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A well planned affordable trip overseas that includes careful research of cheap travel options and the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages should not be needlessly made significantly more expensive by costly phone calls back home. Today it is possible to make and receive some calls overseas for free and most others for only a fraction of the very expensive prices traditional cell phone companies charge for “roaming” abroad. The reason is VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) that utilizes the Internet vs. conventional phone services to handle calls. In order to use VOIP you need a “smart” wireless phone such an iPhone as well as many newer Blackberry and Android phones. To make VOIP calls, you need to download and install the appropriate app for your phone. Only two additional things are needed to make free calls from overseas: First, Internet access through a Wi-Fi hot spot. Increasingly airports, hotels, cafes, and other tourist focused businesses offer free Wi-Fi. And second, an app for the same VOIP calling system must be used at both ends of the calls. It is possible to make low cost calls even when you do not have access to Wi-Fi. Then instead of connecting directly to the Internet, connect through the local GSM 3G phone network which can be found almost anywhere. VOIP calls usually connect through local access systems and generally connect at cheaper data rates vs. voice rates. Average costs range from 35 to 40 cents per minute. Yet another option when traveling abroad is to unlock your phone and purchase a local SIM card at your destination. If you can confine yourself to texting, you will usually pay less than for making voice calls. The following are some of the more popular VOIP providers: • Skype offers apps for several types of smartphones, including Android and iPhone. Skype to Skype voice calls using one of their apps is free. Calls from a Skype app to a landline or mobile phone begin at around 2 cents per minute. Skype on the iPhone works in 3G and Wi-Fi. • Tru and Yakie operate mostly through local GSM systems, but include SIM cards that allow cheap local access in most areas of the world. • Other systems work in comparable ways. If you connect to Wi-Fi or 3G anywhere, and the caller on the other end has also signed up for the same system and is connected to Wi-Fi or 3G, calls are most often free. If you plan to use your mobile phone overseas, make certain to turn off its automatic download features before heading to your destination so that you not return home to an unexpected huge phone bill.
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