Using Your Cell Phone in Israel

Today’s technology gives you the opportunity to stay connected while traveling—ensuring you can remain in contact with your loved ones. In addition, mobile phones provide convenient access for handling emergencies and confirming travel plans. Below are some basic guidelines and tips to save money, keep your phone working effectively and stay in touch.

Before You Leave

Contact your cell phone carrier in advance of your trip to ensure you can call friends and family back home without any surprising charges on your phone bill when you return. Let your carrier know your travel plans, including how you plan to use your phone during your tour. Your carrier can provide specific details to ensure you understand any potential charges before you travel.

Check With Your Carrier For International Dialing Access

You’ll want to check that international dialing access is active on your mobile phone plan. Remember that international and roaming rates will apply to calls placed during your trip (charges will appear on your phone bill). Because roaming rates can be high overseas, it’s a good idea to check with your carrier for specific cost details before you leave.

Smartphone Tips

We know it’s difficult to leave your cell phone behind for an hour, much less several days. The following tips will help you save your phone’s battery life and get the most out of your cell phone while on tour:

Before your trip, you may want to disable any applications that give you regular updates, such as sports reports and weather updates.

When you board your flight, remember to set your phone to Airplane Mode. This suspends all calling and texting functions but still allows you to play games, use your camera, listen to downloaded music, watch downloaded movies, etc. 

During your trip, turning on your phone’s low battery mode or turning your phone to DND (do not disturb) preserves the charge, causing the battery to drain more slowly.

You’ll want to charge your phone every night to ensure you have enough battery life for the next day. Make sure you bring the proper adapter to charge your phone in Israel (see Help with Electronics).

Try to turn off your phone when you’re not using it. Leaving your phone on all day drains the battery, so it’s a good idea to turn it off while you’re touring a site, eating, reading or sleeping.

Disable the Data Enabled or Data Roaming option on your phone and keep it off until you return home. You can also turn off the function for “Automatic” checking of emails and change the email settings to “Manual” to reduce data roaming charges. During your trip, you can check for email messages when you’re connected to a free, wireless internet connection, such as in a hotel lobby or internet café.

Use Wi-Fi whenever possible. Wi-Fi is available in many of our hotels, as well as in local restaurants, coffee shops and even on the tour motorcoaches that take you from place to place. To avoid expensive data roaming rates, we recommend waiting until you have a good Wi-Fi connection before using your smartphone or tablet to check email, use Facebook or Instagram, browse the web or even text. Many passengers choose to use apps like FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype and/or Viber to call home over Wi-Fi rather than traditional phone lines.

Phone Cards and Rental

If you choose not to bring your mobile phone, there are various ways to stay in touch with others during your travels. Here are three options to consider:

Phone cards purchased in Israel. Most countries’ public telephones accept phone cards that can be purchased in various denominations from any post office and at various shops. Using a phone card, you can make international calls from card-equipped telephones or special telephone company offices in the country’s major cities. If you need assistance, the country’s major telephone companies have toll-free numbers.

Phone rental. You can also rent a mobile phone or SIM card for international travel. Whether you need to stay in constant contact with those back home or simply want to make and receive a few calls, this is an option for you. You can rent a phone or SIM card before you go by pre-ordering them to be shipped to your home before you leave. Another option is to buy or rent them at the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. If you rent, they can be dropped off at the end of your tour before you depart.

Hotel room phones. You’ll also find phones in your hotel room. It’s a good idea to check the hotel rates before placing calls to friends and family back home.

For more information, please call one of our Reservation Coordinators at 800 247 1899, Monday through Friday, from 8:30am – 5:00pm, Pacific time.