Post: #1

A little thread here for guys planning to head overseas for a while - perhaps those practiced in doing this and staying "connected" to business opportunities can drop some best practice tidbits about how they made the move seamlessly as possible. My brother is headed to Greece for a month with his family, he asked me how I dealt with the issue in China, and it gave me the idea to start this thread.

Here's one for starters, mostly for US temporary expats who don't want to give up their home country phone number even though they are overseas for a while (I kept mine as I was on a family plan and didn't want to drop it) .

Go on skype and get a skype number. If you're in the USA you can get a US area code and number. If you're departing elsewhere, you can check if skype or a similar service will work - but for USA, Skype was a very seamless low cost answer.

Buy the skype number. Then when you're headed overseas, turn on the free call forwarding from your cel phone plan (verizon at least has free call forwarding), to forward to your new skype number. Make sure Skype is installed and you've logged into it on your mobile.

Then for as long as call forwarding is enabled, your cel phone skype app should ring when someone calls your US number, and they'll also be able to leave a message for you on your skype number. If you set it up the right way, it can actually be indistinguishable from your US number so that people don't even need to know you're overseas. Test it out a few times before you turn on call forwarding for your trip and make sure you're happy with your outgoing message and it conveys the perception you want to convey.

When you're overseas, get a date plan with your local phone cel service. Swap out the local sim with your home country sim, and enjoy the rate arbitrage available in most countries (if you're a US user). Make sure your data is enabled and switch your home country phone plan to the lowest possible usage, minimum bill. You can consider turning off your home country data service entirely, depending on how frequently you'll repatriate temporarily, or you can even switch plans/companies at home to minimize those costs if you're sure you'll not need anything beyond the home country number.

Post: #2

My two cents -
I forwarded (diverted) calls from my mobile number to a VoIP number because my mobile operator does not allow forwarding calls to overseas numbers. Then I diverted from my VoIP number to the overseas number I got.

Buy a phone that supports two SIMs (e.g. Samsung DUO)

Post: #3

Option #2, #3 and #4:

- Get a Google Voice number, and use GV Hangouts dialer to make free calls over the data network.




- Get GV number, purchase OBi VoIP ATA adapter and make free calls




- Use CallCentric and a generic cheap VoIP ATA to make calls (sort of low cost)

Post: #4

I'm writing this post from Guam from free data provided through my US T-Mobile plan. In the past week I've used the plan for free data and Google voice calling in Thailand, HK, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Guam. It's not fast data but it's solid 3G, and can make calls. I called United from the Taj Mahal to change a flight.

There's nothing quite like not having to worry about anything phone-wise when traveling all over the place.

If you use conventional calling it's .20/minute. All texts are free regardless of your location in the world.

Post: #5

Ive definitely thought about getting a T-mobile burner for when I'm overseas. I travelled recently with a friend who had T-mobile in Puebla Mexico and I was definitely jealous of his easy connectivity. Because of the poor coverage in the USA, I don't want to use T-Mobile all the time, but I have a second phone and might consider getting a second plan for that.

Post: #6

(02-04-2015 11:47 AM)Global Entry Wrote:  A little thread here for guys planning to head overseas for a while - perhaps those practiced in doing this and staying "connected" to business opportunities can drop some best practice tidbits about how they made the move seamlessly as possible. My brother is headed to Greece for a month with his family, he asked me how I dealt with the issue in China, and it gave me the idea to start this thread.

Here's one for starters, mostly for US temporary expats who don't want to give up their home country phone number even though they are overseas for a while (I kept mine as I was on a family plan and didn't want to drop it) .

Go on skype and get a skype number. If you're in the USA you can get a US area code and number. If you're departing elsewhere, you can check if skype or a similar service will work - but for USA, Skype was a very seamless low cost answer.

Buy the skype number. Then when you're headed overseas, turn on the free call forwarding from your cel phone plan (verizon at least has free call forwarding), to forward to your new skype number. Make sure Skype is installed and you've logged into it on your mobile.

Then for as long as call forwarding is enabled, your cel phone skype app should ring when someone calls your US number, and they'll also be able to leave a message for you on your skype number. If you set it up the right way, it can actually be indistinguishable from your US number so that people don't even need to know you're overseas. Test it out a few times before you turn on call forwarding for your trip and make sure you're happy with your outgoing message and it conveys the perception you want to convey.

