Nothing beats traveling to different countries, discovering new cultures, tasting new food, and making new memories. Indeed, there is no better way to de-stress than to go on an adventure.

Sometimes though, completely disconnecting from the world is not an option. We may want to stay connected with loved ones and keep up-to-date with our businesses, so we need to have a travel SIM that will let us do just that.

Staying connected while exploring Europe

Europe is one of the most popular travel destinations because it is teeming with historical places, captivating beaches, and mouth-watering fares. Another reason it’s an excellent place to gallivant is that there are lots of options to stay connected with a wide variety of international SIM cards, like UniSimCard, that let you keep in touch with those back at home.

Here are a few tips to help you stay connected while in Europe.

• Bring your mobile phone.

Having your own phone with you as opposed to renting one at your destination is more convenient since you are familiar with its functionalities. It can also be more economic than having to rent a local device. Just make sure your phone is unlocked so you can use a local or international SIM card to stay connected.

• Leverage Wi-Fi.

One great way to keep your expenses low is to use Wi-Fi whenever possible. With apps like Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Hangouts and many others, keeping in touch with those back home using data over Wi-Fi is a breeze. Keep in mind that many public Wi-Fi hotspots require a local phone number to log in.

• Buy a local SIM card.

While using your cell phone provider’s roaming plan is certainly a choice, the unexpected charges waiting for you upon your return can make you regret every kilobyte of data you used. Instead of using your carrier’s data and voice plans, it would be much more financially-savvy to use country specific SIM cards with voice and data plans.

• Go for a travel SIM.

While buying a local SIM card is a great idea, these SIM cards work only in the country for which it was designed (in some lucky instances you may get it to work over a handful of countries in Europe). What happens when you are visiting more than one country in the plan? Buying now two, three, or more local SIM cards can get expensive and inconvenient. Additionally, buying a local SIM card will require you to take time away from your vacation to visit a local store to buy it and the prepaid balances typically expire after 60 days. If you are travelling to more than one country, whether in the same trip or a few months apart, buying a travel SIM card that works internationally is an excellent solution. UniSimCard offers you fantastic data and voice packages and pay-as-you-go options, no contracts, low rates, no fees, no expiration on unused balances, and delivery to your location of choice. Your UniSimCard global SIM card gives you data, call, and SMS plans worldwide.

• Opt for a mobile hotspot or pocket Wi-Fi.

If you want to connect more than one device, or your phone is locked, a pocket Wi-Fi, also known as Mi-Fi, is the perfect solution. This mobile hotspot acts as a standalone Wi-Fi device that uses a SIM to connect to a cellular network, allowing you to connect up to 7 devices to the internet. This would be a great idea if you’re traveling with family or friends or want to connect your phone, laptop and tablet without adding a SIM card to each of them.
UniSimCard offers Mi-Fi devices for rent in select destinations with either a local or travel/international SIM card.

Before traveling to Europe

If you’re looking to use a global or a local SIM, it’s important that you keep these things in mind to ensure that you’ll be able to stay connected.

• Make sure your mobile phone will work overseas.

Can you use a local or travel SIM on your phone? Before traveling, call your local provider and make sure your phone is unlocked. If your phone is locked to a specific company in your home country, you will not be able to use any other SIM. While you can stay connected using your provider’s roaming plan, your best and most economic choice is to rent a Mi-Fi or buy/rent an unlocked phone.

• Watch out for hidden fees and contracts.

Before buying a local or travel SIM, read the fine print. Keep an eye for auto-renew plans that while can be cancelled at any time, will require you to jump through hoops to do so, and unused balances that expire within a short time.

Keep these tips in mind so you can stay connected while traveling without ending up chained to an outrageous unexpected bill.