your phone for calls back to the United States or your own home country, put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and find out what it costs to phone home. This is a very big deal.

2. Keep your phone number, get a new phone

This will be your most likely option for using cell phones when traveling abroad if you do not have a GSM phone. A GSM phone works just about anywhere in the world because it is compatible with the four most common carrier signals. That’s why GSM phones are also called quad band phones. Fortunately there are many options for getting a new or, even better, temporary phone. If your travel is limited and you need the features of a smartphone, you want to get a phone which, ideally, only requires you to slip your SIM card into it,But be warned, you may still be tied into the rates and plans of your current carrier, so choose wisely. Remember that your phone number doesn’t really belong to you. It belongs to your carrier, so wherever you are in the world, when you carry your own phone number, you’re carrying the carrier… and all their baggage. That baggage can show up in the form of international data rates as high as $20 per megabyte. Who would charge rates that high? Well, I won’t name names, but I’m thinking of a carrier whose name might rhyme with Shmay-T&T. That nine second Vine clip could cost more than $100. If you are committed to taking your phone number with you, you may also be committed to using your carriers international calling plan, so you’ll need to verify several factors, including whether the monthly rate is for free calls, data and roaming or just a discounted rate (which can still be quite expensive )and whether your plan includes free international data, roaming. It’s a minefield out there, so do your homework.

I would suggest starting with your current carrier, and asking if they will rent you a phone for the time you will be traveling overseas. They will likely try to convince you to purchase their international calling plan, because there is a very high profit margin with these plans, especially since they are not generally all you can eat when it comes to charges per minute, but the carrier is a good place to start. You can also rent a phone from an external provider. National Geographic, according to USA Today, is one of the largest services when it comes to rental phones you can use while using cell phones when traveling abroad . However, you do need to keep a few things in mind when renting a phone from another service. There are three different sizes of SIM cards – regular, micro and nano. Make sure your current SIM card will fit into your temporary phone. The new phone will morph into your old phone, at least as far as the number itself is concerned, and any contacts you have stored on the card will move with it. However, you may also want to contact your carrier and let them know your SIM card is in a temporary phone. We’re dealing with a identifying tag called an IMEI code, and sometimes, if your carrier detects over the network that your SIM card has been transferred into a phone  not originally assigned with your regular phone or contract, they will block the phone from being used with your SIM card/phone number

You can also buy or rent a phone at your overseas destination, but this will likely be your most expensive option. overseas vendors know they are dealing in a seller’s market, and price their rentals accordingly. Also, the hassle of returning or shipping a rental back to its point of origin can be a pain, not to mention expensive, especially if you’e traveling to multiple countries

3. Get a new phone, get a new number

OK, you’ve decided your own phone is too much of a burden, but you need to make calls, have a reliable internet connection not tied to your laptop or tablet and the international calling plans are too expensive. Then you want to consider both renting/purchasing a completely new phone and getting a new SIM card or series of SIM cards.

I think if you’re going to go all in and use all new equipment for using cell phones when traveling abroad, it can be best to use a mix and match strategy There are packages where you can essentially get a phone and SIM card in a one stop shopping experience, but a la carte may be more economical. It really depends on what kind of phone you’ll need to be using. Face it, an iPhone is going to be the most expensive choice and there aren’t going to be any great deals on the open market (read: legal). However, if you’re starting in the United States, you may want to consider getting the equipment before leaving home, and getting your SIM cards overseas. As always, the key factor is to not place yourself in a situation where you have to pay whatever the market will bear for your last minute decision.

Using cell phones when traveling abroad does not have to be a budget buster, and it doesn’t have to be your only option. There is, of course, one other option –  going without cellular service entirely, and relying solely on wifi. We are still very much in the digital Wild West when it comes to relying on wifi for your calling and data experience, but there are  workflows that can help you cut costs.

That’s next week.

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