It’s okay if the escape is to Paris or Rome, but if I go further away I have to change clothes Some settings of my Android mobile phone to continue enjoying the use Get full power but also the operational applications you need at that moment. Even though every country is a world, some areas need more changes and precautions than others.

From various parts of the world and roaming

Which operator are you a customer of?. First of all, I am from Vodafone and this telecom divides the countries of the world into different regions, each with its own restrictions and tariffs. Zone 1 comes standard with the data speed I have, which means I don’t need to do anything and I’ll just pay for it as if I were using my phone in Spain. Generally speaking, this strip covers most of Europe and other locations such as the Vatican or Martinique. But if you leave Europe and go to Latin America or Asia, things get complicated and expensive. The rest of the operators work similarly, so if in doubt check their website or Google and type something like “destination country + roaming + your teleoperator”, for example “United Arab Emirates Vodafone roaming“To clear doubts.

The previous explanation has an important point: roaming or data roaming. This is free in zone 1, so even if you connect through a different operator’s network, you won’t have to pay more, thanks to agreements between telcos. However, if this is not the case, roaming is expensive and other alternatives are worth it. In summary, If roaming is not free I disable it.

There are two ways to disable data roaming or roaming, and when in doubt I use both: one from your carrier’s app (in the roaming section) and the other from mobile settings. Although the path may vary depending on your Android model, ‘Settings‘ > ‘mobile networks‘ > ‘Data usage‘ > ‘Data roaming‘ and there we disable data roaming toggle

If roaming is not free it is better to buy (e)SIM

On my last trip (I am writing these lines from Dubai), the Arab Emirates corresponds to the 3rd zone, which means calls of more than three euros per minute and more than six euros per megabyte, so the best option from an economic point of view purchase a SIM for that trip. For convenience and immediacy, I prefer an eSIM that I can use since I have a Google Pixel (it’s also compatible with some Samsung Galaxy’s). There are several international eSIMs such as TravelSIM, MiSimCard or Holafly; I chose these because I used this card on my trip to China and it worked perfectly for me.

The good thing about eSIM is that you can buy it online at any time and have it ready to use in minutes, without having to go to a physical store. Therefore, it is sufficient to have an internet connection and an eSIM compatible mobile phone. It’s best not to leave it to the last minute and prepare it before you leave, so you only have to activate it when you arrive at your destination.

eSIM is quick and easy to set up. The procedure is explained quite well when you buy and the important thing is that they send you a QR (this was the last time they left it off so I contacted the team via chat and they resolved the issue quickly, hence the reason we did this BEFORE you leave Spain). In summary, we repeat the process to access the SIMs as before. Route’ on my Pixel deviceSettings‘ > ‘Network and Internet‘ > ‘SIMs‘ and there we touch on adding SIM.

After a few steps we will need to read the QR code, so it is recommended to have the purchase email open on another device, for example another mobile phone or computer. After following a few more steps we will be left with eSIM not activated. Once we arrive in the destination country we will swipe the eSIM button and tick roaming. We already have data about our target.

Bonus: VPN yes or VPN no?

An important fact. When I bought the Holafly eSIM for China, it included a VPN, which was a luxury for me because it’s a country with very limited internet and would interfere with my connection to work. It is true that after this experience, I started using VPN in my daily life, both on my mobile phone (the configuration is not so mysterious) and on my computer.

In any case, my advice is that if you go to a country where censorship is intense and the applications you use are against current legislation, Don’t think about it and use VPN for security reasonsespecially with public or open Wi-Fi in hotels. No configuration on Android mobile phone

Being careful is two values

Although today I no longer consider traveling to any country outside Europe without data and using only the hotel Wi-Fi, I usually have a few aces up my sleeve. in case the stars align against me and I also get lost as data coverage stops, or in case I have to talk to locals because very few people in China speak English, for example. In short, I use Google Maps and Google Translate.

Inside What I do in Google Maps is download maps for offline use. It’s as easy as going into the app and tapping on the profile photo, and in ‘Offline Maps’ I select an area to limit the map I can see from the browser, even without a connection.

Last but not least I download the target language from Google Translatebecause even though I normally get by with English, you never know. You just need to log in to the app and when you tap on the profile photo we will see the ‘Downloaded languages’ option where I select the language of the country I will be traveling to.

Cover | Eva Rodríguez de Luis

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