For those of us that travel international it is becoming more and more important to be able to reach the US and be reached while a way. The good news is there are more options than ever to solve these issues. This article is meant to highlight the latest options. Some will be expanded into greater detail as sub-articles.

Today’s Options:

• Reach me at my hotel – Give out the hotel number to family and friends
• Reach me on my mobile phone – Either through your existing carrier or with a global sim card
• Reach me on my laptop or Smart Phone with Skype, VOIP, or some type of instant messaging program like Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger

Each option has it’s pros and cons. Do you put the burden and cost on the caller or do you make it easy for them to reach you with a US phone number.

Option 1: Reach me at my hotel

Well this option has been around forever and generally still works.
Pros: It costs you nothing and only costs others if they call you
Cons: If you are not in your room you can’t be reached. Your friends may not want to or know how to call an international number

Verdict: We like other options so that’s why this article was written.

Option 2: Reach me on my mobile phone

2A – Extend the reach of my mobile phone with an international plan from my domestic carrier or other provider.

Most US carriers now give the option have international roaming. The costs vary for the monthly fee and per minute charges vary by  county. Generally speaking the per minute charges are VERY high. $1.49-$1.99 per minute whether you receive or make a call. We don’t recommend this option if you plan on making or receiving frequent calls.

Pros: This is the easiest to set up with the least amount of up front costs.
Cons: If you actually use it it will cost you dearly. This is only good for emergencies or to screen a call and then call people back using a more affordable method.
Verdict: Works in a pinch but we like using a global sim card or country sim card.

2B: - Purchase a Global Roaming sim card for your unlocked mobile phone. Many cards work in over 170 countries. You arrive, turn on your phone, and have service. Some offer a US telephone number for friends and family to call. It is also easy to forward your regular number to this card while away. Rates are much more competitive and average $0.30-$0.35 per minute inbound and outbound. You may be able to receive free text messages and  should have the ability to send messages as well. Please see our complete article and white paper on Global Roaming for greater details and explanation.

Telna Mobile Rate Comparision Chart

Pros: You can be reached almost anywhere, anytime on your mobile phone
Cons: Additional upfront costs in purchasing a sim card and unlocking your phone.
Verdict: If you run a side business or just need to give people the ability to reach you anywhere and anytime without them having to know where you are this is the best option. Keep your calls short and you won’t break the bank. These cards are also great when you are non-revving and don’t know where you will end up. Most “pay phones” in other countries require a calling card. Just turn on your phone and go.

Recommended Provider: Telna Mobile for $49 per year you get a card that works in 171 countries. The card has a US telephone number and rates are competitive. If you want to research other cards whether global or country specific head to PrePaidGSM.net. The site as well as the forums are an excellent resource.

Warning: Be wary of cards that offer “Free Inbound Calls”. The cards usually have a number from Estonia or other eastern European country. While free for you the cost per minute to the person calling can be as high as $3.00 per minute. Examples: OneSim, OneRoam, EasyRoam, TravelSim and GoSim.

Option 3: Reach me on my laptop or Smart phone

For those that carry a laptop, iPhone or Windows Mobile phone there are many cost effective options.

3A: The most popular and most familiar is Skype. Skype is a VOIP (Voice over ip) application that allows you t0 make calls Computer-to-Computer for free, calls from your computer to standard telephones cheap, and calls to you via a DID (Regular phone number) for not much more. Skype runs on many platforms including the iPhone. As long as you have internet access or WiFi on the iPhone you can make and receive calls. The same applies to windows mobile phones. These days it is easy to find cheap and sometimes free internet access all over the world. Setup Skype on your home computer and laptop and you are ready to go. One strategy is to make a cheap Skype to Phone call and just tell the person on the other end to get on their computer. You call back a few minutes later and the call is free.

Requirements: A laptop, free Skype software and a headset (recommended) IPEVO makes a cool VoIP phone for just $15. It works with Skype or any other softphone. You use your laptop to initiate the calls but talk on the handset. Call quality is good and keeps your conversations private. The phone is extremely light as well.

Universal VoIP Handset ST-4RT.1

Pros: Skype is free unless calling a traditional phone. Call quality is good and it is easy to use.
Cons: If your laptop isn’t on or you don’t have wifi access you can be reached
Verdict: If you are new to the whole global calling world Skype is a great way to start. For more advance users there may be better options. If you have a VoIP service at home like Vonage you may be able to extend this to your notebook via a softphone for free.

3B: Other VoIP provider.

There are many options in the VoIP arena. Too many to list. Just Google “cheap voip” and you can spend a lifetime comparing providers.All you need is a softphone for your computer and you can make and receive calls. Some providers like Voicestick and Vonage have their own applications. Others can use a generic softphone like X-Lite and you just need your account settings to connect. The softphone is used in lieu of having a traditional phone. There is a dial keypad along with other bells and whistles like call record, conferencing, and contacts depending on the application.

Pros: Easy to use, software can be found for free and this can be an extension of an existing service you already use like Vonage. You get greater call control, cost savings, and features.
Cons: Too much tech talk? What the heck does SIP mean? Internet access is required.
Verdict: If you don’t need to provide 24/7 access to you and simply want to make good quality phone calls. VoIP over IP no matter who you use is for you.

Service Providers:

If you want business class service and features for not business prices we recommend Voip.ms. 

This company offers there greatest feature set for both business and personal users. You can get a US telephone number for as little as $0.99 per month and calls cost $0.01 – $0.015 per minute. International calls are very affordable. You may also consider Future 9 or Voicestick.com‘s Next to Nothing Plan. These services can be used as your home telephone service as well as on the road. Traditionally you connect a VOIP ATA box (see Linksys PAP2T $50.00) to your home router and then connect regular phones to the device. Vonage is the most popular VoIP service in the US.

For iPhone users: Check out iSip formerly called SipPhone. This $6.99 application will allow you to use any existing VOIP service on your iPhone. The only requirement is wifi access. The application works with your existing contacts and can support multiple SIP/VoIP accounts.

3C: Google Talk – Let Google explain it to you. It is in the “beta” phase and for now the service is on an invite only basis.

In Summary:

Since we publish this site and are gadget crazy we use all of the above options. I really like the iPhone and its ability to be a mini-computer on the road. Skype for the iPhone works great as well as SipPhone. If you want to use a sim card other than your AT&T card you  have to jailbreak and then unlock your phone. While this is pretty easy to do you are of course on your own for support. It is easy to find unlocked GSM phones on the internet. Prices for a new unlocked phone from manufacturers like Nokia start at $50. Just do a search online. With the advent of the “10.1″ netbook” for $250-$450 you can carry around an extremely lightweight computer. While on vacation having a full computer is great to check non-rev listings, hotel information, and connect to others. It’s all up to you. How connected do you want to be? Now you know the options.