Goodbye Holiday Phone Bill - Holiday Discount Centre Blog

Members of the European parliament have voted for new rules that will scrap roaming charges, meaning that holidaymakers no longer need to worry about returning to find a mammoth bill. As of 2017, you will be able to take your phone with you to Europe, and roam to your hearts content! We thought we’d take this opportunity to have a think about 10 things that definitely won’t happen once the danger of one huge phone bill has gone.

Getting Lost

Who hasn’t spent hours wandering lost around a foreign city? With the scrapping of roaming charges, you’ll be able to use Google Maps, City Mapper and other handy apps to find your way around even the most confusing European cities. Where will you go first?

Linguistic Difficulties

“Dos cervezas, por favor.” If languages have never been your thing, the smartphone-shaped future of holidays will mean you no longer have to worry. If unsure of a word on a menu or confused by an angry local’s tirade, you can simply look it up online. Cheers to being fluent in every language!

A Lack of Local Knowledge

You’ve left the guidebook in the hotel and the only places you can find to eat are offering a suspiciously similar ‘Tourist Menu’. We’ve all been there. But now, with Tripadvisor and similar sites at our fingertips, it’ll be that much easier to find the best local bars, restaurants and hostels. Spontaneity is on the horizon!

Forgetting your Boarding Pass

It’s the end of the holiday. You’ve packed your bags and everyone’s made it to the airport successfully, but there’s one problem – you’ve left your boarding pass at the hotel. With mobile boarding passes and no need to rely on Wi-Fi connections, you’ll always be guaranteed a hassle-free check-in. That’s unless, of course, your battery dies.

Missing out on the Latest Gossip

With roaming turned off, you can’t see what your friends are saying on Whatsapp or catch up with the latest cat videos they’ve shared on Facebook. When charges scrapped, this holiday disaster can at last be averted. And you’ll be able to send your friends frequent updates via social media and messaging apps to let them know how much they’re missing. Whether this is a good thing, we’re not sure; sometimes a good old social media detox is particularly good for us – but at least we’ll now have options!

Forgetting to Send a Postcard

Back in the day, people wrote postcards at the airport, hastily throwing them in a post box before boarding their flight home. With your smartphone to hand, you’ll be able to send friends and family digital postcards with Instagram and email, which they can print off and put on the fridge. In fact, why not send more than one? You know how everyone loves a holiday update whilst they’re stuck at work…

Missing your Favourite Team or TV Series

Sunny beaches or sequestered retreats have their selling points, but live sports and superfast Wi-Fi connections are rarely numbered among them. Rather than traipsing around the nearest town in the hope that the local sports bar will be screening your favourite team, or hoping the hotel TV will be showing your favourite series, you’ll be able watch it all on your phone without getting up from your deckchair.

The Long Bus Transfer With Nothing To Do

You’ve landed in what you thought was the local airport, only to find that it’s a 3-hour bus journey to the resort. In the past, overtired kids and husbands turned these journeys into unremitting purgatory. Keep them happy and quiet with a tablet or let them play on an online game, without worrying about a colossal bill.

Being Late For Your Train

Strange departure boards, unfamiliar trains and even morning grogginess all make it easy to miss a train. With Google and your smartphone, lack of information will be less of an excuse. Oversleeping, crazy taxi drivers and dawdling family members will still be valid, though.

Not Knowing How Bad the Weather is Back Home

When the sun’s shining and the weather is hot, it can be nice to hear what it’s like at home. Further boost your tanned smugness by checking the latest weather updates and sending friends and family sunlit photographs of the beach. Say cheese!