I’ve never had much luck swapping out SIM cards on my phone. A SIM card is the chip that gives your phone access to a network you can use to make phone calls, text, and access the internet. You can actually access the internet without a SIM card as long as you have access to a WiFi network.

Wifi coverage is ubiquitous throughout the world, and if I ever need to make a call of access the internet, I can just find a cafe, library, or public park. That’s right, in many countries outside the US, WiFi is provided in public parks and spaces. With WiFi I can use Skype to place calls anywhere in the world for a fraction of a cent per minute, which is a lot cheaper than maintaining an international calling plan in the U.S.

Another option is to purchase a SIM card for the country you are visiting. People have long told me that they are really cheap and allow you to place calls and browse the internet without WiFi. Knowing I was not spending anything on phone plans made me resistant to introduce a new expense. This did require some advance planning so that I had everything I would need at my destination before I left a place with WiFi access. I won’t lie; at times, it’s been a bit of a hassle, but it would turn out to be nothing like the hassle of getting a SIM card.

The first time I needed one, I was in a remote location and needed to call my hotel host to let them know I would not be arriving due to a cancelled ferry. WiFi access was nowhere to be found near the port, and I walked across the street to a mini mart promoting SIM card sales.

I had been sure to unlock my phone before leaving the US, just in case, so I was hoping all I would have to do is put in the new SIM card. That didn’t result in any more connectivity than I had before inserting it. While my Spanish is decent for purchasing meals and bus tickets, I lacked the technical vocabulary to resolve the problem with the clerk at the store. I was directed to an office for the phone provider back in the town center and had no choice but to pay for a bus ride back to town.

Finding the phone provider office was a bit of a challenge but, with the help of a series of people, I arrived and did my best to explain the situation. The tech took my phone, and after several steps I could not follow, managed to get me connected. This had been a lot more complicated than the quick swapping out of SIM cards I had seen in spy movies.

I didn’t attempt to purchase a SIM card again until I visited a friend who was very tech savvy. She convinced me how easy it would be, and I laughed at her as she struggled to activate it on my phone. She had previously implied I was simply too old to understand the technology, so I was delighted that my phone itself proved to be luddite.

It turns out, that while my phone provider made it possible to unlock my phone, they did not make it easier to connect to a different provider without a series of network configuration changes. I decided once again to give the SIM card switch a try on this trip to Peru since I was traveling with a different phone.

My first stop was a convenience store advertising the local phone providers. It turns out they don’t sell SIM cards from convenience stores, so I had to do a Google search and made for one of the reputable provider locations, which turned out to be a kiosk in a local mall. While the sales rep was able to tell me about the pre-paid plans they provided, he also told me that foreigners had to buy SIM cards from a retail store of the provider.

He directed me to a store several blocks away, and I headed over in a hurry as I had a bus out of the city in just a couple hours. I was happy to be immediately directed to a sales associate upon arrival at the store and told him what plan I wanted based on my conversation with the kiosk associate.

He took my passport and entered it into his computer before stating, “I’m sorry sir. I cannot sell you a SIM card right now as our network is down.” I had to laugh and wanted to reply that it didn’t say much for their network coverage.

It would seem the obstacles to my getting a foreign SIM card would continue regardless of what phone I had, so like any other person my age, I decided I would leave SIM card swapping to the young and the movies. I walked to a local park and downloaded directions to the bus terminal.