One of the biggest challenges for travelers who are spending a long time abroad is how to keep in touch regularly with people at home, without having to spend large amounts of money paying for calls. Historically, the easiest option was to use the phones that were found in your hotel room, but if you still find these in place, you will find that the extortionate calling charges are still a part of using those phones.

However, you don't want to go without speaking to family and friends for several months, so there are plenty of other ways that you can call home without breaking the bank.

 

Cell Phone

Most people who go traveling will take their cell phone with them, and most telephone companies will offer international call bundles which will help to reduce the costs of placing calls abroad. Most of the networks will have partner networks around the world which will mean that as long as you have roaming activated on your phone, you will be able to place and receive calls while you are abroad.

One of the other alternatives that can prove to be even cheaper if you are staying in a particular country or region for a reasonable amount of time is to buy a local SIM card and then insert this into your cell phone. There are often networks that offer very cheap international calls, while it will also make it easier to stay in touch with the people you meet as you travel.

 

International Calling Cards

Although international calling cards may be a little 'old school' these days, they are still one of the cheapest ways for calling home in many countries.

Essentially, these cards will give you a free local number which you can dial from a pay phone in the country, and you will then input the international number that you want to dial after you connect to the service. This will allow you to call home, often for just a cent or two per minute, although one drawback is that you will need to place your call from a payphone, which isn't always the most private way of calling.

 

Skype And Other Online Calling Systems

The growth in internet coverage around the world has meant that there are many more options that can be used to place calls over the internet, and if you have online access through your hotel, and have a laptop or tablet, then these calls will often be free. Video calling with Skype is a particularly nice way of speaking with friends and family at home, although relying on international internet standards may mean you are often more likely to be hearing the voice rather than seeing the pictures from such services.

 

Reverse Charge Calling

This is certainly one of the most expensive ways of calling home, and when your friends and family get the bill they often won't be too pleased with the idea, but it is still worth programming such a number into your cell phone. If your phone runs out of credit or you are desperate to speak to those at home, reverse charge calling can be a useful last resort.

 

Alternative Methods Of Communication

While calling home is one way of staying in touch, there are many other ways you can stay up to date with what others at home are doing, and running a blog where you communicate with friends and family is a good way to do this. As so many devices now have on-board cameras and recording options, it can also be nice to exchange video messages with those at home, which will also help to avoid those fuzzy calls where you have called and it is in the middle of the night at home. Email and social networking can also both help to reduce the need for international phone calls in many cases.