In an American culture saturated with instant communication, living outside this web of connections can be both relieving and a little daunting. A part of me is relieved because I do not want people to be able to get in touch with me instantaneously (read: whenever they feel the urge). I like to talk to my friends and family (they enrich 
my life by providing wisdom, comfort and companionship) but while we are traveling, I want to be a little out of reach. In an effort to not be completely isolated, I am sure that Natalie and I will make weekly or monthly calls as needed or desired.
Of course, how to make those calls is a bit daunting. Thus I did a bit of research and found the 4 best ways to make phone calls while traveling abroad.
Skype
Skype is a VOIP (Voice Over IP) service that allows users to make free audio calls from one Skype internet account to another. For a whopping $2.95 a month, a user can get unlimited calls to landlines and cell phones in the United States and Canada. Included n the $2.95 a month, is a voice mail box.
The Verdict: I am a big fan of Skype and I think this is the best deal for the money. With the exponentially increasing prevalence of internet cafes, this appears to be a very cost effective option. This will be our main 
mode of audio communication.
The easiest way to use Skype, particularly in a crowed internet cafe, is to use a Skype Headset
. We opted for the Plantronics Audio 625 headset because it will allow us to use either audio line in ports (read: mic and speaker ports) or a USB port depending on the available technology.
International Phone Cards
I believe that the creation and distribution of international phone cards requires a doctorate degree in some obscure branch of an unknown science. In looking for international phone cards, I can find no consistent pattern to the cost of calling from one country to another. The thing that I really like about international phone cards is that they can be bought anywhere and used in most places. Thus, if we find ourselves in a location without a decent internet cafe, I am sure that we can find a phone card. With any luck, about the time this trip is over I will have mastered this obscure science and can explain it to all of our curious readers (all 5 of you that is 
)
International Cell Phones
International cell phones are all the rage right now. Apparently some travelers choose to rent a phone when they travel abroad. If I was only going to travel for 2 weeks, I imagine that this may be cost effective. That being said, extended travel and phone rentals appear to be mutually exclusive. I was able to find an international phone vendor that is selling phones for between $49 and $179. At first, I was thinking that this might be ideal. I mean, what is the point of finding an internet cafe when I could pull a cell phone out of my backpack and make whatever calls were necessary? Then I started looking at the rates. This is the deal breaker. Even from tech savy Western European countries, calls to the United States will cost $1.25 a minute. Ouch! That means (not counting the cost of the phone) that a 3 minute call from Europe to say “Merry Christmas” to my mom (1.25 * 3 = 3.75) would cost more than the monthly Skype plan. After doing some serious meditating on the astronomical cost of actually using an international cell phone, I came to the conclusion that International cell phones are a lot like short term health insurance. The cost is justified by the assurance that if something horrible happens (read: I break my leg when I inadvertently step into a Michigan pot hole) I will have the necessary tools to successfully navigate the situation. If something truly bad happens (read: natural disaster, civil war, rare disease epidemic, no coffee for 2 days straight) we have travel/health insurance (www.worldnomads.com) that will help us weather the storm.
Satellite Phones
Satellite Phones of course are, at least in theory, a very cool idea. Just the technology alone makes my giggle like a Catholic school girl. The real downer is that a cheap satellite phone will set us back about $1,000. None of the satellite phone companies are forthcoming about how much it actually cost to use their services. This makes me nervous and a little bit irritated. When I am trying to buy a service, I do not want to contact someone to find out how much it costs. They created the website. Is it really that difficult to post prices? Anyway, this is way out of our budget and seems impracticable because I cannot see me wanting to make phone calls from the middle of desert anyway.
How do you see the world?
Sadly, the Indian Grocery store, Suraj is now closed. The space is available to lease. Who knows what country will be move in next? Maybe a Vegetarian place?
