Increasingly, many Americans are opting to partake in work placements in faraway lands. A particular continent of interest is the European Union. With many opting for English language teaching placements in Spain, internships in the United Kingdom and even leisurely inter railing from Brussels to Bucharest, the world really is continuing to grow ever smaller.
Such adventures are no longer reserved for the recent college graduate, with increasing diversity in the amounts of Americans taking the plunge and booking one way flights to Europe. The world can certainly be your oyster whenever you please.
Should you decide to spend a reasonable amount of time in Europe though, one point of consideration which should not be neglected is the arrangements with cell phone tariffs. With society growing ever fond of social media on-the-go and advancing smart phone technology, the thought of leaving home without the iPhone can create feelings of horror and misplacement.
Once touching down on the runway of London, Paris or Madrid however, costs can begin to spiral without the knowledge of the phone’s owner. Especially due to the horrific data roaming charges, burdening customers throughout the entirety of their journey, an ideal solution needs to be drawn prior to arriving on foreign soil. Furthermore, the damage due for outgoing calls and SMS messages will swiftly erode bank accounts. Worse still, simply receiving calls and messages will encourage a charge to your network and price plan.
To combat the infamous data roaming issues, one could simply disengage the phone’s option for this and rely solely upon Wi-Fi. Should this prove inadequate though, foreign sim only deals could prove an ideal solution for your woes. Certain networks exist, which offer reasonable pricing for data usage. Those travelling to the UK will find reasonably priced deals with www.lebara.co.uk Data Bundles, which offer 500MB of data for £5 ($8 approximately) and 1MB for £7.50 ($12) and £2.50 ($4) per MB thereafter. Certainly this will cure the itch for Facebook addicts without feeling the scratch from your domestic provider.
Calls need not be expensive either, with many providers offering ideal incentives for Pay-As-You-Go price plans. Outgoing international calls also start from 1p ($0.02) per minute too, meaning that calling family and friends back home need not break the bank. Tempting still is the prospect of cheaply contacting that attractive Spanish person you met at the bar the night before without having to dedicate your financial future ruing calling back.
European networks also try to entice their customers with added bonuses for such tariffs. Those who top up their credit online are entitled to various treats of free minutes to spend on calling whoever they desire. Plus, referring friends also earns them a free £5 ($8) bonus to treat themselves with. Treats and incentives exist across most European states in a similar fashion.
So with this in mind, the avid European traveler, student abroad or expat worker can count phone arrangements as one less piece of emotional baggage upon their journey. Just ensure that your phone is unlocked and you’re ready to go.
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