8830 In Europe...HELP!

So I have an 8830WE on Alltel and I will be leaving to travel and study abroad on June 25. I contacted Alltel to set my phone up for use abroad but found out that TravelComm, their partner, requires a 3 month minimum service plan when I'm only going to be there for 2 months. I'm wondering if I were to contact T-Mobile or O2 or another similar major European service provider and get a SIM card from them, would my phone have to be unlocked? Also, does anyone know of another U.S. based service provider similar to TravelComm? Thanks

Hmm, not sure about something like travelComm (don't even know what they are). Check if your sim slow is unlocked, if not, get it unlocked by Alltel. Where are you going to first in Europe? You normally can find pay-as-you-go sim cards at the airport or close by. If you want to get one ahead of time there are services to buy one, they charge a premium though. If you cannot get Alltel to unlock your sim slot, consider how much the TravelComm service will cost vs getting pay as you go sim cards.

TravelComm is Alltel's partner for providing SIM cards and service plans overseas. They require a 3 month service agreement that will be $250 total and include unlimited data and reduced rates for phone usage. I will be starting out in London and making my way south through France then back north through Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany where I will study for 4 weeks. I don't know who offers the best service in those areas but if you do please let me know. Also, how do I check to see if my SIM slot is unlocked? I know that I do not have a SIM card currently if that helps. Thanks for the reply