How to Use Your Cell Phone when Traveling Overseas

Two-hundred years ago traveling across the world was a journey that very few individuals would ever take. The intrepid explorers who made the journey had to travel across the ocean in slow wooden frigates and other ships. There were no rest stops and safe havens, just nature's brutality. Things have changes substantially since then. Now we can fly anywhere we want in the world in the matter of a day or two. The biggest worries we have is making sure our passport is up-to-date, getting some local currency and that we'll have some sort of phone service in the place we're going. If you're travelling overseas, you're probably going to want to have a lifeline to call home if need be. Here's how you can use your existing cell phone while traveling overseas.

In order for this to work, your cell phone has to be using GSM (Global System Mobile) technology. CDMA phones which are prevalent in the United States generally won't work overseas because they only have the newer GSM networks. All T-Mobile phones are GSM, and some of AT&T's phones are also GSM compatible. If your cell-phone isn't GSM compatible, chances are you can pick one up a used GSM phone on eBay for not a whole lot of money. If you are buying a phone to bring along, make sure you buy an unlocked phone. This will save you some hassle later.

If you want to use your existing GSM phone, you're going to have to unlock it so that you can use the phone with another provider. You might be able to find these free online if you look hard enough, otherwise there are a few different sites such as thetravelinsider.info which will sell you the unlock codes for under $10.00. Don't pay any more than that for unlocking codes, that's all it should really cost.

After you've got your phone and have it unlocked, you're going to need to buy some minutes from an international carrier. You'll have to find a provider in the country that you are traveling to, but telestial.com is a great place to start. They sell pre-paid international minutes to many different countries abroad. They'll send you a SIM chip to replace the one in your existing phone which will enable you to use their service.

After you get your SIM chip in the mail, you're ready to go! If you are traveling abroad, be sure not to use your hotel's phone, especially to make international calls. You'll wind up with a phone bill that could easily be over $100! Using VOIP services like Skype is another good option, but will only be available where there's a computer. Getting a pre-paid international cell-phone is a great way to call home when traveling in a foreign land.