By Ashley Mateo

Before I went to Egypt in 2011, I promised my mom I’d text or call her once a day. She wasn’t just being overprotective; the country had overthrown its government a mere three months earlier and I refused to cancel my trip, so the check-ins were a compromise. I bought a $30 international phone from Verizon with texting capabilities that dated back to the early ‘00s, and figured I was set. But, after an amazing (and cheap!) ten days in the Middle East, I came home to a phone bill topping out at $723 — which, obviously, totally blew my budget.

Since then, I’ve traveled with my smartphone — and gotten a lot smarter about how I use a phone abroad. I’ve been to Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, and Greece without purchasing a single minute of calling time, but was still able to update mom on my whereabouts (and Instagram, Facebook, and Tweet from every city). If you know how to prep your phone beforehand, you can, too. Here’s how to get started:

1. Turn off your data. This is the killer — if you forget to turn off your cellular data, your phone will function just like it would at home. Except, unlike at home, you’ll incur massive roaming charges depending on how far away you really are. Just go to SETTINGS > CELLULAR, then make sure the toggle button is switched to the off position under Cellular Data on an iPhone, or SETTINGS > DATA USAGE and flip the Mobile Data switch to the off position on Android devices. Takes two seconds, could cut your cell phone bill in half.

2. Turn off your email. We barely pay attention to automatically downloading email at home, but that lack of attention abroad can really hurt your monthly bill. Turn it off on your iPhone by going to SETTINGS > MAIL, CONTACTS, CALENDARS > FETCH NEW DATA, and switch the toggle button to the off position; on an Android, go to SETTINGS > ACCOUNTS > SELECT YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT > CHOOSE NOT TO SYNC. If you need to check your email, you can easily turn it back on, but this move prevents your phone from tapping into your data plan every 15 or so minutes and racking up overseas fees without you knowing.

3. Download a free messaging app. If you have an iPhone, send messages to other iPhones (even if your data plan is off) via iMessage. Otherwise, download WhatsApp, one of the most popular international messaging services — it uses wi-fi or your data plan to send texts within the app (the person you’re messaging needs to have an account, too), so you won’t get hammered with international SMS fees. It’s free for Apple, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows products.

4. Download a free calling app. Skype is a classic, but Viber is my favorite iPhone app for international calling. You can send messages, photos, videos and location alerts, as well as make calls to anyone else with the app, no matter where they are in the world. It also gives you a heads up on how strong the wi-fi signal is wherever you’re dialing, so you can avoid shout-y calls or make sure you have the connection for an important conversation.

5. Download Wi-Fi Finder. So, the trick to using your smartphone abroad is obviously finding cheap wi-fi. Hotels and restaurants all over offer it, but it can come with a hefty price tag for a limited amount of time. Download the Wi-Fi finder app (available on iPhone and Android) — using the GPS on your phone, it locates all the free and paid wi-fi hotspots near you. It even filters them by providers and locations, and gives you directions on how to get there. The best part: you don’t even need to be online to find a connection. The app allows users to download a copy of its database, comprised of 150,000+ hotspots around the world, to use in offline mode.

6. Add an international calling plan. If all else fails, or you know you want guaranteed coverage while you’re overseas, you can always purchase a global calling plan from your provider. Verizon offers global plans covering 150 countries starting at $24.99 for voice and data. AT&T’s plans start at $30 for voice and data coverage in 225 countries, and T-Mobile offers unlimited international data and texting in 155 countries with its Simple Choice Plan (calls are 20 cents per minute).

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