What you need to know before taking your phone on holiday

There's nothing like a well-earned holiday to help you recharge your batteries and leave you feeling suitably refreshed upon your return. Still, there's quite a lot you'll need to think about before you go away, not least of which is what items you're actually going to take with you. It's a fairly safe bet that relatively few of us go abroad without taking our mobile phones with us, and seeing as there are so many great mobile phone deals online it would seem silly not to take advantage. Mobile handsets - as well as helping us keep in touch with loved ones, or make emergency calls - have a number of useful applications which can make them particularly valuable during a foreign holiday.

 

However, you've probably already heard of how mobile roaming charges can leave many holidaymakers with unexpected and rather unpleasant costs to pay. Many people also find that when they make calls overseas, they end up paying far more for them than they expected. At a time when so many of us are struggling to keep on top of our finances, it's particularly important to ensure that we don't end up running extortionate bills - so it's up to you to ensure that you're well aware of what those potential additional costs of taking your mobile phone abroad might be, and how you can avoid them.

 

An article from Moneysavingexpert.com offers a number of tips for holidaymakers thinking of taking their mobile handset away with them to a foreign country. It points out that although the vast majority of us are well aware just how much we can expect to pay for our mobile usage each month, taking your mobile overseas can really prove a nasty shock if you're not aware of the possibility that you might have to pay more. While data roaming charges have been capped within the EU, they can still be very high. Using the internet - particularly if you're downloading videos, music or other content - can also be particularly expensive when you're overseas, so this is something else you should be aware of.

 

The article recommends finding out how much using your mobile is likely to cost you before you go abroad. Get in touch with your network provider and ask them any questions you feel need to be raised. It might also be worth taking a look at whether you can find a cheaper international tariff you can use while you're away. You should also ensure that you turn data roaming off before you set out on your holiday if you possibly can. If you must use the internet while you're away, however, avoid downloading email attachments unless absolutely necessary.

 

PC Advisor also has a range of tips for avoiding data roaming charges whilst abroad. If you can get away with only using a Wi-Fi connection to access the web, then it's worth doing so. Users aren't charged for downloading data via Wi-Fi, so this could help to save you quite a bit of money. You should also look to stick to mobile-optimised sites whilst browsing the internet, as sites which are designed for mobile tend to have less data.