Stay connected when travelling without breaking the bank

Young female traveler in blue jacket photographing Santa Cruz city standing on the top of the mountain on La Palma island in the morning

Travelling in the 21st century has never been easier. With smart phones we can do everything: find off-the-beaten track places to eat local cuisines, book accommodation and tickets anywhere, show us a map if we get lost and let us stay connected with family and friends.

But, all those things are impossible with a good wifi network of a lot of data. And, that can be expensive. The good news is, there are some easy ways to stay connected without blowing out your budget.

1.Buy a local SIM card

If you are planing on staying in one place for an extended amount of time, using a prepaid SIM is the best way to avoid excessive bills. SIM cards can be used in an existing phone and can offer several options such as just voice, just text or just data.

2. Grab an international SIM card

While local SIM cards are great if you are staying the same place for a while, International SIM cards are all about convenience. Using a global roaming sim, phone calls and internet are cheaper than roaming rates offered by Australian phone companies.

There are lost of companies offering global roaming SIMs, including GlobalSIM, TravelSIM, BackChat Roaming, RoamingSIM, AmaySIM, Woolworths Mobile and GoSIM. If up to you to find the best deal for your travel plans, as the plans and cost will change depending on where you are travelling, what you need your phone for and how long you are travelling for.

iStock_Traveller with Phone

3. Connect to free wifi

Almost everywhere you travel will have free wifi networks. There are obviously the cheapest option but are not as reliable as prepaid SIMs. They can be slow and sparse. But despite their disadvantages, they are a great way to cheaply check an email of check into FourSquare. Here are some tips on where to find them:

Coffee Shops: Most coffee shops will have their own wifi network. Whilst it is free to log in, you will often have to purchase something to get the password.
McDonalds: Globalisation is a gift for those in search of wifi. With a Maccas almost at every corner these days, free wifi is always at your fingertips.
Cities are now starting to install free wifi points in major tourist areas, including museums and train stations. It’s always worth checking to save a few dollars!

4. Disable Data Roaming

Our biggest money-saving tip for international travel is, if you decide to keep you existing SIM in your phone, to turn off data roaming. This means turning off cellular data and 3G to ensure web browsing and other data services are restricted to Wi-Fi internet access only.

5. Use Hotel Wi-Fi And Skype For Outbound Calls

One great way to save some dollars is to use Hotel wifi. Hotel wifi is often complementary or can be purchased at a relatively small cost. This usually has a fast connection and can be used to make Skype or Facetime calls with family and friends back home.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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