In order to stay connected with the world, I needed to make sure that my phone was still in service. I knew my hotel and my school would have WiFi available for me to use, but I knew I would be exploring the city and need to use Google Maps, Translate, etc. So, I rented a portable WiFi for unlimited data for my month abroad. I paid about €176,30 for this. I was able to pick it up at the airport upon my arrival. I mentioned this is a previous post, but I needed to get Cellular Service in order to use What’s App. I purchased a SIM card in Paris for €18, unlimited calls and text and 50GB of data. My phone was locked. My mom was in contact with AT&T and I could either pay off the rest of my phone balance or add a International Passport. We chose the latter, which was $60 for 1GB for the month. I would recommend doing your research before going on the trip. Every phone provider is different. Some of my classmates bought SIM cards at the airport for more money and less data.
With being on the internet, I got to share my experiences through my Instagram as well as text and FaceTime. My family & I also used an app called Life360, it allowed us to share our location, and phone battery. I set locations such as Hotel, School, etc so my family would be able to see where I am even when we had a 12 hour time difference.