Technology is often the first worry when traveling abroad. Luckily, I have an unlocked phone (meaning I can change Sim cards) and also an international plan with T-mobile. Since we spent our first week in Germany, I just turned my data-roaming on and used random networks. Most of the other students just connected to wifi when they could. Upon arrival in Austria, I researched what Sim card would give me the most at a good value. One of the other students gave me a recommendation to get a card from a company called 3, which I had actually used before in Ireland. For 20 Euro the card gives you 1GB of data, 1,000 texts, and 100 calls. You can buy more data (5GB) for another 10 Euro, but you can also wait until the original 1GB runs out before doing so. However, this card really only works in Austria; you will use up all of your data in about 3 minutes by using maps in the Czech Republic to find the best trdelnik store. Therefore, whenever I leave Austria, I use my American T-mobile Sim with the international plan.
In terms of other technology, there are printers available at both the dorm and the school, though these are not always reliable. Luckily most trains and buses take electronic tickets nowadays. There are also some computers available at the school, but everyone here seems to have their own laptop or iPad, so there hasn’t been a need to use them. For those without data plans on their phones, it can be hard to find wifi (WLAN) in the city. Only a few cafes, the school, and the dorm have it. Not even all the homestays have wifi available. One solution is to buy a hotspot device for about 60 Euro that you can bring anywhere and will give you wifi for your phone, computer, or any other device.
Overall, technology here is basically like any other Western country. And if worse comes to worse, you can always find a payphone.
