Phone questions

[efdoucette]

Hello friends, hope someone can guide me through my overseas phone phobia. I'm coming from Canada and plan to walk the Portuguese route. I have a new android phone and would like to be able to text, email, facebook and phone internationally in case of emergency.

1. The sim card in my phone is removeable, does that mean it is unlocked and able to accept a sim card from other countries?
2. If so and as I will be travelling through Portugal and Spain will I need to get two different sim cards and two different phone plans?

Any other advice would be appreciated, I don't have my head around if I could or should bring my own phone.

Thank You

 

[vagabondette]

1. The sim card in my phone is removeable, does that mean it is unlocked and able to accept a sim card from other countries?

2. If so and as I will be travelling through Portugal and Spain will I need to get two different sim cards and two different phone plans?

Any other advice would be appreciated, I don't have my head around if I could or should bring my own phone.

Thank You

1 - no, that doesn't mean it's unlocked. you need to talk to your phone company or pay to have someone unlock it.

2 - you don't *have* to, but if you use your card from Portugal in Spain it'll cost you a lot more. You don't have to get a phone plan, just a pre-paid card that you can refill as you go.

Realistically though, with wifi being so readily available in most areas, you don't even need a plan to use your phone. You can do pretty much everything you mentioned just using wifi. Only problem would be an emergency call from the middle of the route so you have to weigh that risk. I'm bringing a droid and will not have it on a plan, will just use wifi.

 

[efdoucette]

Thanks Vagabondette,

Great advice. I now lean towards wifi option although I'm a little concerned that it will slip out of airplane mode and start roaming. And, there are also coin computers almost everywhere although wifi will likely be more prevalent over time I suppose.

Question (technology spins my head). Can you text to phone numbers when you are in wifi?

Thanks again