PlanetEye

March 10th, 2008

Virtually here - Communication on the Road V.2

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Ok, so you have a Skype account, and are happily chatting away to mom and the boyfriend back in Kansas. Free. Not bad, eh? But what happens when you aren’t at a computer?

Cell phones are great tools but international roaming charges are notoriously expensive, phone cards are a hassle. Don’t even think of using a hotel phone.

The first solution is collecting SIM cards.

Step one: First, make sure you have a GSM phone.

Step two: Next, make sure it will work on at least one frequency used in each place you are travelling. It’s easy to check—here is one listing:

http://www.simoncells.com/scripts/gsmzone.asp

Tri-band and quad band phones are now inexpensive enough that this shouldn’t be an issue.

Of course, one way to avoid the last two steps is to buy a phone once you arrive, which may depend on your language skill and patience; I find there’s usually someone who has an old phone they aren’t using anymore that is perfect for travelliing—you won’t cry if it gets destroyed.

Step three: Once you arrive, go to a cell provider and buy a local SIM card. Your new local phone number will be associated with the SIM, and if pay-as-you-go there should be a minimum of paperwork. Presto, you have a local cell! Buy cards with credit at your local street kiosk and you are ready to go.

At this point there are lots of options, including

-forwarding your home or home cell to your new international number (if your plan or provider isn’t going to kill you with the long distance)

-forwarding your internet phone to your new local number. If you have an internet-based phone like a SkypeIn number, you can usually forward it to any number, meaning you only pay the equivalent of a Skype call—usually pennies a minute (plus your local cell usage)

-doing the same thing in reverse: when you want to call someone in another country, calling a local access number, and then having the call routed cheaply

The possibilities are endless. Happy talking!

Tags: roaming, SIM card

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