Going overseas
In this course, you'll learn how you can stay connected and use the internet with your own mobile phone, even when you're on holiday overseas.
Having your own phone on an overseas trip can take a lot of the stress out of travel. You won't need to find a public phone, and you'll be able to access the information you want and your favourite sites, no matter where you are.
This course will show you ways to help avoid a big data bill while travelling overseas. You'll learn how to change the settings on your mobile phone, so it does not use any data while overseas, which is good if you're travelling on a budget, and just want your phone for emergency calls.
Watch this short video to get a summary of what this topic will cover.
Transcript
Kathleen is travelling to Italy, and wants to use the internet and make calls while she's there. Let's see how she prepares for this. First, Kathleen contacts her mobile internet provider to check that international roaming is active on her phone. International roaming will let Kathleen make calls and use the internet on her mobile phone while overseas, just like she does at home. Her provider will charge Kathleen extra on top of her usual mobile phone charges.
Kathleen arranges an International Day Pass with her mobile phone provider so will pay an extra $5 each day she's overseas. This will allow her to make phone calls, send emails, and some photos as well as browse websites. Before zipping up her suitcase, Kathleen packs an adapter for her mobile phone charger so she can plug it into a power point while away. At the airport, Kathleen switches off Data Roaming in her phone settings. This means it can't automatically connect to a mobile network on a stopover or at the destination, and ensures Kathleen won't get any unexpected charges.
Kathleen also switches on Flight Mode in her phone settings. This disables calls, data, and Wi-Fi and is required by most airlines. After boarding, the flight crew asks all passengers to switch off their devices during take-off and landing. Kathleen arrives in Rome, ready to find a taxi to her hotel and start discovering the sights. She switches off Flight Mode in her phone settings and can now make calls using the local mobile network.
Kathleen leaves Data Roaming switched off because although her International Day Pass provides some data each day, she prefers to save her mobile data and use free Wi-Fi wherever possible. All she needs to do is use her phone settings to access the free public Wi-Fi at transport centres, cafes, museums, and her hotel. When there is no free Wi-Fi, Kathleen simply switches on Data Roaming and connects to the internet using mobile data from her International Day Pass.
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1
How data works when travelling overseas
6 min
2
Will my device work overseas?
7 min
3
Does data cost more overseas?
9 min
4
Getting ready to travel
9 min
5
Staying in touch with friends and family
8 min
6
A typical data journey
11 min
7
Travelling without data
11 min