Traveling internationally is difficult enough without worrying about your phone. If you don't feel like paying an arm and a leg for international roaming fees, here's how to prep your phone for international travel so you can stay connected—without buying a data plan.
We've walked you through saving money on international travel plans for your phone before, but sometimes you just don't want or need a full plan. For those moments, it's best to do a little preparation so you can live offline without losing touch.
Download Your Maps and Save Important Addresses
If you use your phone for navigation, the first thing you'll want to do before crossing the border is download a bunch of maps to your phone. The best free option for this is Google Maps. Once you have the app, just download maps for offline viewing:
- Search for the area you want a map for (eg: Vancouver, BC)
- Tap the result box at the bottom of the screen
- Tap "Save map to use offline"
It's a good idea to go through the same steps for some areas outside of town in case you decide to venture off to a new area. Note that with Google's offline maps, you have a map of the area in your pocket, but you still don't have access to navigation or location search. Google's own address saving system doesn't work when you're offline, so starring those important addresses won't do you any good. With that in mind, you'll want to write down addresses and cross streets of places you want to go so you can find them on the map. Just make sure you know how to read that map and get around.
Download Everything You'll Need and Clear Up Space On Your Phone
It sounds like common sense you'll want to download everything you can ahead of time, but it's easy to forget what it's like to not have internet. If you stream podcasts, music, or books, you'll want to go through and download all that stuff before you leave. Don't forget to sync everything, too—if you use a service like Google Calendar or iCloud, you'll want to do one last sync to make sure it's all up to date.
Likewise, now's a good time to transfer photos and videos to your computer to clear up space on your phone. If you're on vacation, there's a good chance you'll want to take more pictures than usual. The last thing you want is to run out of storage when you're trying to take that family photo. So, go through and delete what you don't need and make sure you have plenty of free space.
Set Up Google Voice Call Forwarding
If you're worried about missing a call from someone, then you can set up call forwarding before you leave. Google Voice is a free and easy way to forward calls so you can check your voicemail over Wi-Fi.
Just head to Google Voice's settings page and click the "Add another phone" option. Enter your phone and set up voicemail forwarding. That way, when someone calls it, it'll forward to your Google Voice inbox, and you can check your messages over Wi-Fi. If you don't want to set up a permanent forward, you can set up a temporary one.
When You Arrive: Turn Off Your Cell Data
Sometimes when you leave your cell phone provider's coverage area, they'll send you a text message letting you know that you're roaming. Sometimes they won't. Either way, smartphone apps have a knack for attempting to communicate with servers even when the app's not open. It's a good idea to shut down any communications you can so you don't accidentally incur any charges.
On Android, head into Settings > Data Usage and flip the switch to off. On iOS, head into Settings > Cellular and disable "Cellular Data." This restricts all your data transfers to Wi-Fi so you don't accidentally use data roaming. You can also turn off "Data Roaming" to make sure nothing else gets through. If you want to be doubly sure you won't get charged for data, you can change your APN numbers.
Alternatively, if you don't care about missing phone calls or text messages, you can just turn on airplane mode, then flip Wi-Fi back on.
You don't need your phone all the time, and with a little prep you can ensure you have what you need. Plus, without the internet in your pocket, you'll be able to sit back and enjoy your trip.
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