I am going to rent an apartment for 6 weeks and would like to be able to call home each night (morning). What is the best way to do this? I have researched some apartments that offer free calling to the US, but I haven%26#39;t been successful at one being available for my dates. One landlord said that calling cards were fairly cheap??
Any advice?
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I don%26#39;t know what brand of cell phone you use but a lot of the companies have an option to add to your existing cellphone or they%26#39;ll send you a %26quot;rental%26quot; with the capability to call overseas.
I use Verizon Wireless and we called them and they are sending us a phone to bring with us. It%26#39;s $1.29 per minute. (They will be short conversations :)
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Many apartments feature Skype or similar VOIP, with free phone calls to North America as well as Europe. If you%26#39;re not already locked into a particular apartment, you might want to check that out. Otherwise, a calling card probably is the way to go.
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Will you have your computer with you and access to the internet?
If so, you might consider Skype. It is phone service via the internet. We have friends that relocated to Tokyo and they swear by it. You can google it for info.
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Hook up a good web cam (with microphone) to a pc on each end and install Skype. (www.skype.com)
It is free (assuming you have broadband internet access), you get free, quality voice and adequate video.
I%26#39;ve used it for communicating to my family in the U.S. from Copenhagen for the last 4 days. The video experience is a more personal experience - invaluable for long trips than just a voice call.
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..yes a computer based telephone system would be the cheapest, but otherwise buy a calling card at the Tabac..very reasonable and foolproof.
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I had clients who called me from Europe. We talked for an hour and they called me on Skype through their computer. It worked great. I think they said it cost them $.03/minute or something like that.
What I do when I go to Paris (and I am there for a month) is that I instant message both my husband and my grown son. It doesn%26#39;t cost a cent and we can go back and forth in a discussion. It works great. I purchased an inexpensive calling card at Costco in order to call my husband but the only time I ended up needing it was the first day when I realized I couldn%26#39;t instant message because I didn%26#39;t know how to set the instant messaging up with a name for me, etc. He walked me through it on the phone and from then on we instant messaged. If you want a calling card, the Costco international card is great value. Just keep in mind that it is cheaper calling from USA to France than it is from France to the USA (I think I got that right) so I usually had my husband call me (on previous trips before the instant messaging).
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; inexpensive calling card at Costco%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
The VoIP long distance calling services are great. We%26#39;ve several friends with relatives in Europe and Asia who use %26#39;em and swear by %26#39;em for both quality and rock-bottom cost.
BUT,,,,if much of your family telephone contact will be through cel phones....then VoIP really doesn%26#39;t suit your purpose....even if your rental apartment has the necessary broadband internet connection.
So as noted above, inexpensive calling cards from COSTCO, et al. will probably serve you best--most flexibly and economically. If you run short on pre-purchased cards...then you can always purchase an additional card(s) in Paris as necessary.
The alternative is to check with your cel phone carrier to find out what the costs are for their International Calling Plan options. This may not be the least expensive option...but it will probaly cover not only your calls back home, but calls made to you from family cel phones at home.
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As already suggested, you really should try to rely more on e-mail and IM. As an example, ith e-mail, you can %26#39;compose%26#39; a daily %26#39;..trip report..%26#39; and e-mail it home so your family can have a better detailed description of %26#39;..Today in Paris..%26#39;...and the saved e-mails can then become the core of your own Paris Journal/Notes to be put together later.
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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;BUT,,,,if much of your family telephone contact will be through cel phones....then VoIP really doesn%26#39;t suit your purpose....even if your rental apartment has the necessary broadband internet connection.%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
I am completely confused by this statement.
Could you possibly explain, KDKSAIL, why VoIP does not suit to the purpose of someone wanting to call a cell phone?
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If you can get an apartment with Orange, they should have the 7 euro for N.American calling for the month. You can also check (once in France) on cell phones. PAYG and SIM cards are available. Just don%26#39;t use that for incoming calls from the US, drains the calling cards at 46 cents a minutes whereas land line costs 3-6 cents a minute.
Calling cards from Tabacs offer cheap rates (8 cents a minute). Don%26#39;t rely on international roaming cell service. Ouch!
For west coast calls, you often get people right as they wake up. I rely on email alot since I want to call people earlier but know better.
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