Stay In Touch

Stay In Touch

How do you stay in touch with everyone back home and not break the bank? This is what I do when I am overseas.

Step One

In regard to your cell phone, go on “seasonal standby” when you leave the country. This means you will maintain your cell phone number and will not be in violation of your contract. For instance, Sprint will charge you roughly $10 a month during your trip. Even if you sign up for your carrier’s international package, you might be charged $1 or $5 a minute. That will add up quickly.

Make sure you “unlock” your cell phone. Many times this is as simple as calling the cell phone company’s 800 number. When you arrive at your destination you need to go “local”. This means you need to buy a SIM card from a local mobile phone provider. If your phone is unlocked, you will be able to insert the SIM card into your phone. When you do this, you will have access to the local phone network. That means you will be making local calls at the local rates. And new friends you meet, will be able to call you on the local phone network. You will also be able to buy a data plan. In many countries, the fees are substantially lower than the US. You can make local phone calls for pennies and get a data plan for $10-$30 a month. Another benefit, for example in countries like Armenia and Thailand (on their local network), you are able to make VOIP calls internationally for several pennies a minute.

SIM cards typically cost anywhere from $0 to several dollars. Depending on the country, you might need to present a passport (or photocopy), a passport photo, and fill out a form. And sometimes, they will be handing out the SIM cards for free in the airport, at your hotel, or at the 7-Eleven.

Step Two

If you have a smartphone, download a couple of Apps. For example, LINE and WhatsApp. If your friend has the same app, you will be able to text and call each other to your heart’s content as long as you have a data plan or access to Wi-Fi. Many people in developing countries are you using these Apps to communicate and avoiding their carrier’s voice/text plans.

Step Three

And finally, make sure you have a SKYPE account , you can call anyone for free if they have a SKYPE account. Even better, for around $39 a year, you can call anyone in the US (landline or mobile) from anywhere in the world. There is a global package for $168 which gets you access to 60 plus countries.

There has been a proliferation of communication Apps. If you have wifi or a data package on your phone it is easy to communicate with other people via text, voice and/or video. Some of the most popular Apps are WhatsApp, LineApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger. These apps utility is also driven by what country you are in. So for instance, LineApp is incredibly popular in Thailand and Japan. Hence, on depending on where you travel might determine which App you download. Also, some countries like Dubai or China, are restricting access to these communications Apps. To avoid these restrictions you should utilize a VPN which masks your true location. VPN Master is a free App which provides a solution.

Or Step Four

This information is from Nomadic Matt. He has a great article here on the benefits of T-Mobile. In short, T-Mobile is being very aggressive in marketing to those who travel internationally. It is quite impressive what they are offering. First, T-Mobile is providing international text and data for $0! And calls are 20 cents a minute. T-Mobile has agreements with 100 countries. This is a giant savings compared to ATT, Sprint, or Verizon.

I see two challenges, even as 20 cents a minute, your phone bill could add up over time for a longer trip. Second, if you meet any locals, and they need to call you, they will then be hit with roaming charges when they call your phone. This might be a significant deterrent in people calling you.

Call to Action

1 Go on seasonal standby

2 Unlock your phone (in your home country)

3 Get a local SIM card (have your passport photos and a copy of your passport ready)

4 Download WhatsApp and Line (or other App)

5 Set up SKYPE and buy the annual package

6 Consider the T-Mobile strategy

What are your tips?