The deal with data: an overview

When you travel, your smartphone's access to data affects how efficiently you navigate, get information and experience local culture. But how do you avoid those $1,000 post-trip bills that you hear are possible?

The good news is that you have more options now than ever before. The bad news is that none of them is perfect. The worse news is that only you can make this decision.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

• who is your mobile carrier?

• where are you traveling?

• how many people are in your group, and how long will you be gone?

• how "techy" are you?

Who is your mobile carrier?

Most wireless providers have international data plans, and Lifewire offers a good summary of them. But everything has a tradeoff. For example, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile offer affordable international plans, but their coverage may not match Verizon's, which tends to be more expensive. Your carrier's travel plan might still be cost-effective for you, if you spend part of your trip in airplane mode.

Google Fi is another option, according to this summary from Tom's Guide. Cost is a factor here, too, though. Because it charges incremental costs up to a maximum amount, if you're a light data user or staying only for a few days, you may not get the full benefit.

Dilemmas like these are why you need to go to your wireless provider and talk with a real person. You might get lucky, like we did, and work with someone who has already traveled extensively. You might get a toll-free number to talk with an international team. Either way, you'll get more informed options than if you try to figure out everything by data-surfing on the internet.

Where are you traveling?

From the U.S., data-wise, Canada and Mexico are the easiest countries to visit. Some providers offer free coverage in Canada and Mexico, while others offer a $5 daily fee.

Travel to Europe, and you may pay double that. In some countries, like Germany, you may have a tough time avoiding that fee unless you access only free WiFi (think hotels and restaurants).

The availability of free WiFi varies, though. On one memorable trip, it felt like I spent my days hunting for two things: free WiFi and public restrooms.

How many people are in your group, and how long will you be gone?

A $10 daily international pass might be a good deal if you're traveling alone, especially if you'll be gone just a few days. It's convenient, you use your regular phone, and you don't need to change settings or hardware.

But if two to four people are in your group, and you're traveling more than a few days, that $10 per day becomes $20 to $40 per day. Ouch. The "convenience" adds up fast, and data for a two-week trip increases your overall budget by more than $500.

Your best bet, if you're traveling for a couple weeks to a couple months, may be to buy a phone or SIM card when you land. If you're reasonably techy, this is not a big deal. If you're not techy at all, expect a hassle.

How "techy" are you?

Second to the amount of money you want to spend, your level of "techiness" is the biggest factor in your international data decision.

You can buy a SIM card data-loaded for $10 to $20 in most countries, or buy a European cell phone, when you land. Both are easy to find, with the exceptions of some countries like Germany which are notoriously picky. Your airport probably sells SIM cards (at a premium), with wireless stores, department stores, newsstands and more offering lower rates.

The SIM card process is inexpensive but not always easy. Even with two tech-savvy teenagers, we spent almost 45 minutes at one store in Manchester, England, getting ours. "Topping off" the cards with more data was another mess. The only simple part was removing our SIM cards and inserting the new ones.

What about getting a SIM before you leave? You can order an international SIM card through a supplier like Amazon. But read that fine print! Most cost more online than if you get them in person; some require a U.K. address; and all are limited in gigabytes (a typical adult needs about 1 GB per week, while a heavy user might double that). You'll still need to be comfortable removing your current SIM card, finding a safe place to store it, and inserting the new SIM one. You might be able to do this at home instead of in an unfamiliar city, or you might need to wait until you land at your destination.

If you buy an international SIM card, you lose your "native" phone number while it is inserted. You have three options to get around this: use Whatsapp or other communications tools; give a small circle of people the new phone number (a good way to sift out unimportant calls); or forward your native phone number to your new number (just remember to include the plus sign for international calls).

If the people in your travel group will be with you at all times, you can order a MiFi, or mobile WiFi, sometimes called a jetpack. Buying one can be pricey, but you can have one shipped to your home before you go, or to your hotel at the destination; then you just ship it back when you're done.

You may also be able to rent a MiFi locally; check with your destination city's tourism office. The MiFi makes you the "hot spot" for your group. Because the daily cost is comparable to adding international day passes to an existing phone, this might not be the best choice if you're traveling alone.

If every dollar matters and you don't need to navigate on your own, keep your phone in airplane mode and use only local, free WiFi, along with other free communication apps like Google Duo, Viber, Skype and WhatsApp. This is the cheapest and simplest route, but it's also the most limiting, and public WiFi networks are notoriously iffy. To make it easier, read about our favorite smartphone apps for travelers.