I plan my trips around the sensitive needs of my iPhone.

In 4 days I am leaving for another month abroad, and OH the endless task list! There are so many things to do to prepare for international travel.

A very important task I have been trying to figure out is how to bring my iPhone abroad without coming home to a $4000 bill. And I am not exaggerating. Just Google ‘iPhone abroad’ and start reading horror stories of people who unknowingly took their phones to Europe or wherever and incurred the ridiculously high roaming charges for data usage. It is one thing to know that making calls from your US mobile phone while overseas will cost you an arm and a leg, but surfing the web and checking email could cost you a whole lot more than just a couple of appendages.

So I have been doing my research. Yesterday I called my cellular service provider and had them turn on international roaming so that I can use the phone in case of emergency.  I hate calling the phone company. It is inevitable that you will wait on hold for 45 minutes and then the connection will be bad or the customer service agent will try to push some ridiculously expensive new “package” on you, when all you have is a simple question. However, I was shocked that she didn’t insist on selling me a data package or some other monthly service that would cost me hundreds to remove after I return home. No, instead she easily agreed to turn on  the international roaming, and in her words I quote “because you just want to be able to use your iPhone for emergencies ONLY.” Yes, that is exactly it. Thank you very much.

She then proceeded to tell me about 5 or 6 times to make SURE I turn OFF data roaming BEFORE I leave the US. Haha. I guess some people didn’t do their homework when taking their handy-gotta-have-it-with-me-at-all-times-iPhones with them abroad.

So if you are an iPhone user/enthusiast/freak then check out this page on traveling with the iPhone.

http://www.solvate.com/solutions/2009/01/27/iphone-users-must-read-before-you-go-abroad/

This is a very comprehensive list of exactly every step you must take to avoid an offensively high mobile bill while abroad.

I swear, taking this gadget abroad is way more complicated than traveling with paper maps (who can ever fold those things back up??) and the complete Oxford Duden dictionary in your carry on bag.