NEW YORK, May 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey reveals one in three Americans is planning to travel outside of the U.S. in the next year. Of those traveling internationally, a whopping 80 percent plan to use their phone and data on their phone with 65 percent checking in with loved ones at some point during their trip, according to a new survey released today by Verizon.

Here’s some good news for world travelers: taking your phone with you just got easier. TravelPass is now available in more than 100 countries, letting you use your existing voice and data plan outside of the U.S. for as little as $2 per day, per line* to talk, text, surf the web and more.

On May 5, 2016, Verizon opened TravelPass to subscribers who travel to Costa Rica, which means that U.S. travelers will be able to used their mobile devices to call home, use apps and browse the Internet for just $10 per day.

“When traveling abroad, Americans are all about staying connected to those back home, looking up directions and posting photos onto social media through the use of mobile data,” said Rob Miller, vice president of consumer pricing for Verizon. “TravelPass has been in the marketplace for less than six months and already we have seen a sharp spike in usage, as it allows people to use their device outside of the U.S. as they would back home.”

 

A surge in international data usage

In March of 2015, Verizon customers outside the U.S. averaged 18 MB per day. In March of 2016, that number jumped to 67 MB per day for travelers withTravelPass–a 272 percent increase in the average data usage per day.

To sign up for TravelPass, visit MyVerizon.com and select “manage international services” or use the MyVerizon app on your phone to activate TravelPass before embarking on a trip. Once at your destination, you’ll receive a text message welcoming you to the country and reminding you of the service and the daily fee:$2 per 24 hours in Mexico and Canada or $10 per 24 hours in 100+ other countries, including Costa Rica.

The daily fee is only charged on the days you use TravelPass in one of the countries where it’s available. TravelPass activates when you make or receive a call, connect to a data service or send a text. Another daily session will begin once you make or receive a call, send a text or use data after the 24-hour period expires. You can keep TravelPass on your account at no charge.