Author	Message
bex552 Member united Kingdom	# Posted: 10 Sep 2006 20:06:28 Hi I am going travelling in october 07. So at the planning stage at the moment doing research and whatnot. You have obviously read the topic title so here are the questions 1) What form of communication is the best to use? 2) Does it depend on the countries you go to? involving cost etc 3) IS the internet pretty much easy to get hold of wen travelling? 4) Are phonecards cheap? cheers Becky

JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 10 Sep 2006 23:20:16 Hi Becky, There are quite a few options of communication possible. I'm going to assume here that you mean international communication to your parents/friends etc. Regular mail services are of course available everywhere. Depending on your location in the world, cards and letters will take between half a week and a few weeks to get to their destination. Internet: email and instant messengers (like MSN) are a great option to keep in touch. Especially because it does not take any time at all to get your messages delivered, and because it is quite cheap. You'll find internet cafes just about everywhere in the world nowadays. Depending on your destination, internet will usually cost roundabout between 0.5 to 2 pounds (prices vary widely per country: cheap countries have cheap internet. It also depends on the location in a country itself: on islands, internet rates can sometimes quadruple compared to the mainland). Sometimes you can even find free internet (in some hostels, or if you book a tour, or if you walk into a university for example). Phone is another nice way to keep in touch. Many countries have some form of calling cards that allow you to phone abroad cheaply. For example, in Australia there are a variety of cards available wih which you can call to landlines in Europe & UK for about one or two pennies a minute. Then there's always phoning via the internet with Skype as well, which has the same rates wherever you're calling from. Another hip way to keep your homefront updated on your travels is by writing an online travel journal (there are a number of good ones available: you can find a link to one in the left-side navigation menu on this website). Let's see, what else is there. Mobile phones. To use your own mobile phone contract in other countries is usually very expensive, but sending text messages once in every while is still manageable. If you're staying in a country for a fairly long time, it can definitely be worthwhile to buy a local SIM-card. So, to sum up your questions: 1) A variety of all of the above, depending on yourself. 2) Yes, countries all have different rates for all forms of communication. 3) You'll find internet cafes just about everywhere, unless you really really get 'off the beaten track'. 4) This again depends on your destination. I hope this helps. James "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams