Staying in touch

[iMacZealot]

How do you stay in touch with home when you're travelling internationally?

Someone in my family is always abroad, and in the past, we've dealt with the US carriers robbing us at $90 a minute, but when I go to Asia in a few weeks, I'm going to try out this Liechtenstein service called United Mobile. They have free incoming calls in 80 countries and unbelievably low rates. I'm also going to rent a Skype number for my at&t number to divert calls to so I don't have to run around to everybody I know before I leave to call some weird Liechtenstein number.

How do you do it?

 

[xUKHCx]

Apart from the very remote locations where a mobile phone wouldn't work anyway, email. Extremely cheap and you can attach images to show updates.

 

[Iscariot]

Put simply: I don't. If I'm away from home, chances are it's to get away from having to call or be called or deal with any kind of societal or familial obligations. We're way too wired in as it is, it's like we're in a co-dependant relationship with telecommunication.

 

[MarkusFrost]

My dad spent some time in Dubai and while he was there my Mum called him using one of those dial codes that you put in before you dial the actual number. I don't know the company, but those kinds of schemes are pretty common so you coul find one and then get folks to call your hotel using the code. Don't know about you calling them, it is possible but I wasn't the one in Dubai

 

[heehee]

Phone card, it's pennies a minute. You buy those at the place you are staying, usually convenience stores.

 

[Abstract]

Long distance phone card. I live very close to Sydney, and it's cheaper for me to call Canada, America, Europe, most of Asia, people's mobile phones, etc, than it is for me to call Sydney.

 

[Mr.Noisy]

I just Phone, If my mom don't hear after a year, then she presumes i'm dead,
Which according to my step father, is a hell of a lot better than having her ring me every other day!!
I feel sorry for my step father, convicted of no real crime

 

[iMacZealot]

My brother went to Singapore last fall, and he used a local SingTel SIM, and he just gave it to me, so I may try using that. The only thing is, I don't know what the number is, and I have a feeling it may be expired already.

My parents used those LD calling cards when they went to Ireland, perhaps we'll use them this time.

I also forgot that the last time I went overseas, I did use e-mail a lot. I may try Skype or iChat this time, too, though that depends on the availability of Wi-Fi.

 

[QuarterSwede]

My father-in-law travels 75% of the time for work internationally. He talks to my mother-in-law using Google Talk pretty much every night he's gone. Then again, his company pays for the hotels and they always have some kind of in-room internet access ... even in Bahrain (Middle East).

 

[PowerFullMac]

I take photos and show them when we get back

If we really need to keep in contact then my we use my Mums BlackBerry because she dosent pay the bill, the company she works for does

 

[jng]

I also forgot that the last time I went overseas, I did use e-mail a lot. I may try Skype or iChat this time, too, though that depends on the availability of Wi-Fi.

I have U.S. Skype number for $60/year that comes with voicemail too. And incoming calls are free. Outgoing calls at $0.02/min.

I of course, also have a German cell phone and for emergencies, I do use it to call the States and it costs over 1€ a min. But oh well. Haven't done that a lot.