In our modern age, people are used to being in touch all the time. On the road, the proliferation of Internet cafes, cell phones, and pay phones makes it easy to stay in touch while traveling. You can use calling cards, cell phones, or the voip service, Skype. We’ll touch upon Skype in a later post, but for now let’s look at calling cards and cell phones:

Calling Cards
When I first traveled overseas, I used calling cards. I figured it was more convenient than scouting out a cell phone, especially since I was only in each country for a few weeks at a time. I only ever really needed to call my parents and wanted to remain unconnected from the greater world. Having a cell phone just didn’t seem like I was getting off the grid. It was bad enough I was at an Internet cafe all the time! Wasn’t the point of travel to get away from the trappings of modern life?

Calling cards offer a few benefits:

• You can buy as needed.
• No need to buy a new number all the time.
• They don’t make you a target for theft like phones do.
• It’s not a big deal if you lose them since they aren’t a hassle to replace.

The problem can be once you leave the country they are for, the cards become useless. I ended up with two extra calling cards for Italy when I left. That was over €20 down the drain.

Cell Phones
When I extended my stay in Thailand, I bought a cell phone. Since I was staying here, I thought it wise to own one. I bought a cheap phone, got a SIM card, and I was off. When I ran out of money, I’d add more credit onto the phone. I eventually moved on to Australia, and took my phone with me. I had a lot of Aussie friends, and it would just work out easier if I had a phone to contact them with. Well, it turns out, most backpackers now are carrying phones since those SIMs are so cheap. Throughout Australia and Europe, I found the majority of travelers had a phone.

Cell phones offer many benefits:

• Can change numbers easily.
• Always have access to your friends and family.
• Phones can work all over the world.
• Numbers in can work in a variety of countries (sometimes).
• Can sometimes be a cheaper option.

For Americans, the problem is that we run on a different cell phone network and generally don’t have unlocked phones (i.e. ones where you can change SIM cards). This makes it harder to take your phone overseas. You’ll have to buy a new phone when you go abroad. For others, it’s much easier. Foreign phones can have their SIM card removed, phones in Europe can connect to any country, and in Asia, SIMs and phones are so cheap, it’s not a problem if you lose them. (For example in Thailand, a phone is about 20 dollars and a SIM card is 7 dollars)

Weighing the benefits of each, calling cards are definitely the least desirable. With the advent of cheap cell phones, calling cards are no longer the most economical choice.

As a vagabond, I know we all want to break free from the trappings of modernity. We want to go out and explore the world, but having all grown up in the age of instant communication, it’s hard to just cut the cord. I wanted to be separate from the world I left back home, but sometimes, it’s nice to be able to hear a familiar voice on a bad day or to just see your parents. We can still be unplugged while being plugged in. Get a cell phone for emergencies and to help better organize meet-ups because you don’t want to be standing by a road all day wondering if your buddy from Germany got that e-mail.