Our Digital World

We are all seemingly lost today without our smartphones and tablets.

While nobody expects free voice and data overseas, coming home to a cellular bill that's higher than the price of a Suite is not fun and it happens all the time.

Total Excursion clients enjoy the services of a tech-savvy Travel Agent. We know how hard you work for your money because we work so hard for you! Along with all the other planning that goes into making every destination perfect, we can guide 1 you on the latest trends and tips for staying connected abroad.

Proceed with Caution: When it comes to International Travel, even veteran road warriors have been stung by expensive roaming data charges.

Background

Understanding a little about how wireless telephony has evolved helps demystify international cellular costs. Until recently, only the uber-wealthy (and the over-worked) carried an international-ready cell phone. Rates from US landlines were cost-prohibitive (anyone else remember "regional long distance?).  Overseas, where landlines were more of an afterthought, a digital revolution unfolded with the advent of cell phones. Millions who never had standard land lines available adopted "mobile" just to get their first phone!

The sheer volume of new cellular users created significant demand for reasonable international plans, and over time, cellular phones outpriced their landline competitors, dramatically reducing rates for voice and text messaging.

So far, so good - you head overseas, make a call, it costs a few dollars. You hang up and resume your search for the superlative latte.  But what about data?

The Data Revolution

Enter smartphones and tablets, which have relegated "voice only" calling plans to a footnote in digital history. These data-guzzling workhorses do much more - they employ cameras and stream video; they bring you on-demand email and enable social media.

With the paradigm shift from cellular plans with "voice and text" to the "voice, text and data" there are more cost-friendly options available today than ever before. For anyone who remembers the original AT&T unlimited data plan that came with the 1st gen iPhone, you know precisely how valuable a good cellular data plan can be!

We don't think much of watching YouTube and Netflix movies or spending an hour reading emails and posting on Facebook, but as Caesar would have said - "caveat emptor."  The sheer volume of data pulled down every minute by a modern mobile device is extraordinary. Moreover, while a phone call requires you to take action to incur costs, data is streamed through the magic of "push" technology, which in layman's terms means that while your seemingly innocuous "smartphone" is in a drawer in cruise ship's stateroom, it can be churning through bits and bytes faster than you are knocking back mojitos at the pool bar!

The media publishes countless horror stories of hapless travelers returning home to a cellular bill that exceeded $10,000!

Learn More about Affordable Overseas Roaming Data Plans

1 The Total Excursion makes every effort to keep our customers informed. We guide you to the most current resources to plan every aspect of your travel experience. We are not responsible for any incidental costs incurred by clients during travel.  All incidental costs including cellular charges are the sole responsibility of the client.