The Ultimate Travel Hack
How this travelling couple saved hundreds with Fongo, and stayed connected around the world.
Katie and Bhavik are a Canadian couple that decided to take an “adult gap year” where they would put a pause on their careers to travel the world. As they began planning their extended trip, they faced a dilemma: how to hold on to their long-time Canadian phone numbers without the costly monthly fees, while also staying connected wherever they went.
Their existing cell providers offered to “hold” their numbers for $20 per month; over a year, that would have added up to almost $500 for both of them, and they would still need some kind of phone plan to stay connected. Roaming plans were completely out of the question as they can cost $15 PER DAY! They knew that money could go a lot further funding adventures around the world. They needed some kind of travel hack…
That’s when they discovered Fongo Mobile — a free calling and texting app that works like a real cell phone service anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. Unlike traditional phone plans tied to local networks, Fongo isn’t limited by location — making it ideal for global travel.
Drawn to Fongo’s simple setup, Canadian roots, and connection to their university town of Waterloo Ontario, they decided to give it a try. First, they transferred Bhavik’s number as a test—and when the process was completed seamlessly within two days, they quickly did the same for Katie. Now they had their phone numbers in the Fongo Mobile app with no monthly fees and they were able to cancel their traditional cell phone plans.
Since switching, Fongo Mobile has made their travels much easier. They’ve been able to:
-
Keep their Canadian numbers without expensive fees
-
Receive 2-step verification codes from banks, CRA, and other essential accounts
-
Call friends and family members back home, including Katie’s grandfather, without worrying about international charges
-
Use low-cost international calling rates to book accommodations and make arrangements abroad
Katie and Bhavik highly recommend Fongo to any Canadians planning long-term travel, or even short term vacations — especially those who want to stay in touch, manage important accounts, and avoid wasting money on expensive roaming or number-holding plans.
Setup & Cost
Steps Katie & Bhavik took to get set up with Fongo, and how much everything cost
1. Download app & create account
Cost: Free
“We downloaded the Fongo Mobile app for free on our mobile devices. You can open the app and create an account in a few minutes using just your name and email address.”
2. Transfer Phone Number (optional)
Cost: $25 one-time fee
“We logged into our online dashboards here to submit our number transfers since it can’t be done in the app (the online dashboard uses the same credentials as the app). Just select the online store, then Number Transfer, and submit the form with all your details. Fongo contacts your provider for you and transfers the number into your Fongo Mobile account.”
Fongo provides a free number if you don’t want to transfer your own.
3. Purchase Add-ons (optional)
Cost:
Fongo Ultimate: $99.99 for 12 months ($8.33/month)
Calling Credits: $5.49
“After transferring your number, Fongo gives you 2 months of Fongo Plus & Canada Texting for free, which was great for the first leg of our trip to get acquainted with the app. Once that expired, we continued with the Fongo Ultimate package since we wanted to keep Fongo Plus and also add Global Texting to help us connect with accommodation hosts.
“We also purchased some calling credits just so we could make international calls to restaurants, hotels, etc. in all the foreign countries we travel to.”
That’s it!
“Throughout our journey, we’ve been able to use Fongo anywhere that has WiFi, which has been almost everywhere we’ve stayed along with cafes, airports, bus/train stations, etc. In some countries, we were able to purchase a temporary pay-per-use SIM card that gave us data to use.
“We recommend Fongo to any traveller, whether you’re going on a quick vacation or taking a year-long trip like us.”
– Katie & Bhavik
