This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #BestPlans4Fall #CollectiveBias

This time next month, we’ll be at Beaches® Turks and Caicos! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for this trip! I’ve been busy figuring out all of our travel arrangements and what all we’ll need to pack. Stay tuned for a packing post much closer to our trip.

One thing I want to make sure of is that we’re able to stay connected while we’re out of the country. I’m pretty sure I’ll be taking my laptop with me because doing anything for too long on the iPad frustrates me. The iPad does come in handy though for general surfing and watching videos. The last time I traveled abroad, I had a simple flip phone that I took with me, but it didn’t work over there. I walked around Paris with no way to communicate with anyone. Yes, that’s a little scary to think about. Now, we all have our cell phones on us at all times. I don’t expect traveling out of the country to be any different.

I want to share some simple tips to help you stay connected with your friends and family while traveling. You may already know some of these, but didn’t think to use them abroad!

Airplane Mode

Turning your phone to airplane mode will stop your phone from running background apps, connecting to Wi-Fi, and block all cellular signals.

Airplane mode will save your battery from constantly searching for a connection, meaning your phone will still have juice left for when you actually want to use it.

Most phones will allow you to turn on the Wi-Fi after you have switched to airplane mode. This will still have cellular signals blocks, saving your data.

Call Using Wi-Fi Apps

There are so many apps that you can download to your smartphone to ensure you can connect with friends and family while you are away. These apps can all be used on Wi-Fi, which you’ll find for free at most hotels, resorts, and numerous other places while traveling.

Most of these are so easy to use, even our 4 year old can do it! He’s so excited about being able to video chat with Mommom and Nanny while we’re on vacation!

Check out Google Voice, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, FaceTime and Facebook Messenger for details!

Download Apps Before You Go

Remember all those apps I listed above? Don’t wait to download them! You don’t want to rely on Wi-Fi to download apps you may need before you get to your destination.

Take a look around the AppStore for local map apps, TripIt, Google Translate and others you may need.

Talk to Your Carrier Before You Go

Whichever carrier you use, most have some type of plan for you to be able to use your current cell phone internationally.

I picked up a pretty new LG Leon LTE at Walmart. This phone is so awesome! My favorite part? You can take selfies just by using a hand gesture. Yes, I played with it immediately!

Walmart Family Mobile service is $29.88/month (for the first line) Unlimited Talk, Text & Data service plan which includes up to 1G of 4G LTE data. I picked up this LG Leon LTE phone that was on rollback, but they also had the Alcatel One Touch Pop Astro for $64.88!

Walmart Family Mobile is so cheap, you might actually be able to put some money away for an awesome getaway!

You can call Walmart Family Mobile to ask specific questions about your upcoming trip or check out their International Dialing/Roaming Information online. I do know that you can use an Extras Pack that you can use toward international roaming and data charges. Find out more directly from WFM.

How will you use your savings after switching to Walmart Family Mobile this Fall? I’d love to hear about your plans!