1. Buying a laptop in a Foreign Country. What do you do if your laptop melts down while you are in a foreign country where your native language is not spoken? If you need for your laptop’s operating system and keyboard to be in your first language, you will face challenges if you have to buy one in a country with a different native language than yours. The same is true when buying a phone. The language used during the setup may not be in English.
Amazon delivery is now available in most countries, but be sure a native person helps you understand the post code. In Ireland some places don’t completely use them in the same way that they are used in the US. Or, if you are in an ancient building in Barcelona, be sure you understand how deliveries happen. Does the building have a superintendent or porter? Is the delivery person to leave packages with them? Do they ring your flat and you buzz them in? Where is the buzzer thingy? What does it even look like? How does it function? What if it’s broken?, like the one in my building currently is.
2. Using Wi-fi on Transportation. Most trains, planes, bus stations and airports have free charging outlets. Most busses and trains in major cities such as Dublin, Paris and Oslo offer free Wi-Fi but you may have to sign in. The sign in prompts may not be in English or may use language, even in English, that is unfamiliar. The sign-in prompt in Ireland is very small and hard to see, you need to enlarge it in order to add your details. English is usually indicated by a British flag rather than an American flag. Familiarize yourself with the flags of other countries. If your pre-oriented to your own flag only, and you are alone and trying to figure out how to purchase a train ticket in a foreign country, even small adjustments under stress can foster mistakes. Some countries offer 2 different trains to the airport. In Oslo I purchased the ticket of one train but mistakenly boarded the other. Who knew there were 2 trains going to the airport???? Luckily the handsome train attendant sat down next to me and explained the situation in English and allowed me to travel anyway.
3. International Calling Plans. If you will only be abroad for a few weeks, you may want to add an international data and calling plan from your current provider. These plans can cost $65 to $/70 a month on top of what you are currently paying. You may also add International calling if you´ve purchased a SIM card. Depending on the plan, you may still be charged for International calls, coverage and speed varies depending on the plan and provider. But if you will be abroad for more than a month, these plans may be cost prohibitive.
The SIM card that has worked best for me, as far as hopping from one country to another, and working with the network subscribed to by my home service provider, is VODAFONE.
4. SIM cards in Foreign Countries. If you purchase a SIM card in a country where the language is something other than English, be aware that all of the help and support from the website and the help call center will be in that language. Such as in Spain, the help language will all be in Spanish. There is usually an English version available, but it only functions on the first page, then as you click through the prompts to solve your problem, often the questionnaire pages that you fill out to gain answers from the support team revert back to Spanish, or, as in Norway, Norwegian. If you call the help line, you can request help in English, but usually their English is as minimal as my French and Norwegian.
For instance, I purchased my SIM in Ireland but used it in Norway, France and Spain. You can simply purchase a new card from any country you travel to and avoid issues. But, that won’t work in my case, as each new card means a new phone number which means nightmare when signing into banking and working apps that rely on a consistent phone number for verification.
5. SIM card Prep- Work Around. Purchase a SIM card upon arrival at the airport. That way you will have enough mobile data to use Google translate or Google maps if you need it to get from the airport to wherever you are staying. In case none of this works, have the address hand-written ahead of time on a note card in your backpack. If the only place the address of your destination is located is in the Airbnb app in your phone, and you can’t get the mobile data aspect of your newly purchased SIM card to function in the cab or train station, it’s nice to just hand the note card to the cab driver or ask a stranger for directions while handing them the card.
SIM cards and the 2-Step Verification Process. You can purchase a new SIM card in each country for 20 to 30 euros or the equivalency in currency. Using a SIM card while in a country that is different from the country in which you originally purchased it can cause other challenges. The latest challenge is that most credit card, bank transfer, and send money apps, all require the new 2-step verification process. This is where you sign into your account and the company will send a 2-step verification code to your phone. You are to copy the code and paste it into the prompt, in order to proceed into your account. The problem that arises when you have removed your US SIM card and replaced it with a SIM card from another country, is that the code from the company is sent via text to the phone number they have on file, if your number is a US phone number, and your credit card is US based, there is no way for you to go into your account and update the number because the digits in the US, for example, are arranged differently from the way the digits in Europe and Central or South America are arranged. The US uses= +1 (country code) (×××) area code (×××) prefix – (××××) suffix. Other countries may have a 3 digit country code and the digits are arranged as (×××)(×××××××) this configuration is not allowed in a US based app.
6. Phone Service Provider Issues. Depending on your service provider back home, Verizon, AT&T, etc., not just any SIM card will work with your phone, even if you you’ve paid it off and think you own your phone. Lycamobile and Tree might work in Dublin, but once you go to smaller towns outside of Dublin, you may encounter a lack of service. Tesco can work well in Ireland but international and inter-country calling is spotty.
7. Phone Management. Bring an extra phone for emergencies. So, rather than selling your previous phone on Ebay that you used before you upgraded, take it along as backup. Power cords, adapter plugs, and power strips can be purchased when you arrive at your destination depending on your destination. Many buildings in Europe don’t have as many electrical outlets as you may be accustomed to, or they may be inconveniently placed. I travel with my own power strip but if you want to save packing space, purchase one when you arrive if necessary and available.
8. Banking Apps. If you are using International money transfer apps such as REVOLUT, REMITLY, TRANSFERWISE, or any such app, be sure to go into the app and change your European phone SIM card number before installing a new one, if you use a new one in each country. Going back in with the 2-step verification process after you change numbers will cause many challenges in getting into your account. ☆The only help available is online chats, which can be very difficult to enter if you can’t sign in to your account. So far, PayPal does not have this issue.
9. Enable biometrics on your phone and be sure to take a many scans of as many angles of your thumb as your phone will allow. Some apps will allow the biometric sign in and bypass the 2-step verification process.