There are many great things about travelling. Your phone bill after you get back is not one of them. How many times have you gone away, only to return to an impossibly high cell phone bill? Certainly you didn’t use that much data…right? This problem happens every day! Avoid it happening to you by learning how to avoid those extra fees on your phone bill.

Contact Your Phone Company

If you really want to save money on your phone bill when you travel, you’ll need to start by calling your phone company. Why? They can usually help you out. They may have a package available for your area of travel. Say that you are visiting family in the United States for a weekend. Your phone company probably has a package for your cell phone. That means you won’t have to pay those pesky roaming charges – and you’ll have a set number of calling minutes, texts, and data to use.

Most companies have a few different options for you to choose from, depending on where you are headed. You may have more of a variety – or be able to get a better deal – if you are visiting the United States, rather than going to Russia. It really depends on where you are travelling. You can choose a plan that works for your needs and for your length of travel as well. That is by far the simplest way to save money on your phone bill…. but it’s not the only way.

Turn off Your Phone When You Don’t Need It

Do you really need your phone turned on 24/7? Probably not. You can avoid accidentally using up data or using up all of your roaming minutes by turning off your phone when you aren’t using it. Turn it on every so often if you need to check for information or emails, but it is better if you don’t keep it on all the time. You’ll save your battery that way, too! By keeping your phone on only when you really need to use it, you can ensure that you aren’t spending more than you need to.

Download Apps That Don’t Use Data

Don’t want to use up all of your data? Then be smart about the apps that you use. First of all – you probably should put your Candy Crush game on hold during your vacation. It can wait! Secondly, not all apps require data to work. In fact, many of the travel apps that are available do not need data. Be sure to look into this before you download them, though! There are map apps, language apps, and so on that will work even if you aren’t connected to the Internet. That means your phone bill won’t skyrocket, but you’ll still have all the information you need, right at your fingertips.

Why pay when you don’t have to? On your next trip, avoid those extra phone charges by planning ahead. It can save you money – so you can enjoy your trip worry free.