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Old 09-22-2017, 10:48 AM   #1
Oil Stain
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Hello all,

I'm planning a drive through the States to Nicaragua.

I will be using google maps to navigate so I will require data. I'm thinking I will be better off just getting a sim card in the USA as their plans are much better than anything Canada has to offer.

Anyone happen to know the best American phone plans when it comes to international roaming?

I think most of them automatically include Canada and Mexico now, but I'm not sure if their free North America roaming includes any of the Central American countries. Being able to buy one sim card in the States that I could use through Guatemala and Honduras would be nice.

Also I appear to be heading right past Teotihuacan and Palenque in Mexico on the way down so I will probably stop and have a look at both of those sites.

Anything else I am not thinking of along the way on my route through Mexcio, that is a must see or just really cool? Here's a link to my route:

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Manag...67!2d53.544389
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Old 09-22-2017, 11:03 AM   #2
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Once you cross Mexico into Guatemala, a Claro chip (sold in just about every corner) will work in most CA (except Costa Rica).

IMHO. Stay safe and avoid El Salvador like the plague.

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Originally Posted by Oil Stain View Post
Hello all,

I'm planning a drive through the States to Nicaragua.

I will be using google maps to navigate so I will require data. I'm thinking I will be better off just getting a sim card in the USA as their plans are much better than anything Canada has to offer.

Anyone happen to know the best American phone plans when it comes to international roaming?

I think most of them automatically include Canada and Mexico now, but I'm not sure if their free North America roaming includes any of the Central American countries. Being able to buy one sim card in the States that I could use through Guatemala and Honduras would be nice.

Also I appear to be heading right past Teotihuacan and Palenque in Mexico on the way down so I will probably stop and have a look at both of those sites.

Anything else I am not thinking of along the way on my route through Mexcio, that is a must see or just really cool? Here's a link to my route:

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Manag...67!2d53.544389
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Old 09-22-2017, 01:01 PM   #3
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quite the road trip. just wondering what the safety factor is driving thru mexico and CA?

maybe it is cheaper/easier to just buy a garmin/tom-tom from best-buy/walmat?
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Old 09-22-2017, 01:21 PM   #4
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What kind of car you driving? Stuff your bringing? Should make a thread about this so we can follow along and see if you go missing or not (joking about the last part)
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Old 09-22-2017, 01:25 PM   #5
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Get the app maps.me and pre-download the areas you will be traveling through. Delete them once you longer need them. You don't need data. Though it is nice to have
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Old 09-22-2017, 08:45 PM   #6
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Yep, what the above poster said. You don't need data for Google maps just need to download the area which takes no time at all.
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Old 09-23-2017, 10:39 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Northendzone View Post
quite the road trip. just wondering what the safety factor is driving thru mexico and CA?

maybe it is cheaper/easier to just buy a garmin/tom-tom from best-buy/walmat?
Mexico has an excellent toll road system going North-South through the country. On par with USA or Canada.

The highways are divided, modern, clean, and secure.

The highways in CA aren't quite so nice, but mostly ok.

I think traffic or the prospect of hitting a horse on the road at night is the biggest risk when driving these roads.

That and the police trying to shake you down for a bribe. hah.
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Old 09-23-2017, 10:40 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skudr248 View Post
What kind of car you driving? Stuff your bringing? Should make a thread about this so we can follow along and see if you go missing or not (joking about the last part)
I'm driving a 1994 Cutlass Supreme. Its a hot rod.
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Old 09-23-2017, 10:42 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffporfirio View Post
Once you cross Mexico into Guatemala, a Claro chip (sold in just about every corner) will work in most CA (except Costa Rica).

IMHO. Stay safe and avoid El Salvador like the plague.
Yeah that will be my plan B if I can't find an American plan that will cover me.

I had issues before with Claro in El Salvador actually, where I was wasn't able to recharge a claro card from Nicaragua.

I'm not sure if that is the norm? I don't want to buy 3 sim cards on the way down.
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Old 09-23-2017, 10:51 AM   #10
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If you just want data check Keepgo.com. I have a sim and used it in a variety of countries. It works quite well. I haven't used it in Central America but it is supported there. If you are interested in it let me know, I can send a referral for 15% off.
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Old 09-23-2017, 01:09 PM   #11
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If you have a Google Pixel, Nexus 6P, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, have you considered project Fi?

$10/GB in 135 countries. including Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

Not sure how difficult it is for a Canadian to get though:

https://fi.google.com/about/
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Old 09-23-2017, 01:48 PM   #12
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Stay safe, Oil Stain. You'll want to be around for that Stanley Cup victory.

And keep us updated on your trip. It sounds nice.
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Old 09-24-2017, 12:20 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sureLoss View Post
If you have a Google Pixel, Nexus 6P, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, have you considered project Fi?

$10/GB in 135 countries. including Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

Not sure how difficult it is for a Canadian to get though:

https://fi.google.com/about/
I was looking at the website the other day. It looks awesome. Perfect for my needs.

I'm not ready to buy a new phone yet though. When I do I will be looking into a Project Fi compatible model, and will try to do some digging on whether its possible to get away with being outside the States for extended periods of time. (Like years haha).
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Old 09-24-2017, 12:20 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MoneyGuy View Post
Stay safe, Oil Stain. You'll want to be around for that Stanley Cup victory.

And keep us updated on your trip. It sounds nice.
Thanks man.

I'll try to upload a picture or two.
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Old 09-24-2017, 01:03 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FurnaceFace View Post
If you just want data check Keepgo.com. I have a sim and used it in a variety of countries. It works quite well. I haven't used it in Central America but it is supported there. If you are interested in it let me know, I can send a referral for 15% off.
I couldn't find the pricing for data refills anywhere on their website, which seem's a bit scammy (or I could just be incompetent..)
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Old 09-24-2017, 09:38 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bizaro86 View Post
I couldn't find the pricing for data refills anywhere on their website, which seem's a bit scammy (or I could just be incompetent..)
$19 500mb
$33 1gb
$85 3gb
$119 5gb
$219 10gb

Data lasts for a year and if you add before it expires, that extends the expiry date by another year. The SIM doesn't expire, it's always active.

I'm not saying it's the greatest plan out there but it seems a lot less throwaway than most. For example i've bought Orange visitor plans in Europe for about the same as Keep go but they would deactivate the SIM after 90 days. I've also bought a GlobalSIM card before keepgo and the cost of data on it was crazy.

If you don't need voice or text and can utilize Skype or whatsapp instead then I think it's a good product.
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