Cheapest use of mobile phone outside the EU

Rhinoplast03

I'm heading abroad to Moscow - Mongolia - Beijing by train and then flying on to Australia for a month. Entire trip is over 7 weeks. I am looking for the cheapest option for using my phone while I'm away.
I have been away abroad before and have come back to receive Enormous bills!!!

So what is the cheapest option for me? I will probably not be making many calls home to Ireland ( perhaps one or two a day) and the rest of the calls will be just to keep in contact with my fellow travelling companions should we lose sight of each other. Texting would probably be just as convenient.
Can someone please advise me?

Ponster

Rhinoplast03 wrote: »

Can someone please advise me?

I'm interested in what solutions people will come up with because I don't think there really is one. EU roaming charges have dropped a lot recently but that doesn't apply to you. Ordering local sim cards in each country you visit may end up being a lot of hassle but it's something you can organize in advance of leaving if you spend the time to do so.

> I will probably not be making many calls home to Ireland ( perhaps one or two a day)

1 or 2 a day is more calls than I make in a week. Why not limit it to once weekly or anytime that you pick up a free wifi connection and use Skype to call telephones and Cabbage app to text?

Try to imagine that you were taking the same trip 13 years ago when having a mobile phone probably wasn't an option for most and so treat it as a luxury? Sorry I can't be more helpful.

silja

**** Moving from USA forum to general Travel forum as OP is not going to the US *****

tunedout

Smartphone.
Wifi/local simcard.
Viber/Whatsapp/Skype.

spank_inferno

In a nutshell the cheapest way is not to use it.

- Disable your voicemail diverts prior to departure as calls diverted to mailbox (even unanswered) count as a received call while abroad.

- Stick to SMS only unless you really have to (and be strict on that)
- Ignore incoming calls if possible.
- If you have an android / apple be sure to bar data use while abroad (if its not already the cas).

as mentioned, local sims are a hassle.
It just requires a bit of restraint.

killbillvol2

spank_inferno wrote: »

In a nutshell the cheapest way is not to use it.

- Disable your voicemail diverts prior to departure as calls diverted to mailbox (even unanswered) count as a received call while abroad.

- Stick to SMS only unless you really have to (and be strict on that)
- Ignore incoming calls if possible.
- If you have an android / apple be sure to bar data use while abroad (if its not already the cas).

as mentioned, local sims are a hassle.
It just requires a bit of restraint.

Local sims are not a hassle and are the simplest solution. China has good data coverage and you can get a sim anywhere. The cost will be negligible compared to home. As someone else mentioned Skype, Viber, cabbage etc will save you money.

keithclancy

Anyone tried one of these things ?

http://www.onesimcard.com/