Travelling Europe and Keeping Connected

So you planning you Europe road trip break from the studies for a month or so, but you’ve gotten so used to working the mobile web from your phone, that the thought of not doing so while abroad doesn’t even cross your mind. You can’t afford not to watch that Youtube video your friend sent you the link for, and streaming music is just so much more accessible than having to buy MP3s and loading them onto an iPod.

Then the bill arrives. There must be some mistake! Your mobile broadband’s never cost you this much! You phone your mobile service provider, only to discover that the charges for using mobile broadband abroad costs considerably more than using it in the UK. This could have been different, had you known about it.

See, many people travelling abroad take for granted that the charges for accessing the World Wide Web via mobile broadband will be the same as back home. That is not at all the case. In fact, different charges could even apply from country to country, and of course, from service provider to service provider.

Some UK based providers even have different rates for using mobile broadband in EU countries than they have for non-EU countries.

The best you can do is to research the different options, and settle for the one that best suits your pocket.

You could check with your mobile phone provider whether they do not offer a “travel” mobile broadband package for you to be able to access the internet with your mobile at better rates.

you could also purchase a pay-as-you-go mobile broadband dongle in the country you’re travelling in, which gives you the option of accessing the net in that country at local rates, which should be much better than roaming rates.

Another option would be to make use of free Wi-Fi areas in the country you’re visiting. These days they abound, and are usually found at hotels or cafés.

In the end, the responsibility lies with you to check that you don’t end up with a bill that you cannot afford the receive.

Tags: european trips, mobile broadband, mobile phones, Travel

Category: Student News, Travel