Online - October 25, 2006

World Chatter

Tricks of the Trade: Cell Phones Abroad

It costs ten times as much as it does at home — when it works. And all you wanted to do was phone home. We found the best options for all travelers and all budgets (billionaire to backpacker).

A Baja Holiday
You are: lolling on the beach and want to call the unfortunates back home.
You need: a hassle-free rental from Cellular Abroad.
Your plan: No more roaming charges or $500 hotel phone bills.

A Weekend in Paris
You are: a jet-setter who wants 24/7 connectivity.
You need: a GSM quad-band phone that operates on 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 frequencies, like Treo 650, BlackBerry 7100t, and the new Nokia E62, a smartphone with Bluetooth.
Your plan: With Cingular, T-Mobile, and the primo Voce, you keep your number and pay per minute, text, and e-mail. Just remember to set your phone to roam before you leave.

Monthly Trips to South America
You are: in Rio (or London or Rome) often enough that you want a local number.
You need: an internationally compatible unlocked GSM phone that will allow you to switch out country-specific, prepaid SIM cards.
Your plan: Avoid pricey outgoing call fees by signing up for Return Call Service, which gives you a list of local trigger numbers you then use to connect your calls — at seriously discounted rates. And keep those SIM cards in a safe place, dummy.

A World Tour
You are: climbing Kilimanjaro, exploring Indian temples, and surfing Bondi Beach.
You need: one phone number as you traipse all over the globe.
Your plan: a Mobal Roaming SIM card. Don’t waste any more prepaid minutes.

Arctic Explorations
You are: going way off the grid.
You need: a portable satellite phone, like Iridium, which gets reception virtually anywhere on Earth.
Your plan: A twelve-day rental costs $84; calls max out at $1.69 per minute.

Happy trails, happy chatting.

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