5 Tips For Using Your Phone In France
If you are like most people, you can’t leave the house without your cell phone, let alone leave the country! Staying connected (whatever that means to you) when traveling has never been easier. We’ve definitely come a long way from phone booths, calling cards, huge clunky video cameras. Here are a few phone tips and tricks from my experience.
Tip 1: Do NOT Get Your Phone Stolen.
This is obvious and I hate to even write it but it should be your number one thought. I’m on my 15th year living in Paris and never have had anything stolen but my guard is never down (maybe that’s the Detroit in me).
Do not use your phone on the metro. It is so tempting, I know, but just do NOT do it. There are thieves who will rip the phone out of your hand and then jump out at the next station and it will be gone. If you need to use your phone on the metro to research something, get out of the metro and check it on the platform leaning against the wall away from people.
When you are going down the stairs to the metro, it is often very crowded with people entering and exiting, families with strollers, old ladies with shopping caddies, groups of teens. It’s very easy to have your phone (wallet too) swiped in the hustle and bustle and you won’t even know it’s gone. Have you seen Lupin on Netflix? If so, you get the drift. If not, forget Emily, you NEED to see Lupin!
Do NOT keep your phone on the table at a café. The trick is you’ll have your phone on the table and someone will come up with a menu, a petition, something to sell you, etc. and cover the phone. While you shoo them away their other hand takes the phone that is covered by the paper.
Please don’t do this…
Tip 2- Plan In Advance How You Will Be In Contact With Back Home.
Personally, if there is anywhere that screams for a digital detox its France! But realistically you are going to want your phone to post pictures of all the fabulous desserts you are eating!
You basically have 3 options because phone booths don’t exist anymore:
The first option: before you leave you can check with your cell phone provider to see if they have an international plan. Most likely they will have one that includes minutes or data. If you go this route, you’ll hit the ground running but this can be really pricey.
Another option is a prepaid SIM card from a French cell phone operator. Cell phone service is super cheap in France. For my cell phone, home phone, internet and television I pay just over $50 a month! Crazy, huh? You can buy a prepaid SIM from any of the operator shops, tobacco shops or even online. Orange and Bouygues are in my opinion the two best carriers in France. They have great coverage and good customer service. The one thing you’ll need is to make sure way ahead of time that your phone is “unlocked”. Meaning your home carrier doesn’t have it blocked so that you can’t use another operator. When I moved from France to Belgium, I used my same iPhone but signed up with a Belgian carrier. Well, slipping my new Belgian SIM into my phone didn’t work because my phone was “locked”. I had to contact my former French carrier with info to get it unlocked. This is not something you will do from France so if you want a local SIM card make sure your phone is unlocked well in advance.
And finally, my recommendation: rely on WIFI. Free WIFI is powerful and plentiful in France. Most (if not all) hotels, restaurants, museums and even some parks will have WIFI. Even the street the Champs-Elysées has a free WIFI network! The Wi-Fi SSID is called “_Champs-Elysees_freewifi” and delivers 30-120 Mbps to up to 35,000 concurrent users. Sometimes in cafes/brasseries the WIFI code will be on the menu but if it’s not, just ask the waiter or waitress. By only using WIFI you can surf the web, upload pictures and videos, and make telephone or video calls using FaceTime, Skype or WhatsApp.
Oh- and in English we say Why-Fi. But in French they say Wee- Fee
I travel to the US a few times a year and I only have a French cell phone so I’m in the same predicament. I always rely on WIFI. I know I’m never too far from being in contact.
Tip 3- Download Google Maps On Your Phone.
You can use this offline so you won’t have to use data/roaming or even need WIFI! Google Maps offers a really great experience. Without any data/WIFI connection you can use turn-by-turn navigation and look up locations, restaurants, sights.
Here is how to do this on both iOS and Android- download the Google Maps app.
Open The App And Search For The Location You Want To See.
Tap The Three Horizontal Dots You See In The Upper Right Hand Corner.
Tap Download Offline Map.
Choose The Size Of The Region You Want To Save (Use Your Fingers To Pinch To Expand) Then Tap Download.
Tip 4- Buy A Portable Cell Phone Power Bank.
You’ll always want your phone charged while traveling. It’s not only to take great pictures or research where you are going next but you’ll also need it to show your Pass Vaccinale. (The app you need to show that you a fully vaccinated to be able to enter restaurants or attractions in France.) Everyone in my family has a power bank and we regularly use them when we are out for the day or traveling.
Speaking of power all smart phones, laptops and tablets are dual voltage, meaning you don’t need to use a converter to use them. European voltage is 220 and in the US it’s 110 but because these items are built in with a transformer you don’t need a converter. Just buy an adaptor for the European plug or buy a European USB plug on Amazon before you leave and you’ll be all set.
FYI- your curling iron does not have a transformer so please don’t plug that in!
These are the type of European USB plugs you want to get.
Tip 5- Use Your Phone Before You Leave Home To Take Pictures Of Important Items.
It’s a smart idea to spend a few minutes to take pictures of the contents of your luggage, the outside of it, your credit cards (front and back) and your passport. Email them to yourself. Just in case anything happens and you are in panic mode this will come in handy. It’s like carrying an umbrella. Often the days when you have it with you it doesn’t rain but boy when you forget it does it pour!
Preparing for your next trip can be stressful, especially after these last couple of years. I hope these tips help make staying connected in France as cost-effective, organized and stress-free as possible.
