Disconnected's advice column

I'm in Europe for vacation over the summer, but I live in the US. I have the Iphone 4. My phone still works internationally, but i'm not using it as much because it is really expensive. I haven't talked to some of my friends in a while and would really love to talk to them. I got the app TextPlus which allows you to text other numbers for free (so it claims). I am just really confused on how this all works.. I'm outside of the US- will it cost me money to text using the app?

My dad tried to explain it to me but i'm still confused. He said as long as i have WiFi, I can use it and it won't cost money. But he said if I don't have WiFi (and something about data roaming???) then it will be expensive.

I'm just so confused haha. Can someone please give me a straight-to-the-point answer on when can I use the texting app without it costing money? When should I not use it?

thank you!

Just a header, considering I reside in Belgium but travel around Europe myself very often.
Do not ever use Data Roaming unless you are in a critical situation and need to use the internet/whatever.
It could cost you up to 15 Euros a megabyte.

Even though I have a Belgian phone plan, and I'll be off in Germany which is a neighboring country, if I end up using data roaming it costs incredible amounts.

In general you shouldn't have a problem getting access to wifi in public places. For instance, McDonald's in Belgium, France, Holland and Germany will always have free WiFi.
Hotels vary, but mostly they'll offer it for free or then for a fee. Be aware of the fees though, sometimes they are just stupid and outrageous. If you really want to check up on Facebook or similar, it would make more sense to find a cafe that offers free wifi ;)

Hope this helps!

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(Rating: 5) Thank you so much!! :) And actually, my family is from germany! go Deutschland! :) haha thanks again!

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