Originally Posted by lili
I don't anticipate any emergency that I could do anything about, it's more for me to be in touch with someone, anyone, while traveling alone. But I prefer that someone not be my friend's two-year old walking around with his father's phone, or those random calls from pockets and purses.
Honestly, I've used my phone (t-mobile) and international roaming in more countries than I care to think about over three or four years (NexTel before that). The number of accidental calls I've gotten in that time period I could probably count on one hand. In my view the total call cost from accidents is negligible, as opposed to having the ability to reach out (and be called if needed) wherever you are at one phone number. I'd take the phone with you. If you want to place a lot of outgoing calls or will be there for longer, then buy a rechargeable local company sim chip in duty free before you leave the airport.
Best of luck and have a great trip!
-Bouncer-