When traveling abroad there comes the struggle of communicating with family and friends because phone charges can be overly expensive in foreign countries. Between texting, calling, and social networking, the costs of mobile technology can skyrocket in seconds.

Using a smartphone overseas is said to be the in the top causes of mobile plan bill shock. This is because uninformed travelers use international roaming with no idea what checking those emails and Facebook are really costing them. International roaming means that while overseas, your phone will use the network of a mobile phone carrier in your destination country. Just loading one webpage is using about 1 megabyte of data and can cost up to 4 dollars.

The easiest way to avoid high mobile bills is to take advantage of free WiFi wherever you can. Free WiFi can be available in hotels, restaurants, cafes and other free hotspots. Cell phone users are not billed for their data used on WiFi. However, be aware that free WiFi is not common everywhere in foreign countries like it is in America.

Another mobile phone option that is fairly new and available in the app market is Viber. Viber is an application that can be used on any smartphone or computer. It features FREE calling, texting, picture and location sharing technology with other Viber users. It also instantly integrates your contacts from your phonebook. When my friend was traveling in China this past summer, we communicated over Viber. It was so quick and easy to use and one of the best ways to communicate while using a smartphone!

The key to communicating with family and friends overseas is to find out the communication options of your destination before you go. Being prepared will come in handy when you avoid hundreds of dollars in cell phone bills back in America!