We live in times where losing your smartphone or connectivity is a medically recognized disease. Losing connectivity is just not an option anymore. So if you are traveling abroad and want to steer clear of a hefty bill or no connectivity zones, here are some points you should keep in mind.
Carry a Dual SIM Phone
It is better to carry a dual SIM phone, and finding one isn’t very difficult in this part of the world. This will be a great convenience as it will allow you to add local SIM while still keeping your permanent number and services and apps associated with it active.
Buy A Local SIM with Data
Instead of paying astronomical international roaming tariff or buying a traveling phone, it is always cheaper to buy a local SIM card, several telecoms allows you to order one even before you visit a particular country. If not, you can visit a local store and activate a new SIM card.
You can also check out Cellularabroad which provides SIM cards with data packs, rental smartphones, etc for a reasonable price and at your doorstep before your travel. Xcom Global is another service which provides unlimited international MiFi hotspots in 175 countries.
Carry Smart SIM adaptors
You should always be prepared for the unexpected. So while traveling abroad, you should keep SIM card adaptors ready, just in case you need to buy a rental phone or traveling phone with an unexpected SIM card slot.
Restrict Background Data
In your Android phone, you should restrict background data if you are on a limited plan. Go to Settings>> Data Usage and in the menu there, you will find option to restrict background data.
Prepare Your Apps
You should also prepare and download travel related apps before you leave. Download offline maps for your travel and archive information related to places you will visit. This will help you save a ton of data and battery juice. Also disable or remove apps you rarely use. Disable push notification for apps and auto sync services like dropbox, OneDrive, EverNote, etc.
Carry two battery packs
While traveling, you will need more battery juice than you conventionally use. It is always better if you carry two portable chargers in your travel gear, just in case you run out of charge. Two low capacity chargers will work better than one massive capacity power bank as you can not charge your phone and charger simultaneously. There will be times when you need to do both.
VoIP calling
VoIP calling from services like Skype are extremely economical when you are traveling abroad. Make sure you credit your account before you leave. VoIP calling from Skype will cost you around 20 or 30 paise per minute while international calls from your local SIM card would cost more than 10 bucks per minute.
Find WiFi
Your best bet will be to find free or paid WiFi options nearby to get updated. For this you can use apps like WiFi Finder, which maintain an extensive database of free and paid WiFi networks around the globe. Before you leave, you can also download the database to your system. Enter your destination and check for available hotspots before you leave.
Conclusion
These are some tips you can practice to efficiently use Android phones while travelling abroad. Share your traveling experience with us in the comment section below.
