Skype while traveling
Skype is the cheapest way to make international calls
Use Skype (and an internet connection) to make and receive free voice and video calls—or have your friends and family Skype your cell in France for 10¢ per minute or $1–$2 per month.
No matter if you rent a cellphone, buy a world phone, or carry your own phone, convince your friends and family to save a bundle by not calling you on it but rather by Skyping you.
Just have friends and family back home call you on your new phone using Skype.
The plans that would cover France are:
- Standard Skype credit: 2.3¢ per minute to landlines, 8¢ to cellphones in France
- France plan: $6.99 per month for 400 minutes (landline or mobile)
- Worldwide unlimited plan: $13.99 per month to 63 countries (landline or mobile)
Even better, connect to the internet via an international roaming plan—or, preferably and more cheaply, the hotel's or public WiFi—and use Skype yourself to make free Skype-to-Skype calls—even video calls for free.
Sure, the voice quality is not pristine. It usually sounds a bit digitally compressed, and sometimes you get a pop or skip—but since it is free (or practically so), who's complaining?
Mobile phone plans links
- T-mobile.com - By far the cheapest option for oversaes travel, with inexpensive ($10–$20) plans that will cover data and/or voice beween dozens of countries at no extra charge.Partner
- Att.com - Since it uses the world-standard GSM, all AT&T phones will work abroad—though you definitely should sign up for an international plan before traveling (and even then, calls and data will still be expensive).
- - iPhones, Android, and some other smartphones from Verizon will work in Europe, though others will not (only some phones use the world-standard GSM technology—or the newer 4G-LTE—while others are still stuck with a dead-end U.S. system called CDMA). However, you definitely should sign up for an international plan before traveling (and even then, calls and data will still be expensive).
- Sprint.com - iPhones, Android, and some other smartphones from Sprint will work in Europe, though others will not (only some phones use the world-standard GSM technology—or the newer 4G-LTE—while others are still stuck with a dead-end U.S. system called CDMA). However, you definitely should sign up for an international plan before traveling (and even then, calls and data will still be expensive).
Cell phone rentals links
- OneSimCard - International Cell phone rentals (voice/data or just data), global SIM cards (for your existing, unlocked phone), and satellite phone rentals.Partner
- Cellular Abroad - International Cell phone sales and rentals (voice/data or just data), global SIM cards (for your existing, unlocked phone), portable WiFi hotspots, and satellite phone rentals. Now partnered with National Geographic.Partner
- Mobal.com - International Cell phone sales and rentals (voice/data or just data), global SIM cards (for your existing, unlocked phone), and satellite phone rentals and sales.Partner