When you're overseas, get a date plan with your local phone cel service. Swap out the local sim with your home country sim, and enjoy the rate arbitrage available in most countries (if you're a US user). Make sure your data is enabled and switch your home country phone plan to the lowest possible usage, minimum bill. You can consider turning off your home country data service entirely, depending on how frequently you'll repatriate temporarily, or you can even switch plans/companies at home to minimize those costs if you're sure you'll not need anything beyond the home country number.

This is country specific advice.

When I'm in Colombia I use my T-mobile phone....free 3g internet which is good enough for chatting on facebook and whatsapp. Also all calls made to and received from the US are free if you are connected to WIFI at the time. If you make or accept a call from the US while not connected to WIFI...it is 20 cents a min.

Unfortunately I have to have a second phone with a colombian sim to make local cell phone calls.

Post: #7

How do you get free tmobile data overseas?

Post: #8

It is easier to get prepaid type phones in some countries, like China for example, because that is the norm and contracts are not. Makes for a cheap temp phone, when sending QQ messages gets too annoying, or you need something urgently. Have to carry around two phones, but oh well. You can even buy mins and data via cards. I remember getting plenty for even 50-100rmb.

I would use my US phone if I could find wifi so that I could use wifi dialing to call my family back home, handle business stuff, etc. Tmobile is good for that indeed.

Post: #9

(02-06-2015 09:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  How do you get free tmobile data overseas?

http://www.t-mobile.com/simple-choice-in...plans.html

Sign up.

Travel the world unlimited

Unlimited international data & text in over 120 countries and destinations, at no extra charge. The world is your network.

Post: #10

If you guys do some serious traveling there isn't anything better than t-mobile. I can't explain how great it is to always land in a place with a working phone. I do 5-10 countries a month and wouldn't change it at all.

Plus, the domestic network isn't that bad. I call from my place for free using the wifi calling.

Post: #11

Cid,
What about when girls want to call you, though. Or biz associates - if you're using the T-mobile phone, don't they have to call you long distance? Text long distance?
Any idea what the cheapest plan is so that when I am occasionally overseas, I can use it without it becoming too expensive from carrying the plan all the time?

Post: #12

Google voice works well, non-US people can't get GV, but you can buy 15 accounts for $5 on Fiverr.com

Post: #13

Girls always have whatsapp/line/wechat these days, and if they want to call then skype is fine.

If I need local calls for work then of course I have a second phone with a local sim. Still I can make the calls for free on skype internationally using the free data.

I don't know the plans' costs exactly but you really can get a plan with low minutes and milk the free wifi calling from home.

What I really need is a good dual sim phone so I don't need two phones.

Post: #14

Global Entry - great post. For my situation, it looks like I will overseas (Europe) for about 60 days this summer. However, I need to make about 500 minutes of calls per month to the US for business conference calls. Is Skype the best way to do this? If I can dial in from my laptop using Skype via wifi in my euro apt, I should be all set. Anyone been in this situation previously?

As for local girls, I am assuming I should just get a local phone w/some data plan for 60 days?

Post: #15

RingCentral. I have a number from Canada and my phone rings in Thailand. Unlimited North America calling for $29 per month. I pay more because of my company's toll-free numbers, but for a standard package, $29 per month and you get your own number and it works wherever you have.

Bonus: RingCentral has the feature of unmasking blocked caller IDs.

Post: #16

I've found that Skype voicemail is very tempermental. I set up a skype in number as a work/business line and if I'm logged into a skype account anywhere, it won't send it to voicemail. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I get messages like that all the time. I'll have to find a different solution.

I'm thinking of moving over to T-Mobile from Sprint. Sprint isn't really good for international travel (and honestly I don't travel THAT much international, but I'd like the option of having the international roaming). However, the best thing about Sprint is the Google Voice integration so I can text from my computer or ipad.

Post: #17

Thank you to all the guys posting about this. I was wondering how to handle this the other day. Trying to make plans for a longer trip.

Thanks.

Post: #18

(02-07-2015 12:33 PM)WEDO Wrote:  

(02-06-2015 09:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  How do you get free tmobile data overseas?

http://www.t-mobile.com/simple-choice-in...plans.html

Sign up.

Travel the world unlimited

Unlimited international data & text in over 120 countries and destinations, at no extra charge. The world is your network.

Wedo, how would you compare T-mobile data in Colombia to Claro or Tigo?

