Using mobile abroad. Meeting friends from two other countries

[ihearthuckabees]

Ok, I am not a seasoned traveller but am going to France next weekend and meeting a friend from the USA and another friend from Norway. We all arrive at different times, so need to get in touch using our mobiles. How does it work? Do I call their mobile as if they are in their home country e.g. For USA friend, dial 001 then the mobile number?

As you know the times when they are due to arrive, but perhaps not when they will exit customs, would it not make sense to see if you can use the airport announcement system to request they meet you (at a place suggested by the airport staff).

It avoids you paying a quid a minute to make your call back to UK and then another quid a minute to call the USA friend (and them then getting charged a quid a minute to receive your call) when you cannot be sure the phone is in their hand and you won't get diverted to voicemail, several times (!) especially if the customs staff take a dislike

Sorry, been ages since I went abroad and didn't have any complexities like meetng others in some third country (somehow I am assuming you will be meeting in Amsterdam, or Paris).

(Of course, your call charges for roaming in the EU are now tied down to something like 30p a minute [a guess], so the 'quid' here and there is an exaggeration, for effect, but not sure for them what they will be charged, with Norway not under the same EU trade laws, and USA definitely not!)

Yes, Paris. Good guess. But one arrives on a different day, another arrives hours before me, so your suggestion wouldn't work.

My very dumb question was, however, whether I need to use the international dialling code of the recipients country, even when they are not in their country (but in the same country as me -France). I guess I do.

I think I can probably set up a plan on my phone so that it doesn't cost me a fortune, but will need to check.

Thanks for your help.

Double check with your USA friend that they have a GSM phone (there are GSM and CDMA being used in N America). I think only GSM will work.

Also, arrange for the friend arriving before you to use the airport announcements :)

and I think you will have to use +1xxxyyyzzzz (where your USA friend's number is (xxx) yyy-zzzz on paper. Not the "00" as that may not be understood in France. It's why the "+" is on the phone number pad and generally shown when you add someone to the address book after they have made contact with you (presumably you have seen that it has +44 on some numbers - which will then work if you are abroad and ringing someone else in the UK).

Although I've not done it, I do know a bit [after 30 years] about telecomms...

Yup, dial them as +1 and +47

I tend to text, rather than call.

Thanks.

To be certain it's probably best just to give your network a call. Also good to check your account is enabled for overseas as they are not all ready by default.

Dial the international access number followed by country code.