We have Verizon iPhone 4S phones and are going to Rome, then a Mediterranean cruise. I'd like to use data for things like Maps, Remember the Milk and Evernote. We live in the USA. I'd like to do it as cheap as possible. Any ideas?
Traveling to Europe
- Thread starter darinr80
- Start date
Thomasjtsi
Well-Known Member
First and foremost... you'll need to do some research on the area you'll be traveling to, what wireless providers are available, and their pricing. Second, you'll need the SIM slot of your 4S unlocked... either by VZW (contact their customer service and see if you qualify), by using the Gevey Ultra S SIM interpose from ApplenBerry.com, or... some type of IEMI unlock from the internet (not what I would recommend doing but, might be cheaper than the Gevey if VZW won't unlock your SIM slot.)
Thomasjtsi 
is spot on, call VZW today and start the dialog to get the SIM unlocked for an overseas provider.
is spot on, call VZW today and start the dialog to get the SIM unlocked for an overseas provider.
Thomasjtsi
Well-Known Member
The rate for your over seas usage depends solely on what provider you're going with. Take into account the amount of time you're going to be there and how much you're going to use your phone for calling, texts & data. If you're still under contract w/ Verizon, yes... you'll need to continue paying them as well.darinr80 said:
xrayeyes
Well-Known Member
If you want to avoid the fees and hassle of all this, you can still communicate back home over wifi. I know you won't have easy access on the road, but most hotels and dining spots have free wifi (if you are dining). I was recently in Italy and used Viber for calls and texts and it worked wonderfully. Also, if you have "CityMaps2Go" and pre-download the maps, you can use the phone's GPS to locate you on the map. It worked flawlessly in the major cities! I did not have access to 3G and didn't miss it a bit!
rico567
New Member
The part of our family currently living over there (Italy, in military) has Vodafone as provider, and after about a year, they are very happy. They are just on a pay-as-you-go plan (no bundles, packages, or etc.), using unlocked iPhone 4Ss bought just before they left for Italy. They chose this route because, yes, they could have bought the phones and a plan from Vodafone, but it would have been far, far more expensive than what they're doing now, and they paid $750 apiece for the unlocked phones.
It should be noted that since they use message between each other's phones for a lot of their texting, costs can be kept low. Also, being in the military provided a strong motivation to buy unlocked phones not provided to any country's carrier. The reality of military life is that while they're supposed to be in Italy for 3 years on their current orders, at any time the service member could receive orders and be at sea or in the sandbox in a matter of a few days. This way, no matter where each ends up (the spouse and offspring could end up back stateside in such a scenario), they just go right on talkin'.
