I've never been that concerned about staying in touch when I'm on the road. For me, being out of touch has always been one of the pleasures of traveling. I remember in 1985 finding that I was able to pick up a telephone in a campground in northern Greece and (relatively) easily make a clear collect call back to my family in New York. At first, I was pleasantly surprised but that pretty soon gave way to a sense of disappointment. My world had suddenly become a little smaller.
While that views seems a little naive now (so 20th century, you might say), until recently I still felt the same way. A number of factors have recently combined to make me think about staying connected on the road.
The first is that I'll be most likely be repeating my without-the-family Liguria trip of last year again this spring and I want to know that they can reach me anytime they need to.
Secondly, I have the opportunity to travel a little more these days, but I still can't afford to completely out of touch with my clients. In particular, I find myself limiting the length of my trips to two weeks or so even during the summer, when the family could travel for potentially as much as six weeks at a time.
Finally, I increasingly feel the need to be able to make in-country and next-country phone calls to arrange hotels and other things. Last year I had a needless two hour wait in the Levanto train station because I wasn't able to let my host know exactly what train I was on. Earlier this year I had to purchase an expensive calling card in the airport when it turned out that a poet's convention had booked out most of the rooms in Granada, Nicaragua (that doesn't happen in New York, by the way!) on the day we were scheduled to arrive at 11pm.
When you have unlimited time for travel, two hours spent in a train station can be a pleasant opportunity. When your return is booked for eight days later, it feels more like wasted time. And while the 25 year old me wouldn't have had any concern about walking around a city at 11pm trying to roust a hostel owner to let me in, 46 year old me isn't really willing to put my seven and a nine year old daughters through that.
I write all of this a little defensively because there are plenty of people who feel the way I used to feel. And not just that they want to be out of touch when they travel, but that anyone who doesn't is, somehow, morally inferior. Just check out the comments at the recent Frugal Traveler blog on the subject.
If you're not yet connected when you travel but want to be, here are the results of my research on how to do it as economically as possible. Options include:
Don't Do It
It is still possible to travel without a phone, providing phone numbers of hotels and friends for emergencies and using the occasional pay phone or Internet cafe to reach people if you need to. If your needs don't extend beyond this, I definitely advise it. This works best if you have a pre-planned itinerary, or don't have anyone who might want to reach you. If you can do it, by all means do. You'll save money and the hassle of carrying around yet one more thing.
Computer, Not Phone
Most people know about Skype and similar services, that let you use an Internet-connected computer to make voice and video calls. This kind of calling is often free for computer-to-computer calls and very inexpensive (generally at in-country rates) when you use a service like SkypeOut that lets you place your call on a computer but reach someone directly on their cell phone.
The big advantage of using an Internet based system is the low cost, and the ability to do video. The disadvantage is that you need a computer (although many cell phones can act as the computer in this case) and Internet access. The Internet access factor is a negative if you're going someplace that has cell phone service but no Internet connection (a situation I frequently find myself in) but it can be a positive if you're someplace with Internet access but no cell phone reception. I'm told that some upscale, remote resorts fall into the later category. I wouldn't know.
Using Internet based telephony is a little bit like having a free land line wherever you're staying (assuming, again, that you have reliable high-speed Internet access). But it won't help if you're on the train, trying to tell someone to come pick you up today instead of tomorrow.
One other issue with Skype. While I'm ambivalent about having a cell phone with me when I travel I'm horrified by the idea of having a computer. This Internet addict would hate to be sitting by the seaside in Italy scanning the front page of the New York Times.
It's worth noting that even if you use a cell phone solution, you can always use Internet calling on those occasions that you do have access to a computer and Internet connection.
Use Your US Phone Overseas
Sadly, most US phones use a different technology (CDMA) than most of the rest of the world (GSM). If you're a subscriber to TMobile or ATT (which use the worldwide GSM system), you can use your phone overseas, although you'll need to get an additional service plan. I'm a Verizon subscriber, so I'm out of luck.
World Phone and SIM Cards
Since GSM cell phone technology is used throughout most of the world, if you buy a GSM phone you will be able to use it in most countries. You can even use it in the US, roaming on the ATT or TMobile networks.
Unlike standard US cell phones which are tied to a single provider's network, with GSM phones, much of the important logic governing who your service provider is and what number your phone is attached to is stored on a removable card, called a SIM card, in the phone. If your phone is "unlocked" then you are able to freely change the SIM card at any time.
This means that changing phone plans is as easy as swapping in a different card. Since unlocked GSM phones can cost as little as $20 or $30 and the same for a pre-paid SIM card, this gives you a lot of flexibility. But it leaves you with a decision — what's the best card, or combination of cards, to use for overseas travel.
I'll post more on that question in my next blog.
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