Roam the Globe Like a Pro this Holiday Travel Season

The holiday season is here! But there is a growing trend of skipping gifts, tinsel, and multiple family gatherings to stamp passports instead.

According to forecasts from the Federal Aviation Administration, over 4 million  Americans are expected to travel internationally from November to January, with many selecting to spend their holidays in destinations such as Italy, France, Japan and the UK to name a few countries.

From a beachside brunch to ski-slope cider, to an Eiffel Tower baguette, traveling is a great alternative to ring in the holidays.  But there’s one thing that travelers may not be thinking about or budgeting for this holiday season – and that’s roaming charges when using your phone abroad.

Roaming occurs when your phone connects to a network outside of your home carrier's coverage area, often when traveling internationally.

To put this in dollars and cents, roaming charges typically include fees for calls, texts, and data usage on foreign networks. Typical costs without an international data plan could be up to 50 cents per text message, up to $3 per minute phone call and up to $1.30 per picture or video message. Imagine paying for each text message like it’s 2005!

For a lot of international travelers, staying connected equals peace of mind. You need it for GPS, booking hotels and flights, checking your bank, and, of course, sharing all those amazing moments on social media. It’s way more than just making calls. Plus, we've all heard the horror stories about people coming back from trips to six-digit phone bills from a different wireless provider. Yikes!

So, how can you avoid these annoying roaming charges?

Check to see what your carrier offers by way of international data plans. For only $12 a day, AT&T’s International Day Pass¹ offers great value as we are the only carrier to offer unlimited high-speed data to customers on eligible plans, plus our customers have access to unlimited talk and text while traveling in family more than 210 destinations. Customers can also breathe a sigh of relief knowing that each additional line used on the same calendar day is only $6 if traveling with additional family members on the same plan. You are only ever charged for days you use the service. Plus - if you are on an extended trip, you only pay for 10 days of use per line, per bill, the rest of your travel days are FREE! That means huge savings for you! This is the perfect time for a two-week holiday.