Travelling abroad without a smartphone

Albermarle

If you check in online ( by phone or laptop) and you have bags to check in, then they usually ask if you want a printed boarding pass. This is still the case if you use automated check in, the machine asks you.

So most airlines ( including low cost ones ) are happy to do this but inevitably Ryanair are the odd one out, although there may be others.

louby40

The whole world is geared up for the digital age. I think it would be tricky (but certainly not impossible) to travel without one. I, personally would feel quite apprehensive about travelling without any sort of mobile phone, smart or not.

Murphybear

I am one of the rare people that doesn’t own a mobile phone.    I’ve travelled abroad without one, haven’t had any problems.  

louby40

I'm a woman with elderly parents. I value my phone for my own safety and to keep in touch with my parents whilst away. 

Phossy

I still travel quite a bit and I always print everything off. I have over the last few years 'learned' to trust my phone a little more, but I am always concerned it will die on me! If you can share where you plan to travel and how then folks maybe able to give more detailed advice.

TELLIT01

Lack of smartphone will certainly be a problem is Ryanair go ahead with their plan to stop accepting printed boarding cards from November this year.  For other airlines you may be able to print outbound and return boarding cards before you travel.

The sad reality is that many organisations aren't interested in those without technology, so you may need to bite the bullet and get the cheapest smartphone you can find.  If you only intend to use it as a phone 99% of the time that will certainly suffice.  The only apps you would need would be those specific to the airline you are using.

I've just looked and the cheapest smartphone Argos do is under 30 quid currently.  Add a cheap pay as you go SIM and you're sorted.

Savvy_Sue

We flirted with £30 handsets at work a few years ago: would not recommend. Slow, clunky, unreliable.

I had a very cheap one myself and struggled. A friend bought one and also hated it.

I don't spend a lot on a new handset, but would now go for a better spec, refurbished.

Albermarle

Savvy_Sue said:

We flirted with £30 handsets at work a few years ago: would not recommend. Slow, clunky, unreliable.

I had a very cheap one myself and struggled. A friend bought one and also hated it.

I don't spend a lot on a new handset, but would now go for a better spec, refurbished.

I think you need to spend at least £100/£150 on a new one, to get one that would actually be useful/easy to use.
Or a better one refurbished, although it might not be getting updates anymore and the battery might need replacing.

Savvy_Sue

Albermarle said:

Savvy_Sue said:

We flirted with £30 handsets at work a few years ago: would not recommend. Slow, clunky, unreliable.

I had a very cheap one myself and struggled. A friend bought one and also hated it.

I don't spend a lot on a new handset, but would now go for a better spec, refurbished.

I think you need to spend at least £100/£150 on a new one, to get one that would actually be useful/easy to use.
Or a better one refurbished, although it might not be getting updates anymore and the battery might need replacing.

I would not disagree with that.

I was using a Google Pixel 2 without a SIM when increasingly I found mobile banking apps easier to use than online banking. But one by one banks stopped allowing me to use the unupdatable OS to do so. I've now got a preloved Nokia: it's OK but temperamental, which is why DH stopped loving it.

Because I don't carry it round like my proper phone, I can cope with its funny ways. I'd hate to rely on it while travelling.

But it a) saves cluttering up my regular phone with too many apps and b) means banking is never an on the go task, which I feel increases security.

Albermarle

Savvy_Sue said:

Albermarle said:

Savvy_Sue said:

We flirted with £30 handsets at work a few years ago: would not recommend. Slow, clunky, unreliable.

I had a very cheap one myself and struggled. A friend bought one and also hated it.

I don't spend a lot on a new handset, but would now go for a better spec, refurbished.

I think you need to spend at least £100/£150 on a new one, to get one that would actually be useful/easy to use.
Or a better one refurbished, although it might not be getting updates anymore and the battery might need replacing.

I would not disagree with that.

I was using a Google Pixel 2 without a SIM when increasingly I found mobile banking apps easier to use than online banking. But one by one banks stopped allowing me to use the unupdatable OS to do so. I've now got a preloved Nokia: it's OK but temperamental, which is why DH stopped loving it.

Because I don't carry it round like my proper phone, I can cope with its funny ways. I'd hate to rely on it while travelling.

But it a) saves cluttering up my regular phone with too many apps and b) means banking is never an on the go task, which I feel increases security.

I phones get 7 years of updates, and in reality you should be able to continue using the last OS for another 2 or 3 years at least afterwards. Probably the phone itself will have problems before the OS becomes a problem. However even a 5 year old refurbished Iphone could set you back £250 .