13 Apr
2015

Taking your phone abroad: what you need to know

If you were to ask people what is the one thing in their life they would find it hard to live without, I suspect a very high percentage would say their phone.

It’s gone from a yuppie accessory in the 1980s to an essential tool that most of us take wherever we go and of course that includes taking it on holiday with us.

Tourists are often seen as easy pickings by thieves. Holidaymakers often carry large amounts of cash, credit cards, cameras and passports and as you’re out to relax, you can and will let your guard down. Your phone can also prove irresistible to pickpockets and other thieves.

Always make sure the phone is password protected and keep the emergency contact number for your phone provider in a safe place.

If your phone is stolen on holiday, and thousands are every year, it’s incredibly important that you report it to your phone provider asap or you could end up not just phoneless, but also with a very hefty bill as your thief makes hundreds of calls at your expense. Always make sure the phone is password protected and keep the emergency contact number for your phone provider in a safe place. This may sound obvious but recent research from Vodafone found that eight of ten people don’t even know what this number is.

How many times have you read stories in the press about a member of the public whose been hit with a massive phone bill because they’ve downloaded a film/uploaded hundreds of photos to Facebook/downloaded an album whilst on holiday. Quite a few I guess. Although the EU has put a cap on the level that your phone provider can charge you, this is not the case in other parts of the world.

The first thing I would recommend you do is to disable the data roaming function on your phone. Next use free wifi in your hotel, the majority of hotels overseas now offer this. See if your phone provider offers a data bundling service, many will allow you to use your data bundle, texts and phone calls at your UK rate for the payment of a daily fee, generally only a few pounds.

On a more positive note your phone has made travelling abroad so much easier. There is no longer  the need to cart around a camera, guide book, booking confirmation, maps, phrase book, plane tickets etc. They can all be contained in this amazing bit of kit. All the more reason to take good care of it.

Sean Tipton, Media Manager, ABTA