Communicating to and from Eastern Europe

You can purchase a 2lb. Acer computer for about $300 and communicate by email. Many hotels have free internet. However, in an emergency they will have to wait till you check email. Does anyone in your family have a cell phone? There are family plans where you can add an extra phone quite reasonably. Since this would be a number for emergencies only you would only use it for that, thus not a lot of extra cost. The acer also has a camera, so you can Skype (computer to computer) for free. I agree with other post...fewer internet cafes all the time.

John, Given the fact that you'll be in several countries, you might have a look at the phones and calling plans provided by the "travel phone" firms, such as Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal. You'd be able to buy an inexpensive phone which would be ready to use as soon as you step off the plane in Europe. Whether or not that's a "cheap solution" will depend on your point-of-view. Check the websites for each of the firms so that you have a clear understanding of their rate structures. I haven't looked but I suspect that the rate plans may be different for the eastern European countries. A few points to note. The firms mentioned usually use a "post paid" system where calls are charged to a credit card. There's an inherent risk in that if the phone is lost or stolen, the user could be "on the hook" (excuse the pun) for calls until the loss is reported. Also, some of the firms above operate using a "Callback scheme" whereby you dial the number, hang up and then the system calls you back. I find that somewhat "awkward" so prefer a phone that operates more "normally". For keeping in touch with family as "cheaply" as possible you might consider text messaging. Sent texts are often only about 75¢ and received FREE. That will only work if they have Cell phones though. Regarding "surfing the web", I started travelling with a Netbook last year and it will be with me on every trip from now on. Net Cafés seem to be less prevalent now, and many Hotels are now providing Wi-Fi so that's something to consider. Happy travels!

" Does anyone in your family have a cell phone? There are family plans where you can add an extra phone quite reasonably" Terry, while it might be possible to add a line to an existing family plan, the ones I know about require a two-year contract to do so. Also, unless it's a family plan with AT&T or T-mobile, the phones obtained with such a plan will not work in Europe as the technology is different. I like my Mobal phone for emergency use. My GSM phone holds two SIM cards, so I use a cheap local one for the country where I am (for local calls or calls home), and I leave my Mobal SIM in the other slot for emergency calls from home. The Mobal number is permanent, so that's the number everyone at home knows. Regardless of what other SIM I have in the phone, I always have my Mobal number accessible.

John, I'm in the same age group and same circumstances as you. To communicate most cheaply back here, I go to the internet cafes and use the local phone cards for international calls, which I buy over there. Of course, I count 9 hours back. The hostels have computers, a bit more expensive to use, depending on the particular hostel, unless an internet cafe is across the street or next door. I've found the internet cafes almost everywhere, especially around train stations. I also send postcards, lots of them, made much easier by having common Euro stamps. But Austria has the most expensive on postcard postage to the US.

John, Some further information to add to my previous reply..... I'm also in the 60+ age group, and always travel with a Cell phone. On many trips I've used roaming with my home network, which wasn't really too expensive as I use text most of the time and limit voice calls. On my trip last year, I tried a SIM card from one of the "travel phone" firms, and it worked well (there were several reasons I decided to try it). I've resisted packing a Laptop along so far, and just used Hotel or Net Cáfe computers to keep in touch via E-mail. I've found that it's been "challenging" at times to find the time to get to computers due to my daily schedule when I'm touring. Packing a computer along greatly improves that situation. Also, some foreign keyboards have a different layout, and I find some quite annoying. The other advantage of a Laptop / Netbook is that it's useful for a variety of functions: E-mail, Blogging, backing up or storing photos, keeping track of Itinerary and other arrangements, Skype, etc. Cheers!

Setting up a Skype account can be free or very inexpensive. You'd have to go to where you can use a computer. We're living in Prague and I use it to keep in touch with our kids in Portland, OR, and in New Zealand. It's about $0.023 a minute.
Terry

John, I forgot to mention a particular feature in internet cafes, aside from the obvious computers, and that is, the phones one can use for international calls. You just pay in cash afterwards. Calling that way is the absolute cheapest without carrying any electronic gear. If you're going to Vienna (since you listed Austria), consider staying in the Westbahnhof area,.. there are 3 hostels within walking distance from the station and from each other. Wombats Hostel on Mariahilfestraße is across the stration from Westbahnhof. I stayed there the last two times. It's the best of the three. Also, up the street on Mariahilfestraße a few mins. from the hostel are 2 internet cafes.