mzzxx11

it seems that travelling with a backup/2nd mobile could be handy, for example:
- if the 1st gets damaged
- some anti-theft apps request a phone number to which they will text the location of the stolen mobile. so the 2nd could be used for that (of course, that would require buying 2 sim cards at destination country).

the 1st mobile would be the more expensive and features-rich one. the 2nd "backup" mobile would be a cheaper, no frills model.

any inputs on this setup?

TIA

sparkchaser

Do whatever makes you feel safe but your two scenarios are just as plausible in your home town. The only time I ever travel with two mobiles is when I need to have two different lines available.

Gargoyle

cheap throw-away pre-pay phones are available in most places. One less thing to carry and keep track of.

mzzxx11

true, but it's one thing recovering from such incidents back home, where all is familiar. it's another issue doing so overseas in settings which are often unfamiliar.

Often1

I do. It's easy and cheap depending on your carrier. I simply have a second phone on my plan. It costs me $9.99 (+ a bit)/month and the plan is shared with my primary device. Most companies have "free" or dirt cheap phones available, so you don't need to buy the latest smartphone. The free/cheapos are perfectly functional, just might be last year's model or might not have HD video or somesuch.

I agree that travel is different than home. Home there's always somebody else and you can recover easily. On the road, no phone either means a significant expense (or waste of time) or using stuff like a hotel phone (expensive).

Letitride3c

Primary line is with VZW on CDMA, but I've been using global phones due to travel and have it unlocked on GSM band - and my oversea prepaid GSM sim card roam and is usable on both AT&T and T-Mobile, with coverage extending to Canada & Mexico. I use an unlocked Sony W995 quadband phone that works on WiFi so I have access to old style mobile web browsing, plus a cheap T-Mobile prepaid (Gold) account that cost only $10 a year to maintain, pay as you go, 25 cents a minute - saved my tail a few times for emergencies when I forgot to take my phone. (After $100 cumulative or one-time refill, one earned Gold status (grandfathered in, I believe) A single refill of $10 every 365 days has kept it active, good for voice & text, mobile data is extra as add-on. SD card storage with enough MP3's to keep me occupied w/o draining the primary smartphone's battery for hours with a decent set of NC in-ear headset.

Worst case scenerio is that I lose the primary, Google Voice can ring my secondary T-Mo number (and/or call forward) until I switch & recover the main device, etc. Got 2 older HTC's smartphones that I can easily reactivate in case the main phone is destroyed or lost, until a replacement is done ...

When traveling away from home with Mrs. L, her identical phone is additional "backup" insurance - and we usually take a 3rd. phone with us, 4 extra oz. of weight that we can live with - thank godness for universal mini- and micro-usb charging on most Android devices. Another reason for using a Nexus 7 on the go vs. the iPad - fewer gadget accessories to take along.

Xyzzy

I almost always travel with an extra unlcked GSM phone. I think I paid 40GBP for my small Samsung a few years ago. It's small and it works. It's come in handy more times than I can think of.

Sam75

I always travel with another phone as well. you always need to be on the safe side

gpf590

I carry the Nexus 4, a little old Nokia feature phone as backup, and a micro-sim cutter. If I am staying somewhere for a decent amount of time, I'll use the smartphone and get a data plan. However, if I am only going somewhere for a short time, like my recent 3 day jaunt to Singapore, I will usually just get a sim for the Nokia, so I can text and talk with friends in the area/country.

Dubai Stu

My ATT iPhone is grandfathered on unlimited international data. I usually carry a small unlocked Nokia (either my Asha pentaband or my Euro E61) with either a roaming SIM or a local prepaid. Because my data is covered and 2/3s of my calls are VOIP Over 3g, a roaming SIM is often a better deal in many countries.

boerne

G Note 2 primary ATT international plan and galaxy nexus backup phone for local sims. very handy.

sparkchaser

Or you could get a SpareOne GSM Emergency Mobile Cellular Phone.

Review here.

Dubai Stu

The SpareOnes isn't quadband. It won't work in two thirds of the world.

UAPremExecflyer

I always travel internationally with three: one business and one personal (iPhones) and a small PAYG GSM Nokia (unlocked).
Depending on who I'm traveling with, and where we are going, also usually have access to a satellite-based unit as well.

ryandelmundo

I have this exact setup and it came in handy. I went to Thailand for Songkran and somehow the iPhone 4 got wet inside the drybag I had for it. ($50 later its up and running but it took about a week). Yes I shouldn't have even had it with me, but that's another story.

I pulled out a cheap Nokia I always carry. Using it for a week really sucked but it did get the job done. I'm dependent on chat apps to talk to folks abroad that you can't SMS (like Whatsapp) and I couldn't use any of that. I wish I'd picked up a cheapo Android somewhere that could have run a barebones setup.

The other thing to consider is if you want to keep using your MicroSIM on a less-smart phone you need a MicroSIM adapter. Fortunately I had one.

I have always thought for travel this Samsung Duos Android phone would be perfect and it's down to $120 which is almost throwaway cost. In come countries different SIMs have different advantages, in particular ultra-cheap VOIP rates home.