Survival tips for using cell phones internationally

Whether you use your own cell phone (a globetrotter) or not (a homebody), here are ways to get the most from your mobile communication options while traveling internationally:

If you end up renting or buying an unfamiliar phone, do your homework. Memorize the number and learn how to use the features of the phone, such as voicemail. Also familiarize yourself with the protocols for dialing in the country you're visiting. Remember, you're roaming on foreign networks. Similarly, your contacts back home might also have to insert prefixes to dial you, certainly if you're using a foreign phone or SIM card. Make sure you tell them the codes (sometimes they differ by city) for where you're going.

Learn to text message. In countries where roaming charges approach $5 a minute, it might be more economical to let your fingers do more of the talking. Most carriers charge about 50 cents per sent message and less than that for receiving one. Here's a breakdown of the charges:

Charges

When using a third-party phone, save your money by putting your home service on hold. Carriers generally allow you to temporarily stop service, usually limited to 90-days, at a cost that's invariably less than your monthly contract. For example, you can contact Verizon to suspend service at no monthly charge, but there is a $15 charge to reactivate the account. Sprint and T-Mobile have a monthly access and control charge ($8.99 and 10 respectively) but you'll incur no other charges. As for AT&T, you can suspend your accounts while away, but you still must pay full price, even for data plans (like the iPhone or Blackberry plans that are $30 a month).)

One detail to suspending service: If you're still under contract with your carrier, your contract will be extended for the length of time you put service on hold.

Note that the clock might not reset on a U.S. phone. It's not a big deal, but your phone's clock probably won't automatically reset itself when you touch down in a foreign time zone. That's something to think about if you're planning to use your phone as an alarm clock.

Don't forget phone-charging needs. Since voltages and outlets vary from country to country, you'll need to take a special adapter kit to recharge your phone, your camera and other gear. Those kits are widely available from Radio Shack, Amazon.com and other retailers for $15 to $30 and they're often included when you rent or buy an international or world phone.

One final tip: it's a great convenience to have a cell phone on a foreign vacation, but use it sparingly, especially for work reasons: After all, you're supposed to be on vacation.