Staying in touch on the road
Options for staying in touch with family and friends
PHONES
Long distance cards: RV Clubs like FMCA and Good Sam Club calling cards offer long-distance as do Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club and others. (FMCA)
Cellular phones: Several companies offer cell phone plans that cover the U.S. with no roaming. Each does have holes in their service, or areas that do not have coverage. You generally have to sign a two-year agreement so coverage where you’ll travel is critical. Consider:
- Coverage and technology: CDMA (Sprint, Verizon, Alltel and small er carriers) v. GSM (AT&T/Cingular and T-Mobile). Nextel uses iDEN. Currently CDMA has better coverage in the continental U.S., especially rural areas, though that won’t be true forever. GSM has better coverage internationally, though some CDMA phones now support GSM networks for international use.
- Your travel plans: RV forums can be a great source of information as to which carriers can work best in the areas where you’ll be traveling or staying while working.
- Plans: Check the cost of calling plans and which ones suit your needs.
Check:
Note: If you’ll be traveling or working in an area where your current cell phone will not work, you can switch without paying an early-termination fee. Or find a phone with the carrier that will work for a short length of time. Often the person getting out of the contract even offers you money. See CellSwapper.com
Prepaid cell phone: Pay as you go. More expensive than a monthly plan but a good way to budget. You are limited in choice of phones. Read this article.
Your own 800 number: FMCA offers up to three 800 numbers for calling home or frequently called numbers. Good Sam Club has a similiar plan.
INTERNET
See articles on Internet and PocketMail.