Connecting While Your Away

2:54 AM


Sometimes you can't just disconnect. Roaming and data roaming can be expensive and hard to dispute with your mobile provider. It's also very helpful in navigating in an unfamiliar city, translating foreign languages, and contacting local numbers or even your travel companions. So finding the best value for your internet connection while away is important. 

I like to research ahead of time the most economical method to have an internet connection when traveling. It may vary from one country to another and would also depend on how many of you will be using the connection.

Here are some tips to choose which service suits you: 

1. If traveling to just one country, check available local tourist SIM cards. They usually have good options to try. HK and Singapore have good choices that provide data and call & Sms services. You'll need however a phone that an open lined and meets the required bandwidth of the country you'll be visiting. SIM cards in Japan for tourists only provide cellular data, while those in Singapore offers local calls & text, data, and international calls.
SIM Card Vending Machine in Japan
2. If you are part of a group and likely be together during the day, renting a wifi router is a good alternative.  Wifi routers provide multiple device connections but require charging and would take up room in your bag. Canvas which company would give you the best service and price for your needs. It may be a one that you rent from your country of residence or destination. 

Flytpack wifi Rental 


3. If traveling to more than one country, I would suggest getting or renting a wifi router from your country of origin. This would make pick up and return easier. Companies like Sky Roam have an option to purchase the router and just buy day passes. if traveling for an extended period or multiple trips, this would likely be the cheaper option than renting the device. The rental for instance for a 2 week trip to Europe would be more than just purchasing the device. Rates vary though depending on what units are available. Currently, Sky Roam. offers one for almost P10,000 (it's a portable wifi router and power bank). Other wifi rental companies for delivery or pick up in the Philippines are FLYTPACK, PAL wifi, and SMART wifi.

4.  If you plan to separate from your travel group and you need to be able to navigate or contact each other, a good option might be purchasing a SIM card per person. 

5. Travel websites like Klook also offer good value rates for SIM cards or portable routers with options of airport pickup in your country of destination or embarkation. On a recent trip to Tokyo, I purchased a SIM card with pick up at Narita via Klook. It was easy to pick up and was cheaper than those at the airport. 
6. If you don't want the hassle of purchasing an additional sim card or renting a router, you can also check your current mobile provider for data roaming promotions. One of the easiest is to use your current mobile company and just turn on your data roaming. You won't need to rent or purchase a SIM card or router. Sometimes to avail of the promo, you'll need to activate it with the company with a keyword or request. Using your current provider might not be the cheapest if they don't have a promo to your destination country. To find out if this is a good option, check your current mobile provider for data roaming promotions. Here are some links if your a SMART Communications subscriber or Globe Telecom subscriber.

7. To maximize your data allowance and avoid wasting it on background apps running, review your cellular data and data roaming settings. Make sure to only activate the cellular data on the applications you'll be needing while on your trip. Also, opt for the fetch option for your email applications and review automatic playback of videos your social media apps like Facebook and Instagram. This will save you on your data allowance especially if you have just limited data per day or for your period of stay. 

8. If you opted to rent a portable wifi or purchase a local SIM card, make sure to turn off the data roaming option at your current mobile provider.  I take the extra step of visiting my mobile service provider to request the temporary barring of cellular data services for the duration of my out of the country trip. You'll just have the hassle of requesting it back on when you get back but you are able to win data roaming bill disputes. Depending on your service provider you may be able to request temporary barring over their customer hotline. 

9. Also, you should reset your cellular data statistics before leaving. You can monitor too if your 
I've had several instances in the past where I was billed despite not turning on the data roaming or cellular data.  When I requested temporary barring before departure, I was able to win my bill disputes but lost when I didn't request it. 

10. There are also some travel agencies and companies that sell SIM card for different countries available for purchase from Manila. I used to buy from travel agencies like UHI and RELI tours but they had limited availability so I tried other venues. I’ll be trying out one company on my next trip next month. I’ll update you on its performance as soon as I get back.


