Alternative to cell phone while out of the country-skype

[arlodog]

We recently returned from a cruise to the Med. We didn't bring our cell phones with us which was a problem when our flight from Barcelona home was cancelled. I won't go into the negative details of how United didn't have enough help to get everyone re-booked--(we waited 2 hours in line at the airport before being turned away and told we would be contacted at the hotel with our flight arrangements once Chicago had a chance to re-book everyone.)

 

Those people with cell phones were able to call immediately from the airport and get their flights rescheduled. Those of us without a phone were not so lucky. Our "arrangements" were that we were instructed to return to the airport at 6:30am the next day to stand in line to see if we could get on a flight either at 10:30am or 8:30pm. We realized once we got to the hotel that I had downloaded skype onto my tablet and we were able to use this to call United and make our own arrangements for a flight the next day using the free wi-fi at the hotel.

 

Prior to our trip I had purchased skype credits to call Europe to make a few arrangements for our tours prior to our cruise. It was $10 to purchase the credits and I used them before our trip and then to call to make our arrangements with United. (I had other passengers use it to call home to make arrangements too! :)

 

For those of you traveling out of the country who don't have international calling on your cell phone; you may want to consider downloading skype or an alternative if possible. It sure saved us a lot of headaches!

 

Hope this helps someone else!

[njmomof2]

This is definitely helpful, but in most cases, you can also contact your cell provider and have an international plan added for a limited amount of time, to allow you to make your calls from your vacation and then terminate when you return home.

 

I don't think I'd ever leave the country without my cell. Even if I was not planning on making calls, in the event of an emergency, I'm stuck.

 

Glad you found a way to handle the situation.

[impatientlywaiting]

T-Mobile does NOT charge for international data (i.e. data, email, surfing the net, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). They do, however, charge 20 cents per call. :D

[pcur]

I have used skype on my ipad several times to call family from Australia and New Zealand while traveling. It was really great to talk to them, and the quality was crystal clear. We use it at home for video calls, too.

 

Thanks for the reminder, because we will be in areas on our next trip where we won't have cell coverage, and instead of paying for an upgraded plan, I'll just use my ipad with skype.

[newcruiser1573]

If you have xfinity as your cable/internet provider you can use the app to make calls using the internet. It acts as if your calling from your home. I kept in touch with my husband and other family members this summer while on my Caribbean cruise. I simple put my headphones in and called home from my iPad.

 

When I was in the Mediterranean a few years back I purchased a telestial phone that worked great.