I am sure you remember the old trick question that your science teacher gave you at some stage during your high school education.
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Which has more mass - a kilogram of feathers or a kilogram of lead?
Along those same lines, which is of more value - a GB of data in Australia or a GB of data in Bali?
Obviously the answer should be that a GB of data is the same anywhere.
Tell that to a family who recently returned from Bali to be met with a $30,000 phone bill. The culprit? Their innocent little iPad was used to watch a couple of movies.
With 10.5 million Australians holidaying overseas last year, this is an ongoing issue.
As universal standards have progressed and telcos worked better together, making a call while travelling is now quite reasonable - but who wants to make a call anymore?
It is now all about the data.
In its infancy, international data roaming rates were horrendous circa $15,000 per GB.
Luckily we have moved forward again with data charges - but it is complicated.
Talk to your preferred carrier a few weeks before you travel and know which countries you will be visiting.
For occasional travellers, there are now add-on packages that allow unlimited calls and texts for $5 or $10 per day.
Be wary of data usage
These packages typically only allow 0.2GB of data per day.
If you do go over, the pricing is a little more reasonable but at $20 per GB for excess, it can still add up.
Keep a few items in mind though. These plans apply in many countries - but not all.
In most cases you are only charged the $5 or $10 if you use the phone within a set 24-hour period - but the timing is typically in Australian time not the local time where you are.
Different for cruise ships
The other trick that is commonly missed is roaming on a cruise ship.
In that case, all bets are off!
The cruise ship owns the network and they charge whatever they please.
The best advice when you are on a cruise ship is to enjoy the cruise!
In general, as you travel the world, data is where you will be caught out so try and leave your data off and use Wi-Fi where available.
When I travel overseas with my family, when we are choosing a café, my wife looks at menus and I look for Wi-Fi signs!
If you really can't be without your data, use a standalone local mobile data device so you can then use local data by connecting your phone to it. I often carry one in my pocket overseas - convenient for me to use and I always know the kids are going to be nearby - about as far as the Wi-Fi signal will travel!
Tell me about your international communications at ask@techtalk.digital
