nd I have read some crazy things about roaming charges with Verizon if you take your phone abroad, so I am wary about doing that.

Just turn it into airplane mode, and then turn WiFi on, so you can use it wherever there is Wifi, but it won't use the cell system and incur roaming charges. The peril is if you take a smartphone abroad, think "I didn't make any calls so I'm good" but it was trying to download your email and scrabble games and stuff.

Just turn it into airplane mode, and then turn WiFi on

I did not know you could do that. All this time I have been assuming Airplane Mode meant no transmitting at all.

I never realized that you could turn the wifi on when it was in airplane mode. I feel a little stupid right now.

eta: okay, seeing ita! s comment I feel better now.

Of course, I just turned Airplane Mode on on my tablet, and then turned on WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, so I'm not sure all of what's being achieved. What with me not having cell service on it.

I don't have a data plan on my iPad, but it still uses 3G and talks to the cell towers.

it still uses 3G and talks to the cell towers

Well, that's because Apple stalks you. But I don't have cell functionality on this tablet, so I don't think that's an issue.

Just turn it into airplane mode, and then turn WiFi on

Would that mean I could use it as a phone using WiFi? I'm feeling particularly clueless on this issue.

sj, renting a phone is going to be ridiculously expensive. They will charge you a daily or monthly fee for just the rental of the handset, plus they inflate the per minute price of calls. Many carriers in Europe don't charge for incoming calls, but the rental companies will still hit you with a surcharge.

I agree with ita !, buy a cheap, unlocked GSM phone, and get a UK SIM card once you arrive. You can buy one before you leave, or you can wait til you get to the UK. With the current exchange rate, it will probably be cheaper to buy the phone here. Amazon sells unlocked phones, but I've used myworldphone.com for years without any issues. Make sure you get a quad-band phone; it can be used just about everywhere. The bonus? You now have a phone that can go with you country-to-country, and all you have to do is buy a SIM card and add minutes.

I use the same phone in the US, Italy, and France. Just swap out the card and you're ready to go. Definitely use a calling card to call back to the U.S. It's pennies per minute compared to the highway robbery that is international cell phone rates.

Would that mean I could use it as a phone using WiFi? I'm feeling particularly clueless on this issue.

This would only work if your phone can make calls using WiFi. Some can only surf the web. My phone does, but if I solely had to rely on WiFi for service, it's almost useless. When I really need the phone, I'm not in a position to be picking up a WiFi signal.

Since your carrier is Verizon, the first thing you need to check is if your phone is a world phone. CDMA equipment does not work in Europe at all.

Will you have a computer and internet access? Skype worked well for me.