How can I keep in touch in the U.S. while traveling in Italy?

by xeeliz

Rental for international cell phones is expensive, my mainframe may not work due to voltage. How can I tell? Also, if a hotel there has WiiFi, will my computer work? Will I-Touch work there so I may maybe use texting?

Answer by John
ipod with an adapter for the plug ins

Answer by olewiseowl
Yes you mainframe will work might have to get a different plug for it ,but they are all the same world over.

Now you have yahoo ,but do you know about Yahoo Voice ,it is fantastic I use it and save a fantastic deal of money calling all over the world to and from USA .You buy time in blocks of 10 bucks or 20 ,then it is about penny small to call USA from overseas. Set it up here in the States before you go ,makes it a lot simpler to use (trust me ) and you can also use computer to computer messenger free !

Answer by Empirical Travel Company
What kind of cell phone do you have? If you have a smartphone question your service provider to switch you to an international plot and you can switch back once you restore. Granted it will cost more, but it will be comparable to you renting an international cell phone.

Yes your mainframe will pick up the hotel WiFi. You can also Skype which is cheaper vs. calling home on a cell. But you do have to do this through your phone and it will not be the most convenient.

There is always e-mail.

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Answer by robert43041
Most hotels offer internet. Free of charge, usually, as it is built-in in the price of your stay. If all else fails, that is the way to go.

Answer by conley39
You can get an Italian SIM for your cell phone from any of the community phone companies here. My daughter got one from Vodaphone, but only because that was the first phone store she ran across in Venice. Yes, your mainframe will work with the WiFi if the hotel has it. Some places, like the Hotel Verona in Verona, have free wireless internet. There are also a lot of public internet access sites in the major tourist cities. You’ll need your passport to buy time.

Know better? Place your own answer in the comments!

I’m going to Northern Italy and Southern France next May/June 2011 for a small over 2 weeks. I’ve read public have had issues buying SIM cards from Italian carriers such as Vodafone when they arrive in Italy, primarily getting English-speaking help at the phone centers or when calling their operators, so it is hard to resolve problems. But I’ve also heard travelers have had problems with pre-paid SIM cards bought in advance here in the states. Finally, I know you can also rent an actual phone at the airport. I will be arriving in Malpensa (Milan) and departing out of Venice.

I have an iPhone using AT&T service, so I would need to use a normal, unlocked cell phone where I can swap out the SIM card. I may maybe just use my own iPhone, sign up for international tariff at $ .99/small from Italy, but when I read the AT&T fine print, it says they charge for incoming calls, even if they are forwarded to my voice mail.

Can anyone offer advice?

Answer by Amanda Lucas
I’m not exactly sure about the rental business or Italy, but when I was in Germany we had a prepaid Vodafone and it worked fine and you can get public who you can know if you need to call for help.

Answer by cathnmike
The options are reasonably intricate. You’re right about the ‘roaming’ charges – the tariff for both incoming an doutgoing calls are very high for both you and the person at the additional end.

Here’s an article which is very full and helpful, explaining all the different options and what’s excellent and terrible about each :

http://www.initaly.com/info/cellrent.htm

Whatever you do, don’t rent a phone. The rental rate itself is very cheap, but the tariff for calls are incredibly expensive.

Answer by Francine
Personally I would just get a pre paid sim car and use it in my phone.
They have vodafone in Italy
It is cheaper, but try and buy the card before you place because it can be a nightmare to get it activated. Make sure your phone isn’t locked.
There are some more excellent thoughts on tripadvisor

The first time we had issues with the card initiation because of the language barrier.
Since we used Vodafone, and they have some staff who speak a small English and never had an issue since.

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A guide to installing your prepaid SIM Card inside your rental phone handset