Passport Health Passports and Visas
Do you need a passport or visa?
Call or email us
Back to
Passport Health Logo
Visa & Passport Experts
Start Your Application!
Visas|Passports|Find a Travel Clinic
  • Home
  • Visas
      • Overview
        • Do I Need a Visa?
        • Visa FAQs
      • Top Visa Destinations
        • Learn more about the travel visa requirements for top destinations:

          • Afghanistan Visa
          • Algeria Visa
          • Angola Visa
          • Australia Visa
          • Azerbaijan Visa
          • Bahrain Visa
          • Bangladesh Visa
          • Belarus Visa
          • Benin Visa
          • Bhutan Visa
          • Bolivia Visa
          • Brazil Visa
          • Burkina Faso Visa
          • Burundi Visa
          • Cambodia Visa
          • Cameroon Visa
          • Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Visa
          • Central African Republic Visa
          • Chad Visa
          • China Visa
          • Cote d’Ivoire Visa
          • Cuba Visa
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo Visa
          • Djibouti Visa
          • Dominican Republic Visa
          • East Timor (Timor-Leste) Visa
          • Egypt Visa
          • Eritrea Visa
          • Ethiopia Visa
          • Gabon Visa
          • Gambia Visa
          • Ghana Visa
          • Guinea Visa
          • Guinea-Bissau Visa
          • Hong Kong Visa
          • India Visa
          • Indonesia Visa
          • Iran Visa
          • Iraq Visa
          • Jordan Visa
          • Kazakhstan Visa
          • Kenya Visa
          • Kuwait Visa
          • Kyrgyzstan Visa
          • Laos Visa
          • Lebanon Visa
          • Liberia Visa
          • Libya Visa
          • Macau Visa
          • Madagascar Visa
          • Malawi Visa
          • Mali Visa
          • Mauritania Visa
          • Mozambique Visa
          • Myanmar (Burma) Visa
          • Namibia Visa
          • Nauru Visa
          • Nepal Visa
          • Niger Visa
          • Nigeria Visa
          • North Korea Visa
          • Oman Visa
          • Pakistan Visa
          • Papua New Guinea Visa
          • Paraguay Visa
          • Peru Visa
          • Philippines Visa
          • Qatar Visa
          • Republic of the Congo Visa
          • Russia Visa
          • Rwanda Visa
          • Sao Tome & Principe Visa
          • Saudi Arabia Visa
          • Sierra Leone Visa
          • Somalia Visa
          • South Africa Visa
          • South Sudan Visa
          • Sri Lanka Visa
          • Sudan Visa
          • Suriname Visa
          • Syria Visa
          • Tajikistan Visa
          • Tanzania Visa
          • Thailand Visa
          • Tibet Visa
          • Togo Visa
          • Tonga Visa
          • Turkey Visa
          • Turkmenistan Visa
          • Uganda Visa
          • United Arab Emirates Visa
          • Uzbekistan Visa
          • Venezuela Visa
          • Vietnam Visa
          • Yemen Visa
          • Zambia Visa
          • Zimbabwe Visa
    • Close
  • Passports
    • Overview
      • Child’s Passport
      • Damaged Passport
      • Expedited Passport
      • First Time Passport
      • Lost or Stolen Passport
      • Renewed Passport
      • Second Passport
      • Passport FAQs
    • Close
  • About
    • Overview
      • Corporate Overview
      • Passports and Visas for Group Travel
      • Contact us
    • Close
  • Blog

Passports and Visas service is temporarily suspended

Due to COVID-19 and the health of our employees, we will not be accepting new applicants at this time. If you are inquiring about an application currently in process through Passport Health services, please contact us via this form.

How to Use Your Cellphone While Traveling Abroad

It's almost guaranteed that you'll need a cellphone when traveling abroad.

The summer travel season is coming up, and if you’re doing an extended trip overseas, it’s time to start planning. It’s often the least fun part of the vacation process, but you’ll have to make a list of all those travel needs.

Obviously those include plenty of clothes and personal items, but what about communication? The means by which you call home and send some text messages?

Even though it can be beneficial to your trip to ditch the phone, you should plan for at least some kind of communication. Even if it’s just staying in your room, a phone is going to be necessary. But, that also creates the issue of cell service. You might not know that many foreign countries could use your existing cellphone service, saving a switch to new phone providers.

For example, if you use Sprint as a provider, there’s a good chance that you can use the same service on your foreign trip.

When you’re in unfamiliar territory, it can be a real hassle to rely on maps and directories to find hotels or places to eat. Pulling up a map or local restaurant reviews on your phone can be both reliable and faster.

As it turns out, you can often use your cellphone while traveling to foreign countries.

Willing to put in a bit of work for your international phone usage?

You can save money by purchasing a foreign subscriber identification module (SIM) card or prepaid card. In this case, you can take your cell phone with you, but you’ll use a different phone number while traveling.

Keep in mind that many cell carriers fight this by “locking” your phone when abroad. A cell phone repair shop can usually fix this and unlock your phone. Otherwise, you could buy another cheap phone that’s already unlocked.

From there, you can choose from either an international SIM card or one that’s specific to a country. If visiting multiple countries on your trip, it’s likely smart to buy a pricier international card. Staying in one country? You can save with a SIM card specific for that nation.

There is a lazy method for travelers that want to use their own phone. Some form of international data is available on most major phone carriers in the United States.

T-Mobile and Sprint customers can take advantage of their international roaming. Both offer high-speed options for people that need fast internet during their trip.

Verizon and AT&T both offer international data plan options. These prices vary greatly depending on how much data, calls or texts you plan to use.

Many cellphone carries offer different applications for making phone calls and sending text messages. WhatsApp and WeChat are two of the world’s most popular apps for international messaging, but not your only options.

Many travelers already have a Google or Skype account. This allows you to communicate via Skype and Google Hangouts when traveling.

But, even these are only the tip of the iceberg, with a plethora of options for both iPhone and Android users.

Still need some travel documents before taking your trip? Passport Health can help! Call us at or check out any of our other passport and visa services.

Do you have any other tips for phone usage in a foreign country? Let us know via Facebook or Twitter.

Written for Passport Health by Jerry Olsen. He has over 15 years of combined experience as a writer and editor in Salt Lake City. Jerry’s writing topics range from health care, travel, life science to medical technology and technical writing.

Need a Travel Visa or Passport?

We can help! Let us make the process hassle-free!
Passport Icon

Email us or

Expert Passport & Visa Processing

Our team of experts makes sure your passport and/or visa application is:
  • check markComplete
  • check markAccurate
  • check markHand delivered
  • check markProcessed Quickly
Contact us to get started
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Passport FAQs
  • Visa FAQs
  • Group Travel Solutions
  • Terms of Use
  • Sitemap

Speak with a Passport
and Visa Expert:

1-844-366-VISA
Please call or E-mail Us

Connect With Us:

Passport Health on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on YouTube
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on Google Plus
Passport Health on Linked In
Passport Health Feed

Passport Health is an Outlier business Copyright © 2021