Computers and the Internet make staying in touch while traveling the world very easy these days, and fairly cheap too. If you plan on traveling to a wide range of countries and/or spending a long time away from home, you should know what communication options are available to you, and how to get the most out of them.
Email is the easiest and cheapest way to keep in touch. Internet cafes are ubiquitous, particularly in tourist-heavy areas. In most countries they are very inexpensive, too, which means you can do most of your communicating this way and not put much of a dent in your budget.
One thing to think about when setting up an email account to check on the road is accessibility. Services like Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail, and other forms of webmail, can be accessed anywhere you can check the web. If you use Outlook, Thunderbird, or some other mail software, make sure you know how to access your account via a webmail interface before leaving. If not, you’ll have a hard time checking it on random computers all over the globe.
Email doesn’t cut it for talking to friends and family after long absences. Sometimes when you’ve been gone for a long time, it’s great to hear a familiar voice. Fortunately Skype is everywhere these days, and it’s a great tool for travelers. In case you aren’t familiar with the service, it’s an Internet telephone service. If you call other users on Skype, it’s free. If you want to call a landline or cell phone number, you have to load up on some credit first and then call. Even though it isn’t free, the rate is very low to most countries, and it doesn’t change no matter where you are. Most internet cafes now have Skype installed on their computers, and often have headsets for you to use. Sometimes they are broken, or the enterprising owner charges for their use, so it’s a good idea to stash one in your bag. They’re small and cheap, and you’ll always be able to use Skype anywhere you are.
If you don’t want to use Skype, or aren’t near a computer, pick up a phone card before you leave. If you shop around online, you can find some great deals on long distance. Trying to find a good deal when you’re already on the road can be challenging, and can lead to you taking a more expensive option. If you have a few phone cards ready to go, you’ll never have to worry about staying in touch.
Of course you could bring your own phone if you want. International roaming charges for US domestic cellular phones are usually sky-high, so do your homework before chatting away abroad. If you have a GSM-enabled phone, then you can tap into the same network used by most of the world by getting a local SIM card. There’s a good roundup of your phone choices here.
The world today is a small place, and if you need to be in touch while traveling you’re usually never far from some means of communication. Sometimes, though, it’s great to pretend like it’s hard to find an Internet connection or a telephone and remain incommunicado.