That's it, the tickets are booked, the accommodation too, the suitcases are almost ready, and the holiday should not be long now. Are you sure you've thought of everything?
It is difficult today to do without your phone, so you will probably take it with you. If you have thought about taking the charger, it is not the only thing to check before leaving.
Indeed, when you go to a foreign country, it is good to plan a small checklist to avoid the unpleasant surprise of returning home with a mobile bill that flies away. Here is a brief overview of the points to check before leaving.
You check your package with your operator
You know your package, its price, as well as the volume of calls you can make, or the number of SMS you can send, not to mention Internet browsing. But do you know if your package includes roaming in certain countries? If so, which ones?
Indeed, today, a large number of packages, all operators combined, include the possibility of calling and sending text messages from a country other than France, and this at no extra cost. In general, this concerns the countries of the European Union, for a certain number of days per year.
So, to know if your holiday will take place in a country included in your package, nothing could be easier. You can go to your operator's website and log into your account to read the terms and conditions of your package, or call your operator directly for information.
If your country is included in the list, fine, you're safe. However, if this is not the case, check with your operator to see if there is a particular option to benefit from roaming during your stay. Be careful with the cost of the option, which can be high, as well as the validity period.
If the option does not exist, or if you do not wish to take it, rest assured, you can also choose to buy a SIM card once you arrive at your destination. Choose a prepaid solution, so you don't have to pay for a subscription.
We find out how to make a call from the destination country
During your holidays, if you use your phone to call France, you will need to use the prefix +33 in front of each number dialled.
If you are calling within the country itself, you do not have to do anything special.
To limit the cost of calls or text messages, a free solution is to install and use a messaging application. Among the best known are WhatsApp or Messenger.
These applications only require an internet connection, so if you don't want to subscribe to a paid option and want to avoid the cost of calls and text messages, this is the ideal solution. Of course, it is advisable to connect via a free Wi-Fi network; otherwise you will have the costs associated with the 3G (or 4G) connection.
We are planning on the consumption of internet data
Without our attention, many applications of our phones consume data, even when they are not being used. If when you are in France it has no real impact, abroad, it can have significant consequences on your invoice.
Also, to avoid unpleasant surprises, it is advisable to do some manipulations on your phone.
If you have an iPhone, you just have to go to the settings, in the cellular network. Here you can deactivate the option "Data abroad".
On Android, go to the settings, then to wireless and network. Data roaming must be disabled.
Similarly, in your phone settings, go to application management to define a rule that allows updates to be made only when the phone is connected to the Wi-Fi network.
Despite all these precautions, during your stay, check the data consumption on your phone regularly. This will allow you to intervene quickly, before it gets too big.