Post: #19

(02-11-2015 06:44 PM)newgame Wrote:  

(02-07-2015 12:33 PM)WEDO Wrote:  

(02-06-2015 09:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  How do you get free tmobile data overseas?

http://www.t-mobile.com/simple-choice-in...plans.html

Sign up.

Travel the world unlimited

Unlimited international data & text in over 120 countries and destinations, at no extra charge. The world is your network.

Wedo, how would you compare T-mobile data in Colombia to Claro or Tigo?

Free t-mobile data in Colombia is slower than Claro....you only get 3g...you can pay to up it to 4G if you want. I use it mostly for whatsapp and chatting on facebook and it works fine for that.

Post: #20

I should mention that I recommend t-mobile for those who travel a lot. If Colombia is your only country, get a Colombian card.

I do anywhere from 5-10 countries a month so I need the data when I'm on the road. Nothing beats always being connected, even during a 2 hour layover in some shithole airport with no wi-fi.

Post: #21

Officially moved to T-mobile. I still have two months on my Sprint number but what I did is this. I'm travelling internationally in several countries next month so I wanted to switch over before that.

I signed up for a new Google Voice number (I wanted a 310 LA Area Code and I got a really good one- easy to remember). I ported that number into a new T-mobile account. So now that is my cell phone number (T-mobile only had the lame 424 area codes available in my area which hurts you in LA's business and nightlife scene). This is a very good hack if you want a specific area code and want to get the number chosen beforehand. 310s are getting rarer nowadays and I was able to secure a nice one.

I'm keeping my current cell phone number on Sprint which is a Sprint/Google Integration(there's an early termination fee). So when its time and I'm free and clear of that contract I will port that number into a standalone Google Voice number. I'm currently signed into Google Voice on my T-mobile phone with that. So I get text messages from both numbers as well as getting my calls forwarded and being able to make and receive calls from my sprint phone number.

So far its working great. Not getting MMS on my new phone because of the Sprint/Google Integration issue, but once I port that to Google Voice is should be good.

Post: #22

Just returned from visiting the UK, Spain, Portugal, France and a connection in Canada.

I can't stress how awesome this international roaming is. It sets all up about 5 minutes from landing, you're capped at 128KBPs in data speed but that's good enough for email, texting (free international texting), whatsapp/viber and uploading photos to instagram. It even worked in relatively remote areas.

I just ported my original Sprint Phone Number to Google Voice so I'm all on T-mobile. Cost me $20 to do so and only took 24 hours.

Post: #23

(02-07-2015 12:33 PM)WEDO Wrote:  

(02-06-2015 09:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  How do you get free tmobile data overseas?

http://www.t-mobile.com/simple-choice-in...plans.html

Sign up.

Travel the world unlimited

Unlimited international data & text in over 120 countries and destinations, at no extra charge. The world is your network.

Read that website more carefully. From their FAQ:

Quote:If the plan includes unlimited data and text, is there any limit?
As long as the majority of your usage is on T-Mobile’s U.S. network, you will experience unlimited data and text. Service may be terminated for excessive roaming, misuse, or abnormal use.

What if I plan to be abroad for several months on sabbatical – can I take advantage of T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plan while abroad?
T-Mobile’s plan is intended for customers who live in the U.S. and are traveling outside of the U.S. for work or casual travel. Customers living or traveling abroad for extended durations (e.g., more than 5 weeks) would be better served with other international options, like local service, as the majority of your usage must be on T-Mobile’s U.S. network.

It looks like Drazen's usage is the type of customer that they're looking for.

Is there such a service where I port my US based number to that will redirect the calls to an international line? So far it's looking like i'll have to buy a Skype number for what I am looking for.

Post: #24

Get Google Translate. Download the dictionary for the country you are going to. It was invaluable, I opened up some girls in Barcelona who spoke only Catalan that way.

Post: #25

Can anyone give me a layout of how to use T-mobile as my international line - I have an Verizon iPhone six plus, and I am not going to change companies. What the least expensive way to have T-mobile access for those times that I am overseas (lets say total, these days, around 2 months a year). I don't care much about data speed as its just for connectivity to emails and sms/chat programs. I'm not streaming music, much less video. I don't mind paying a premium for access and not having to go through the Sim card shuffle (I actually own a sim wallet, which only begins to describe the issue), but I don't want to pay 600 in annual fees for 2 months of total access. Any ideas?