We've all heard the horror stories of travelers returning from their vacations to find a huge cell-phone bill. The charges you incur while traveling depend on local data rates and your own calling plan, but just to be on the safe side, you should disable data roaming on your iPhone before leaving the country. Go to "Settings," select "General" and switch "Data Roaming" to "Off" under "Network." This setting prevents your phone from sending those costly kilobytes of data yet still allows you to receive calls and messages.
Airplane mode disables all of the iPhone's wireless features. You need to use this mode while on an airplane, but it also can be useful if you're concerned about being charged for incoming data. While you can't send or receive data, you can access anything saved on your iPhone -- such as addresses, books, games or music. All you have to do is toggle "Airplane Mode" on under the "Settings" menu. An airplane icon appears on the status bar on the top of the screen while the mode is enabled. Remember you still have to turn the device off completely during take-off and landing in an airplane.
For questions while traveling or down time on the bus or plane, make sure your iPhone is full of great content and applications before getting on your flight. Start by making sure you have a good selection of e-books, music, games or whatever else you enjoy doing on your iPhone. Focus on content that does not require an Internet connection. Useful apps include currency converters, language dictionaries and mapping applications. The paid OffMaps application allows you to access maps without a wireless connection, while the free Wi-Fi Finder application helps you locate free Wi-Fi spots. The Packing Pro application even helps you prepare and remember your packing list. At Wi-Fi spots, you'll be able to use the same applications -- such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Gmail or WhatsApp -- you use to keep in touch with folks back home.
If you think you might want to use your iPhone to send or receive data while abroad, you should contact your phone service provider to discuss different international roaming packages. Depending on where you are traveling, you may be able to purchase an inexpensive package that allows you to use the iPhone just as you use it at home. To minimize data use if you're on a limited plan, tap on "Settings," select "Mail, Contacts and Calendars," then "Fetch New Data." Set all of the options to "Off" or "Manual." This allows you to manually download messages, but keeps the device from automatically checking for new messages and using up precious international roaming data.
