While in India last month, I noticed a number of internet cafes that offered very inexpensive phone calls to various parts of the world. In such cases, a person could call Russia, for instance, for eight cents per minute.
While I’ve been a VoIP (Voiceover Internet Protocol) user for a couple of years at home, I haven’t been dialed in, shall we say, to other inexpensive long distance options, particularly while I’m traveling. (VoIP, by the way, allows a person to make unlimited phone calls using your broadband service provide for a monthly fee.)
Many of the internet cafes in India used Skype. This is the most popular VoIP service used, with nearly 136 million subscribers worldwide. They will have everything you need to make your call (microphone and speakers) and will most likely charge you for the call on a per minute basis, regardless of whether you are calling a Skype or non-Skype person.
If you’re traveling with a laptop and have an internet connection (through your hotel or a cafe), you can talk for free to other Skype users. If calling non-Skypers, there is a minimal cost of just pennies per minute. You will also need speakers and a microphone (or a headset that incorporates both) for your laptop as well.
Other laptop calling options include instant messaging service providers such as Yahoo!, AOL Instant Messenger and Google Talk.
Regardless of whether you’re traveling with your own technology or not, there should be relatively inexpensive ways for you to phone home through this new technology. I caution you not to stay too close in touch with what’s happening at home or at work, however. You’ll want to stay immersed in your journey and calling or emailing home too often can take you away from fully experiencing your trip.
Happy Travels!
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