Solutions for Web/Phone Access Abroad?

[Livingit]

So i've managed to only need web access and phone access to make a living, stilll I'm not at the point where I can go days without internet or phone. In fact, I need daily access.

I'm working on continuing to outsource more and improve my 80/20 but in the mean time I want to travel!!

So with that being said, what are you guys doing for phone/web access?? I've been looking at satellite terminals and phones but the dataplans are terribly expensive.

I could probably rely on a cellular internet connection for most of my travels, though I know its not always easy to find.

[kamakiri]

The plans are across the board, and really depend on what country you are in. There aren't many places where you can't get an internet connection though, and skipe is just a small step from there. Buy yourself a USB handset, and you are set to talk to anyone from any PC anywhere with an internet connection.

[HWilley]

By now most major cities and tourist areas have Internet access of some kind. Just have your VA book your hotel near an Internet cafe.

Happy traveling!

[James Grey]

Sat phone and data services are REALLY expensive – in the thousands a month range because they charge for bandwidth. I was on an expedition 2 years ago that was using sat phones and internet – they ran up an 11K bill in 2 weeks.

If your hotel doesn’t have internet access then just go to an internet café – most will let you plug your laptop in (they will just have to set the IP).

Just tell the that you want to use your won laptop and that you will still pay by the hour – with a bit of convincing it shouldn’t be any problem

Also – every Starbucks in the world has wi-fi and recently I have been seeing McDonalds Cafés popping up all around the 3rd and developing world, they also have wi-fi

~James Grey

[outofbandii]

Advice: only use McDonalds wifi if you're *extremely* patient or get real lucky with the store you're in. The last one I was in travelling drove me nuts with disconnects every 2 minutes. I'd much rather slow & reliable than quick & unreliable.

[NoFixedAbode]

For the last 10 mths I have exclusively used for internet something called a USB modem from a major mobile (cell) phone provider here in Spain. Identical or similar devices are available in other countries in Europe I've checked so far. The device I have is made by Huawei and is customised and branded by Vodafone, my provider.

Speed is acceptable at 400kbps, although it drops if you're out of a 3G coverage area. After trialling it for 2 weeks I had my fixed line removed. I pay 67 EURO per month for 5 Gigabytes of traffic, and 20 EURO per extra Gb, although I never need that. In the UK it's cheaper. I can cross into another country on an optional plan I activated for free, but it's an additional 12 EURO per day for up to 50 Mb and a crazy price per Mb after that, so a bit pricey.

The snag for travelling is the current contracts tend to be for 12-24 mths (mine's 18) with, in my case, a 150 EURO cancellation penalty, so you wouldn't want to be country-hopping, unless you accumulate a few low-data contracts and use them in the relevant countries. But there again if you just stop paying and hand it back what are they going to do, especially if you are living out of backpack :)


One trick is that all contracts have a 15-day cooling-off period, so if you just need it for a week or two...

Good luck.

p.s After thought - it may be hard to be approved for one of these contracts if you're not living/working in that country. I recall I had to provide passport & national ID number here for my contract, and they did some checking before calling me to say it was approved. As far as I know there are no affordable pay-as-you-go plans for data.

[kamakiri]

I was on the road for a few days last week, and found the MacDonald's connections to be great. You come out stinking of french fries, but aside from that no drops at all. I am in Japan, so there is no shortage of broadband connections or wifi hot spots though.

I also used a local service, but a quick search brought this: The Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory is a listing of hotspot locations that offer Free Wi-Fi. (http://www.wififreespot.com/europe.html)

They also have sites like that for the US, and I am sure just about any other place that has an internet connection at all.

[TimW]

I am in Japan, so there is no shortage of broadband connections or wifi hot spots though.

Or Macudonarudos (McDonald's to those who won't get the joke). I remember in Tokyo there being two McD's within 500' of each other, both PACKED to the gills.

Thanks for wifi link...much appreciated.

TimW
Phoenix

[mascij]

check out skype diverters....do you have a land line and internet connection back at home in an apartment someplace?

since skype doesn't have an unlimited plan, you can grab a diverter for $50 which connects from you pc's USB port to the phone line in your apartment/house. Then you skype into your home skype client and use your land line which can be unlimited, of course this is only beneficial if you have those resources being paid for at home. Plus you can have your home phone calls ring into skype on your laptop - so all you would need is a wifi connection to utilize your home resources for a flat rate of $50 as a one time fee. It's really cool technology.

[diadem]

3 Mobile have a pay as you go data card. This is a UK provider tho..

There are three options to choose from when topping up and you have 30 days in which to use it;

* Mobile broadband LITE - £10 gives you of 1GB data allowance
* Mobile broadband PLUS - £15 gives you of 3GB data allowance
* Mobile broadband MAX - £25 gives you of 7GB data allowance

[camdengirl]

For phones I use www.Voipfone.co.uk in the UK (I live in Glasgow and London) - great service which you can divert to landline/mobile (if there's no broadband) or simply plug in either a headset or a Voip handset (if you are near a broadband connection).

Basically no one need ever know you aren't sitting at your desk. Which is fine till a client unexpectedly pops by the office to find it all locked up :)

I tend to rely on my outsourcers or the nearest internet cafes if I'm travelling away from home - I just got back from holiday last week and found absolutely nothing had changed in my absence, most reassuring!

[TheBolt]

Get a skype account for starters. Pirces are cheap, rates are good worldwide, and you even get voice mail and forwarding when not online.

Get a good 3G cell card for your laptop and get a nice ATT plan as their Intl rates are the best once you roam outside the US. All citites I have been to in SE Asia and Western Europe are loaded with Wifi hotspots, and almost all hotels and B&B's have access. Worst case, hit a cafe, bookstore or internet cafe if needed.

I work from Singapore and Germany all the time and it is very easy. Also, for fast emial checking, maps on the go, etc. the iPhone wih Intl activation is ideal and not a bad price. I used the heck out of mine on one trip and the bill was only about $550USD for the month of data. I since lowered that dramatically by utilizing the other methods I mentioned.

Ciao,