Despite the current economic status in the United States, many Americans are still choosing to vacation in 2011. Perhaps work and stress are factors in this decision. One of the most used and needed items on a vacation is a cell phone. So, how can HSI clients avoid overspending on outrageous cellular roaming fees while vacationing? In April, Verizon created a YouTube video, “Tips for Traveling Overseas,” which draws attention to its global data plans and the automated alerts it sends when roaming charges exceed certain thresholds. AT&T has upgraded its international data plans for travelers. Despite such efforts, avoiding high roaming charges requires attention and vigilance. Here are a few ways to control costs.
Use Wi-Fi
To avoid roaming fees completely, select airplane mode or turn off data roaming on your smartphone until you are in a Wi-Fi hot spot, where you can check e-mail or use the Web at much lower costs (often free). Many popular destinations offer wi-fi in places like McDonalds. If you were to do either while roaming, your bill would show it: an e-mail with a 5-megapixel photo, for example, would require your phone to download about 2 megabytes of data at a cost of about $20 a MB from either Verizon or AT&T.
Rent a Wi-Fi bubble
If you can’t plan your trip around Internet cafes, hotel lounges or other free Wi-Fi spots, consider renting a portable Wi-Fi bubble. Tep Wireless, a smartphone rental company based in London, offers a pocket-sized Wi-Fi device that connects to local 3G signals in 16 European countries and allows you to use Wi-Fi with up to five devices simultaneously. Rates begin at $15 a day for three days (the longer you rent, the cheaper it gets) and include shipping to your home and pre-paid shipping labels for returning the device. If you are traveling in a single country like Spain, Italy or Britain, there is no limit on data use. For those touring Europe, Tep has a pocket Wi-Fi device that works in multiple countries but limits data to 50 MB a day.
Consider a data package
If you don’t want to be limited to Wi-Fi in order to read e-mail or access the Internet, consider an international data package, which will allow you to roam at low pre-paid rates. Last month AT&T introduced international add-on options that provide travelers with more than double the data provided in previous deals.
Travelers who choose an add-on, which is tacked on to existing domestic calling and data plans, now get 50 MB for $25 a month compared with 20 MB previously, and up to 800 MB for $200 a month versus 200 MB. The data packages are available in more than 100 countries.Boost your data package
It has recently become possible to get more out of those international data packages, thanks to new mobile tools that condense downloaded data. Onavo (onavo.com) a new Tel Aviv-based start-up, has an iPhone app that compresses users’ Web, e-mail and application data. The company states that customers who buy, say, a 50 MB, $25-a-month global data package can triple the data by using Onavo.
Read more at MSNBC.com
Use Wi-Fi
To avoid roaming fees completely, select airplane mode or turn off data roaming on your smartphone until you are in a Wi-Fi hot spot, where you can check e-mail or use the Web at much lower costs (often free). Many popular destinations offer wi-fi in places like McDonalds. If you were to do either while roaming, your bill would show it: an e-mail with a 5-megapixel photo, for example, would require your phone to download about 2 megabytes of data at a cost of about $20 a MB from either Verizon or AT&T.
Rent a Wi-Fi bubble
If you can’t plan your trip around Internet cafes, hotel lounges or other free Wi-Fi spots, consider renting a portable Wi-Fi bubble. Tep Wireless, a smartphone rental company based in London, offers a pocket-sized Wi-Fi device that connects to local 3G signals in 16 European countries and allows you to use Wi-Fi with up to five devices simultaneously. Rates begin at $15 a day for three days (the longer you rent, the cheaper it gets) and include shipping to your home and pre-paid shipping labels for returning the device. If you are traveling in a single country like Spain, Italy or Britain, there is no limit on data use. For those touring Europe, Tep has a pocket Wi-Fi device that works in multiple countries but limits data to 50 MB a day.
Consider a data package
If you don’t want to be limited to Wi-Fi in order to read e-mail or access the Internet, consider an international data package, which will allow you to roam at low pre-paid rates. Last month AT&T introduced international add-on options that provide travelers with more than double the data provided in previous deals.
Travelers who choose an add-on, which is tacked on to existing domestic calling and data plans, now get 50 MB for $25 a month compared with 20 MB previously, and up to 800 MB for $200 a month versus 200 MB. The data packages are available in more than 100 countries.Boost your data package
It has recently become possible to get more out of those international data packages, thanks to new mobile tools that condense downloaded data. Onavo (onavo.com) a new Tel Aviv-based start-up, has an iPhone app that compresses users’ Web, e-mail and application data. The company states that customers who buy, say, a 50 MB, $25-a-month global data package can triple the data by using Onavo.
Read more at MSNBC.com
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