{"id":87691,"date":"2011-11-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/avoiding-bill-shock-and-saving-on-international-roaming-charges\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:50:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:50:26","slug":"avoiding-bill-shock-and-saving-on-international-roaming-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/avoiding-bill-shock-and-saving-on-international-roaming-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding Bill Shock And Saving On International Roaming Charges"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve landed in Heathrow and all you can think about is what you might\u2019ve missed while in the air somewhere over Africa. \u201cPerhaps someone\u2019s written on my wall\u201d, \u201cI wonder if my last Tweet got an RT?\u201d, \u201cI hope my Mom didn\u2019t see that wall post from Wesley\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cellphone-roaming-tips.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21356\" title=\"cellphone-roaming-tips\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cellphone-roaming-tips.jpg\" alt=\"Cellphone Roaming Tips\" width=\"570\" height=\"420\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With bated breath you wait for the chief air hostess to sound the call that you\u2019re now allowed to turn your phone on. Finally the cabin door opens and her voice booms over the loudspeaker like gospel and your phone lights up, excited chatter and bustling around the aircraft cabin is lost on you as your phone comes to life in a flurry of beeps; signaling text messages, missed calls and push notifications\u2026 all thanks to the <strong>international roaming you activated<\/strong> before you left South Africa. The first thing you do is sign into Facebook (or Twitter if you\u2019re a little more refined like me) so you can let your friends know that you\u2019re now overseas, away from them, in another hemisphere\u2026 even your toilet water flushes the other way. How cool are you?<\/p>\n<p>As you Facebook that first nugget of self-indulgent\u00a0 \u2018worldliness\u2019 you\u2019re already thinking about the amount of comments and Likes it\u2019s going to illicit from your poor desk jockey mates.<\/p>\n<p>While you\u2019re basking in social media glee, your service provider is smiling all the way to the bank as your Tweets and Facebook (over) shares line their pockets while you remain blissfully unaware checking in to Heathrow Airport with a million other travellers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/international-roaming.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21357\" title=\"international-roaming\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/international-roaming.jpg\" alt=\"International Roaming\" width=\"570\" height=\"420\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>I am not in. Leave a message<\/h2>\n<p>Avoid <strong>bill shock*<\/strong> when you get home by leaving a voice message on your phone informing your peers that you\u2019re currently travelling the world and are only reachable by SMS or not at all. Sure you might have hundreds of texts and voice messages by the time you get home but time spent away from technology can only be good for your health and you\u2019ll probably experience a lot more without virtual distractions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding: 2px 6px 4px 6px; color: #555555; background-color: #eeeeee; border: #dddddd 2px solid;\">*Evan Haussmann\u2019s November 2011 Getaway Magazine article defines <strong>bill shock<\/strong> as a very expensive and disturbingly common condition travellers experience upon receiving there extortionate cellphone bill when they return to their home countries.<\/p>\n<h2>Go cosmic with a space age satellite phone<\/h2>\n<p>Probably not a good option if you wander outside our borders once in a blue moon but definitely worth considering if you\u2019re the global nomad that rushes off to Full Moon Parties in Thailand at the drop of a hat. The initial investment is significant but is quickly overshadowed by its ease of use and cheaper rates if you travel\u2026 a lot.<\/p>\n<p>Check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.skygistics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.skygistics.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>To the phone box Guvnor<\/h2>\n<p>Public call boxes are readily available when you travel and are one of the cheapest options if you\u2019re looking to phone your friends in far off places. Buy a <strong>World Call Card<\/strong> before you leave and you\u2019ll be able to spend up to 20 minutes on the phone from London to South Africa for the price of a 2 litre Coke.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/uk-phone-box.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21358\" title=\"uk-phone-box\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/uk-phone-box.jpg\" alt=\"UK Phone Box\" width=\"420\" height=\"560\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Do not Disturb \u2013 Skype<\/h2>\n<p>The friendly free VoIP service from Skype has changed the way we communicate and can also be used from your<a href=\"http:\/\/www.skype.com\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-21359\" title=\"skype\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/skype.jpg\" alt=\"Skype\" width=\"132\" height=\"132\" \/><\/a> smartphone.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a little more clarity when you call then buy some Skype credit and you can call landlines and cellphones from overseas cheap, cheap.<\/p>\n<p>Download it for free at <a title=\"Download Skype\" href=\"http:\/\/www.skype.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.skype.com<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Find the Free Wi-Fi<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re travelling in developed countries then chances are there\u2019s going to be <strong>free Wi-Fi<\/strong> in many public places; and if you can\u2019t find them don\u2019t worry\u2026 there\u2019s an <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">app<\/span> for that.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be afraid to abuse the free Wi-Fi on your Blackberry, iPhone, or Android.\u00a0 As long as your phone displays the Wi-Fi sign then you\u2019re successfully plugged into the \u2018matrix\u2019 my friend\u2026 free of charge. Most of the free Wi-Fi can be found in coffee shops, upmarket shopping malls and hotels.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/free-wi-fi.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21360\" title=\"free-wi-fi\" src=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/free-wi-fi.jpg\" alt=\"Free Wi-Fi Sign\" width=\"570\" height=\"420\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Just a tip, any hotel that\u2019s not offering free Wi-Fi in 2011, at least in the lobby area, should be ashamed of themselves and are probably not worth staying at.<\/p>\n<h2>Breakout the Retro Phone<\/h2>\n<p>Those with chronic Facebook addictions take note. You know that old phone from 2004 that\u2019s gathering dust in your drawer? Breathe some life into it (with your wall charger) before you leave and I guarantee you\u2019ll only use it when you really need to.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly it\u2019s not as shiny and user friendly as it once was when compared to your new smartphone. It\u2019s also not as easy and in some cases impossible to use Facebook and other social media platforms, making it a lot less of an attractive option when travelling. Sure you can make\/receive calls and texts but it\u2019s not going to be possible to upload photos and videos, check in and be a general social media nuisance. Breakout the retro phone and force yourself to leave the smart one behind\u2026 just remember to take your sim card.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Images: \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/danbri\/ \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dan Brickley<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/askpang\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alex Pang<\/a> | <a title=\"Russell Jarvis Travelstart\" href=\"https:\/\/travelstartstg.wpenginepowered.com\/author\/russelljarvis\/\" target=\"_self\">Russell Jarvis Travelstart<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/danielbowen\/\">Daniel Bowen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve landed in Heathrow and all you can think about is what you might\u2019ve missed while in the air somewhere over Africa. \u201cPerhaps someone\u2019s written on my wall\u201d, \u201cI wonder if my last Tweet got an RT?\u201d, \u201cI hope my Mom didn\u2019t see that wall post from Wesley\u201d. With bated breath you wait for the chief air hostess to sound the call that you\u2019re now &#8230; <a title=\"Avoiding Bill Shock And Saving On International Roaming Charges\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/avoiding-bill-shock-and-saving-on-international-roaming-charges\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Avoiding Bill Shock And Saving On International Roaming Charges\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":87692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Avoiding Bill Shock And 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