keeping in touch from Rhodes

thebullsback

Hi everyone,a close friend of mine is off to Rhodes next weekend and we would like to keep in touch daily via mobile phone.
Does watts app work well over there or is there a better cheaper way to stay in touch??
Thank you for reading

Dia_Pita

As long as your friend is in a wi fi area 'whats app' works okay in Rhodes.

Blue264

As above, whatsapp is the best way to stay in touch. We've just got back from visiting family in Greece and used it daily to speak to other family in the UK.

bagand96

WhatsApp will work as long as the phone is connected to the internet.

If your friend is on a Pay Monthly plan it'll be worth checking what network they are on. New EU rules mean that from June, you shouldn't pay any extra for using the phone in the EU than you would at home.

Many networks have already implemented the change s and you can use your existing UK allowance in Europe. Three and Vodafone definitely already allow it, EE from next week, Tesco from 23rd May etc...

If they have a plan they can use abroad, just turn on data roaming and use the phone as in the UK, including data, meaning WhatsApp will be available wherever the phone has internet signal.

However, if your friend isn't on a monthly plan with EU roaming, or can't buy a cheap data plan, make sure they turn mobile data off and only use WhatsApp when connected to WiFi. This will avoid nasty surprise bills.

thebullsback

We are both on pay monthly plans with Talkmobile who piggyback Vodaphone I believe .
Will watts app work straight away out there or does my friend need to do anything with handset?

takman

thebullsback wrote: »

We are both on pay monthly plans with Talkmobile who piggyback Vodaphone I believe .
Will watts app work straight away out there or does my friend need to do anything with handset?

WhatsApp uses the internet so to use it for free you have to connect to a good WiFi hotspot which may cost money.

If your friend just uses it they will have a very expensive bill due to all that mobile data being used abroad.

In future it's best to look for a contract that allows you to use your allowances abroad for free. Even if you only go abroad once a year it's invaluable being able to contact other people when you want and research places and directions without having to worry about the cost.

bagand96

We are both on pay monthly plans with Talkmobile who piggyback Vodaphone I believe .
Will watts app work straight away out there or does my friend need to do anything with handset?

Talkmobile do not let you use your UK allowance abroad. https://talkmobile.co.uk/roam-charges They charge 4.3p per megabyte for using data abroad.

It doesn't sound too much, but it could soon build up and become costly. Just using Whatsapp for a few messages a day would use very little data, but other useage may use more, and the phone may be using internet in the background.

If you do want to use Data Roaming, you'l need to enable it with talkmobile, and then also enable it on the handset. This way the phone will connect to the internet over the phone network like at home and can use internet wherever - but you're paying 4.3p a megabyte.

Alternatively... leave data roaming off to ensure no charges. This way whatsapp... and anythung else that uses the internet... will only be available when the phone is connected to WiFi, likely to be free in a lot of places like bars/cafes etc. Most hotels will have it, some will be free, some may charge.

Ganga

thebullsback wrote: »

Hi everyone,a close friend of mine is off to Rhodes next weekend and we would like to keep in touch daily via mobile phone.
Does watts app work well over there or is there a better cheaper way to stay in touch??
Thank you for reading

Of course your friend could switch their phone off and enjoy their holiday:rotfl:

dawyldthing

Or just send the odd text

takman

Ganga wrote: »

Of course your friend could switch their phone off and enjoy their holiday:rotfl:

But then you can't find your way to those interesting places that the tourists rarely go to. I also use my phone as a translator so i can go to those places where English isn't spoken. For me a phone is essential when travelling abroad.

Doshwaster

dawyldthing wrote: »

Or just send the odd text

Or go old school and send a postcard.

One of the best things about holidays for me is going offline from the rest of the world. I turn my phone off and only check it a couple of times a day for urgent messages.

But as a reply to the OP, I'm sure you'll find everywhere has free wi-fi but you will usually have to ask for the code.