Google Fi for World Travel
Does Google Fi phone service really work for world travel? We spent a lot of time figuring out how and what to pack for our trip around the world. It took 5 minutes to decide to switch from Verizon to Google Fi for cellular service. Was it a good decision?
Jon’s Verizon Wireless Unlimited plan has always been awesome around the USA. However, it cost $10 per day to utilize the plan outside of the USA! We knew that we needed working phones while traveling the world. Many world travelers simply buy a local SIM card upon arriving at each new country or region. However, we really didn’t want to deal with the hassle of doing that since we planned to travel fairly quickly between countries. After looking into Google Fi, it seemed too good to be true:
- $70 a month for the Unlimited Plus plan.
- This includes unlimited data and texts, worldwide!
- Data doesn’t slow until after 22 GB per month.
- Reasonably priced international phone calls. However, with unlimited data you can bypass any charges by making calls using WhatsApp.
There are 2 other cheaper plan options, but if you plan to use Google Fi for world travel, the Unlimited Plus is hard to beat. At least, on paper. But does the service actually work?
17 Countries, 1 SIM Card
The short answer is YES! We traveled to 17 countries, on 4 continents, and Jon’s phone worked everywhere that we traveled. We didn’t always have Wi-Fi, so relied a lot on cellular data service. Most of the time we had full 4G service and speed. This allowed us to manage UBER, search for accommodations, book experiences, and watch live sports from back home!
Here’s how it works: each time we arrived in a new country, Jon’s phone would automatically search for the best network. Then, it would automatically connect. It was literally like magic. We could land in Egypt and within seconds send a WhatsApp message to our driver that we were getting off the plane. Occasionally, there would be service glitches. At any time, the system allows you to manually search for all service providers and choose which one you want.
During the entire trip, we only had service issues twice, which is pretty amazing when you are counting on an American cellular plan using Google Fi for world travel.
For us, the cost and ease of Google Fi is a no-brainer. If you are interested in getting a plan, click here. The plans are not designed for permanent use outside the USA, but we used Jon’s plan for nearly 6 consecutive months of world travel without any issues. If you plan to remain out of the USA for longer, just know you may need to switch to doing local SIM cards at some point, but it’s still totally worth it to start out with Google Fi.
To see all our travel adventures during our trip around the world, head over to our Instagram page.
If you have questions or tips for international travel, let us know! Happy Travels!
