Originally Posted by
cotomom
Leaving CA to go to Europe for a while (Barcelona, Rome, London) and need a way to communicate with the kids back home. I'm super technology challenged so don't laugh!
... can I communicate with them (talking not emailing) via Skype ...
Or is there a better alternative to 'call' home?
Pre-paid phone/calling cards will be the least tech-challenged alternative. You only have to shop for good rates. Not sure if it's the better alternative since you'll be in 3 countries (unless you can find one that works in those 3 cities).
Skype is free for making PC to PC calls. You just have to sync your schedule with your kids because all of you have to be by/on the computers. May not be as convenient as you calling landlines though.
Originally Posted by
caspritz78
Skype is for free as long you call another Skype user. If you want to use Skype to call a regular phone number you have to buy a credits. The rates are pretty low I think a few US cents per minute. This function is called Skype-Out.
Originally Posted by
johnincolumbus
Not sure if this was mentioned, but another great thing about Skype is the ability to purchase "credit" and call any phone anywhere.
Skype-out had been mentioned in earlier posts. That might work to your advantage since internet access won't be an issue for you while in Europe. It sounds you only need it to keep in touch with kids at home. There's an existing thread about SkypeOut. You can learn how folks use Skype in different ways and just skip posts that seem too technical for you
:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-skypeout.html
Don't know how long is your trip and how often you need to call them. If you decide to buy credits, be aware credits expire in 180 days from the last usage & it's $10 minimal per purchase/recharge. Or you can try the unlimited monthly subscriptions (link
here).
Not sure about the ages of your kids. Do they need to call you sometimes (or often), just in case? Factor in if they need a number to reach you, if you don't plan to use your cell phone overseas.