Me: “Hi! My name is Mike and I’m addicted to the internet.”
Collective Group: “Hi Mike…”
Me: I haven’t logged on in over 9 hours, but 8.5 of those were on the flight to Amsterdam. I feel like I have to sneak into one of these coffee shops just to forget the internet is out there. It’s always begging me to search for information.
You get the picture, but the truth is, I’m very nervous about how I’m going to consume mobile media while I’m in Europe. I’ve heard and read horror stories about people being slammed by enormous bills from the charges associated with using an American cell phone overseas. (not limited to the iPhone)
So what’s my plan?
Last month I worked out a deal with Verizon Wireless where I will pay a $15 fee and my contract will be suspended for the time I am away. When I return, they will reactivate my contract and add the # of months suspended to the end of my contract. THANKS VERIZON!
Now What?
I’ve crowd sourced Twitter looking for any advice on mobile service providers in Europe. My criteria are as follows:
- No contract required (I might only be there a month)
- Cheap data plan is more important than a cheap calling plan (Who am I going to call in Italy or Greece?)
- Good coverage area (I will be heal towing off the beaten path. I need Google Maps and mobile WordPress in the event I get lost)
What Have I Learned?
Having International friends is the best asset to have when you are traveling. Steven Davies of PRBlogger.com gave me the inside scoop. T-Mobile is the way to go! While I had little luck setting up international plans from the US, I was able to to view the coverage areas for the countries we will be visiting and the customer service rep I spoke to confirmed that my G1 has the correct frequency to be used internationally. One less thing I have to purchase for the trip.
I clicked around, unable to understand the Dutch T-Mobile website and realized that I really want the G2 Touch.