I am curious, which Verizon travel plan did you have? The one that is about $10 per day, or the more expensive 30-day plan? .
We've used the Verizon $10 a day plan on multiple trips and never had any issues. It is actually $10 for a 24 hour period and there is no charge for the days when the phone isn't used. Taking a unlocked phone and getting a local SIM is always an option which could be cost effective depending on the types of calls / amount of data that you plan to use.
