If you’re putting together a Germany holiday package, then you’ve probably logged quite a few hours researching Germany’s most popular attractions. There are a million things to do in Germany that you won’t find anywhere else. You could easily spend your entire vacation in Berlin alone: see the Reichstag Building, the Berlin Wall, and everything on Museum Island.
But you’ll probably find yourself hopping all over Germany to get the full value of your plane tickets. The next question is: how do you stay connected while you’re experiencing the home of the bratwurst? Not only with your family back home but with the people you meet in Germany, as well?
Unless you’re travelling from elsewhere in the E.U., your cell phone is unlikely to work for you in Germany, at least not without massive charges. So your only choice is to swap out your phone’s current SIM card for one that will work on German networks. Here you have two choices: a local SIM or a global travel SIM.
Local SIM’s
Your first option is to buy a local SIM card from a German store after you arrive. A local German SIM will give your phone a German number and allow you access to whichever German network you buy through. Be ready to put your German language skills to use here, as the SIM card will need to be set up on your phone, and it will be prompting you in German. If your umlauts aren’t up to snuff, then try to find an employee to set the SIM up for you.
Germany only has three main service providers, but there are a lot of smaller companies that resell their services. For a travel SIM, your best bet is to stay with one of the three major companies. Many resellers in Germany are not permitted to sell access to the highest possible speeds.
Deutsche Telekom has the most stable connections and best coverage. They’re the largest provider in Germany with the freest Wi-Fi hotspots.
Vodafone also operates in Germany. Their network is nearly as big as Deutsche Telekom’s and they also offer decent coverage.
O2 is the smallest of Germany’s three telecom companies. The main advantage of O2 is their superb coverage in transit areas like subways. So despite their small size, they’re worth considering if you think your German trip is going to include a lot of public transit. And with all the killer places to visit in Germany, that’s a pretty safe bet.
The European Union ended most roaming fees last year so it’s possible your German SIM card may work for you in other E.U. countries without creating a huge bill. There are exceptions to this new policy, though, so be sure to check the SIM’s details carefully before switching your phone on in France.
Global SIM’s
Your other option is to purchase a global SIM card before you leave. Global travel SIM cards are meant for travelling and will work in most major countries without crippling roaming fees. They can be a smart investment for people who travel frequently or who have itineraries that are going to take them across multiple countries. There are some other big benefits to global SIM’s, as well.
A local German SIM won’t do you any good on a trip to Asia or Africa. Buying one global SIM means you can reuse it on each trip you take, and thus avoid amassing a full drawer of different local SIM’s.
Global SIM’s are activated before you go abroad. This means you can have everything taken care of before you leave. You’ll be able to give people your new phone number before you even head out to the airport.
Local SIM’s rely on prepaid cards for data, and these can only be bought in brick and mortar stores during regular business hours. So if you’re running low on data in an inconvenient location, you can be in some trouble. Global SIM’s, however, allow you to purchase more data online anytime.
Most global SIM’s will allow you to purchase extra phone numbers on the same card if you need to.
There are many global travel SIM’s to choose from, so look for a company that fits your needs. Be careful of companies that charge you for answering long distance calls or that let your data expire. If you’re travelling with a group, then you may want to consider BNESIM. They offer free calling between people who use one of their global SIM’s. It can be a real money-saver for families or friends travelling together. Their data also doesn’t expire, so you can roll it over from one vacation to the next.
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