Travel is a wonderful thing whether for business, study, or pleasure. A smartphone with an appropriate SIM card should not miss on your travel checklist. You can travel with an international roaming SIM or just purchase a local one on arrival. To save yourself from a lot of travel, an international SIM is a better option. To elaborate on this, check these reasons not to trust a local SIM.

Need to have your cell phone unlocked
The first thing you have to think about when planning to use a local SIM while traveling is to have your phone unlocked. This will allow it from being tied to your current phone company plan and to use of any SIM card. It is better to do this before boarding the plane to avoid hassles in the destination country. You might find it extremely expensive or technicians there failing to unlock it especially if it is a newer model. The good thing is to find a technician to unlock your current SIM before boarding the plane. Alternatively, you have to purchase a cheap unlocked phone for use abroad.

Proof of residency
Once you arrive in your destination country, the first thing you have to do is looking around the airport for a stall where to purchase a local SIM. Keep in mind that regulations vary by country. Therefore, there is a chance of being asked to provide proof of residency before purchasing a local SIM card. This is likely to make it hard for you to get a SIM. Perhaps getting one as a foreigner might require you to go through a lengthy bureaucratic process. This is a very frustrating and time-consuming way to be welcomed in a new country.

Language problem
Travel can take you to many places including those where the native language is not English. This means that not everyone you are likely to come across will speak English. You are likely to face this when trying to purchase a local SIM. It becomes hard to ask for a SIM and you are likely to spend a lot of time and effort trying to make yourself clear. You can only avoid this if you travel with the best SIM card for international travel since you purchase it in your home country.

Managing the phone in a foreign language
Perhaps you are lucky enough to find a stall at the airport selling local SIMs with an attendant who speaks English. You are likely to find a problem using all the basic features of the card when programmed in the local language. Keep in mind that you might not know the best SIM for foreigners when purchasing and the attendant is only after making a sale. You are likely to miss out on exclusive deals available on particular cards since you have no way to review the offers available.

Communication problem with people back home
There is a chance of getting a local SIM and being able to use its functions. Nevertheless, your woes are not over. Remember, no one else knows your new number. Therefore, you have a big task of communicating with all your important connections to reveal your new number. This takes some time and effort depending on the nature of your trip. Your business colleagues, friends, and family will not know you arrived safely until you contact them.

Expensive to receive calls
It is one thing to let your important connections know your new number and another for them to communicate with you. This is because it is very expensive for them to call or message you on the local number except online through email and social media. Keep in mind that you might not be on social media all the time depending on the nature of your trip. 

Expensive when traveling to multiple countries
When traveling to various countries, buying a local SIM on arrival in each country is not a good idea. keep in mind that it requires repeating the process above. You are likely to spend a lot of time and effort at each airport locating and buying the local SIM cards . Additionally, you are likely to spend a good sum since the cost of the card is not fixed in each country. In the end, you are likely to end up with multiple SIM cards. This is annoying and it becomes hard to tell the card for a particular country when you have less time on your hands.

In conclusion
To ensure that nothing goes amiss while traveling abroad, it pays to organize all your stuff before boarding the plane. This requires having a checklist with items such as a phone and an appropriate SIM card. Investing in an international SIM is a smart ideal to avoid the cons associated with buying a local SIM card in your destination country.