Here's  a recently compiled list of options for wifi routers and SIM cards for a week-long trip to Japan:




Share This Story

Tags: ,

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Labels

#japan (26) #tokyo (23) #hokkaido (12) #kyoto (11) #coffee (9) #dailycortado (9) #barcelona (8) #daytripfromtokyo (8) #bali (7) #coffeecrawl (7) #mtfuji (7) #osaka (7) #train (7) #autumnleaves (6) #fallfoliage (6) #snow (6) #summersinjapan (6) #temple (6) #wanderlust (6) #winter (6) #hiroshima (5) #icesculptures (5) #kawaguchiko (5) #lavender (5) #shopping (5) #spain (5) #Malaysia (4) #caffeinefix (4) #coffeeroaster (4) #kualalumpur (4) #otaru (4) #sakura (4) #sapporo (4) #spring (4) #taipei (4) #taiwan (4) #travelplanning (4) #asahikawa (3) #barrigothic (3) #biei (3) #buddhisttemple (3) #cafe (3) #chitose (3) #daibutsen (3) #fall (3) #furano (3) #gotokuji (3) #hongkong (3) #instax (3) #kamakura (3) #koyo (3) #lakeshikotsu (3) #manekineko (3) #matsumoto (3) #miyajima (3) #nagano (3) #otarusnowlightingpathfestival (3) #revolverespresso (3) #seminyak (3) #shinjukugyoen (3) #shintoshrine (3) # osakajo (2) #WatPhratatDoiSuthep (2) #arashiyama (2) #bamboogroves (2) #barcelonacathedral (2) #beckoningcat (2) #cherryblossom (2) #cherryblosssom (2) #church (2) #coffeebreak (2) #cyclingtour (2) #daruma (2) #disneysea (2) #dotonbori (2) #floatinglanterns (2) #foodtrip (2) #garden (2) #guell (2) #hakone (2) #himeji (2) #indonesia (2) #jrpass (2) #kansai (2) #kawazu (2) #kiyomizudera (2) #koffeemameya (2) #kuromonmarket (2) #kuta (2) #kutabeach (2) #lasramblas (2) #littlenapcoffeestand (2) #mito (2) #okunoshima (2) #onibuscoffee (2) #otarucanal (2) #puralempuyang (2) #purapetigent (2) #puraulundanu (2) #sagradafamiila (2) #sapporosnowfestival (2) #saraswatitemple (2) #seminyakbeach (2) #shinjuku (2) #shinkansen (2) #shinsaibashi (2) #sightseeingcruise (2) #surf (2) #takoyaki (2) #temples (2) #tenryujitemple (2) #thelocalcoffeestand (2) #tofukuji (2) #tofukujitemple (2) #tokyoskytree (2) #tokyotower (2) #travelexpo (2) #traveltips (2) #ubud (2) #ume (2) #unescoworldheritagesite (2) #universalstudiosjapan (2) #vervecoffeeroaster (2) #wizardingworldofharrypotter (2) #yayoikusama (2) #yoga (2) #BatuCaves (1) #DoiSuthep (1) #LungshanTemple (1) #Nara (1) #XiahaiCityofGodTemple (1) #aboutlifebrewers (1) #airfare (1) #allseasonscoffee (1) #apartmentcoffee (1) #arcdetriomf (1) #art (1) #artmarket (1) #asahikaga (1) #asakusakannon (1) #autumn (1) #autumnleaves #hanami #goyo #hakone (1) #autumnleaves #hanami #goyo #tokyo (1) #azalea (1) #baristajam (1) #beagoodneighbor (1) #bebektepisawah (1) #bedugul (1) #bluebottle (1) #butterbeer (1) #cablecar (1) #cafehayfever (1) #cafekitsune (1) #caffehabitu (1) #castle (1) #cebu (1) #charliebrown (1) #chinsweetemple (1) #chocolate (1) #chopcoffee (1) #coffeeacademics (1) #coffeeislife (1) #cold. #snow (1) #corn (1) #crispyduck (1) #cronut (1) #cuppingroom (1) #currency (1) #daibutsu (1) #daijungushrine (1) #dailycortado #anomalicoffee (1) #dailycortado #caffeinefix (1) #daquiries (1) #dataroaming (1) #daytrip (1) #daytriptokyo (1) #deals (1) #deer (1) #desserts (1) #disneylandtokyo (1) #dominiqueansel (1) #donquijote (1) #emas (1) #farmtomita (1) #flyingdinosaur (1) #fuglencoffee (1) #fuji (1) #fujikyu (1) #fujishibazakura (1) #fujiyamacookie (1) #fukubukuro (1) #funicular (1) #fushimiinari (1) #galayuzawa (1) #gatewaytoheaven (1) #gelatofactory (1) #gentinghighlands (1) #gettingaround (1) #giganticpumpkin (1) #gingkotrees #rikugiengarden (1) #goldenpavilion (1) #goyo (1) #gyoza (1) #harrypotter (1) #hatsumode (1) #hep5ferriswheel (1) #himejijo (1) #hindutemple (1) #hogwildinbali (1) #hoponhopoff (1) #ice (1) #icoca (1) #ikitaijapan (1) #inari (1) #internet (1) #japan #train #shinkansen #suica #icoca #jrpass #travelplanning (1) #japan #unescoworldheritagesite (1) #jrtowert38 (1) #kachikachi (1) #kairukuen (1) #kameidoshrine (1) #katsuoji (1) #kinkakuji (1) #kiyomizustage (1) #kumade (1) #kurakurabus (1) #laboqueria (1) #lakeashi (1) #lakeberatan (1) #lamoreneta (1) #lanternfestival (1) #lanterns (1) #letao (1) #liveaudience (1) #longshantemple (1) #losangeles (1) #loveluck (1) #lunarfestival (1) #manilacoffeefestival (1) #manpotemple (1) #matsumotocastle (1) #meijishrine (1) #melon (1) #midosuji (1) #minoh (1) #minoo (1) #miradordecolom (1) #mnac (1) #monokrom (1) #montserrat (1) #musuem (1) #newyear (1) #newyeareve (1) #newyork (1) #nezushrine (1) #nijocastle (1) #nijojo (1) #nikko (1) #nishiaraidaishitemple (1) #nishikimarket (1) #norokko (1) #obscuracoffee (1) #octopuscard (1) #oishipark (1) #okonomiyaki (1) #omotesando (1) #osakacastle (1) #osakaflavors (1) #osakajo (1) #osakajokoen (1) #outletshopping (1) #packing (1) #packsmart (1) #pampasgrassfields (1) #panaroma (1) #paperlanterns (1) #parkguell (1) #pilgrimage (1) #pingxilanternfestival (1) #pmq (1) #promo (1) #psarumum (1) #rabbit (1) #rabbitisland (1) #rainbowbagel (1) #rainbowsteps (1) #ribs (1) #ropeway (1) #saganoromantictrain (1) #sanctuaria (1) #sapporotvtower (1) #sarong (1) #saturdaysbynyc (1) #senbazaru (1) #sengokukogen (1) #sesamestreet (1) #sheltercoffee (1) #shibuya (1) #shifen (1) #shikisainooka (1) #shinkyo bridge (1) #shiroikorbito (1) #simcard (1) #ski (1) #skytree (1) #snoopy (1) #streamercoffee (1) #sunset (1) #surfdriftercoffee (1) #theanhoutemple (1) #thebagelstore (1) #thecoffeelibrarybali (1) #thecreamofthecropcoffee (1) #todaijitemple (1) #togetsukyobridge (1) #toriigate (1) #toriigates (1) #toshogushrine (1) #trainstation (1) #tram (1) #transportation (1) #travelcubes (1) #travelguide (1) #traveljournal (1) #tsukiji (1) #tsutentakutower (1) #twinklebus (1) #ubudartmarket (1) #vermillion (1) #waterfalls (1) #wisteria (1) #wongtaisintemple (1) #yagizakipark (1) Chiang Mai (1) airline travel (1) checked baggage (1) travel insurance (1)