Travelers’ Tech Tips (for Nomads, Gypsies, RVers & other Travelers) Tip #4 – Skype

The Internet is an amazing thing. It was created in 1969 as a counter-measure to the possibility of nuclear war. Forty-one years later it has spread around the world reaching even some of the most isolated geographic locations and primitive societies.

In our developed society, the Internet is rapidly replacing more traditional media including radio, television, (cable, satellite and broadcast), newspapers, magazines and even the telephone. One rapidly growing Internet service is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This Internet process allows you to talk and even transmit video from computer to computer over the Internet. The videophone is now a reality for anyone with a computer, an inexpensive web cam and a broadband Internet connection. There are numerous services providing commercial and non-commercial VoIP services. Even the cable companies and possibly some of the traditional wire telephone companies are using some of the VoIP technology as part of their bundled Internet services.

Possibly, the most widely recognized free VoIP service is Skype, a service developed in Europe and based out of Luxembourg and is in the process of being purchased by Microsoft Corporation at this writing. Skype is a peer-to-peer system, which means it connects computer to computer through software installed on each computer. The service is free when you’re communicating computer to computer. Thus, to use Skype most cost effectively, you must have a computer of any kind or a new tablet device or a current smart phone. It is possible that some smart phones (especially older phones) may not be compatible with Skype software applications, but I believe most Android phones and iPhones are compatible.

Skype offers other services for various fees. As previously noted, you can connect with any other computer in the world equipped with a microphone (and if you want video, a webcam) and a high-speed, broadband Internet connection – with no charges. However, Skype can also connect you with landline phones and mobile phones just about anywhere in the world where such service is available for ridiculously low fees, typically, two cents per minute to many places. You can also subscribe on a monthly or an annual basis if you choose to use Skype for a lot of calls to landlines, mobile phones or international phones. I subscribe for around $30 a year to call all landline and mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada. It’s well worth it for me.

So, what are the advantages for a traveling nomad? There are several advantages to be sure. First, as long as you can connect your desktop, laptop, net book, tablet or smart phone computing device to a high-speed, broadband Internet wifi connection you can call anyone you need to connect with in the world, computer to computer, for free. So, if you’re traveling in any kind of RV (travel/5^th wheel trailer, motor home, van camper) or even your car you can make free calls from most budget and moderate priced motels/hotels, Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger Kings, various convenience stores, travel/truck centers, rest areas in some states, public libraries, RV parks, RV resorts, some camp grounds, some state and national parks and the downtown areas of various towns and cities, often in their parks. If you’re visiting friends or you’re a couchsurfing.org traveler and there is a wireless router in the home you’re visiting, you can usually connect from your vehicle, or certainly when you’re inside the home. If the system is secured, you’ll need to ask for the security key to log onto their router. And, if you’re traveling in the stealth mode, you can often locate open, unsecured wifi hotspots across the country wherever there are people. And, finally, AT&T and possibly other wireless providers have set up thousands of wife hotspots across the U.S. (and probably other countries as well), for the convenience of their wireless customers with iPhones and newer Android smart phones. This is a huge cost savings since none of these computer to computer, Skype calls count against the “anytime” minutes in your calling plan.

Second, you can save quite a bit of money by calling from your computing device to landline or mobile phones by using the fee based Skype service. Even at two cents a minute you’ll save a bundle. If you make a lot of calls to landline or mobile phones, you’ll save even more by subscribing monthly or annually. For example, if you have a wireless plan that charges you $40/month for 450 anytime minutes, the cost per minute on that plan is 8.9 cents per minute. If you go over the 450-minute allotment, you’ll pay in the range of 40 cents per additional minute. This can get very expensive pretty quick. And remember, you’re charged for the full minute even if you only use one or two seconds out of the minute. You’re paying the 8.9 (or 40) cents per minute if you’re sitting on hold waiting for your doctor to get on the line or whatever. Compare those charges to a mere two cents per minute as a Skype computer to landline/mobile caller. If you use a 1,000 minutes/month and you’re an annual Skype subscriber, as I am, your cost is .0025 per minute.

Of course, another advantage is that, if you’re separated from your loved ones, you can actually have a face-to-face conversation with them with the video feature of Skype. Of course, this is only applicable if you’re connecting computing device to computing device and both ends of the connection are equipped with webcams. But, this is a great way to see the kids, the grand kids, friends, family and other loved ones. You can also participate in meetings with clients and employers this way.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that sometimes you’ll have a bad Skype connection. Hey, this happens with landlines on occasion and certainly on cellular phones. The solution is simple. Disconnect and remake the call. The chances are that your call will be routed completely differently and you’ll get a better or an excellent connection. I’ve had connections that sounded almost broadcast quality when working with clients. And, when you consider the cost, especially peer-to-peer (computer to computer), the inconvenience isn’t worth discussing further.

Some of the most interesting experiences I’ve had using Skype or similar peer-to-peer services are with my son when he’s been trekking somewhere in the world. I might be driving along in my car somewhere in the U.S., my cellular phone would ring and it would be my son calling me from some place in Vietnam, Thailand or India – or perhaps, Venice, Berlin or Madrid. We’d chat for a half hour to an hour around the world and the costs, even though I was using cellular minutes sometimes, were miniscule. My son has been traveling with a phone that offers both Internet and wireless cellular capability since smart phones including these features became available. He purchases a local SIM card for the country he’s in and uses their cellular service for his “in country” calls and he calls his family, friends and clients back in the U.S. over the Internet. You’re never out of contact with anyone you need or want to be in contact with when you learn how to use Skype (or similar Internet services).

One final thought on Skype and wireless phone services. I wouldn’t be without either service. There are times when using the wireless, cellular service is the best way to connect. I consider the cost of my monthly cellular service as a necessary utility. With my AT&T plan, I have rollover minutes, so I don’t lose any unused minutes for 12 months. Most plans don’t offer this feature. And, of course, 9 PM until 6 AM (typically) local time as well as weekends (9 PM Friday until 6 AM Monday) usually doesn’t cost you any of your anytime minutes. Some plans also don’t charge (as my AT&T plan) for mobile-to-mobile calls, in some cases between mobiles using the same provider (AT&T for instance) or between any mobiles on any provider’s service. And some allow you to make as many calls and use as many minutes as you wish with a certain number of regularly called phone numbers. You need to know your plan. Also, if you’re calling someone after 9 PM or over a weekend, who isn’t in your time zone, there may be charges to their cellular phone for minutes used.

On the other hand, there are certainly times when using an Internet based service like Skype is the most advantageous. Whenever I am going to do some phone consulting, I typically prefer to use Skype and, hopefully, the other party is capable of using Skype, too. When I sit in on webinars or teleconference calls, I use Skype whenever possible, too. A nice added feature when using Skype is that I can have a Skype recorder downloaded to my computing device so I can record the entire duration of the call on my device’s hard drive or memory and then review the consulting session or the webinar/teleconference.

Travelers, nomads, gypsies, RVers, etc. should take advantage of all the communication capabilities available to them. Learning how and when to use them to their best advantage is a balancing act, however, the financial benefits and the conveniences are so worth the time invested. It always bothers me to hear people, unfortunately, usually older folks, say that it’s too much trouble to learn all this technology. It especially bothers me to hear them say they are too old to learn. I have many friends well into their 80’s who use landline, cellular phones and Skype (and many have Google Voice numbers, which is a topic for another time) very effectively. If you happen to be fortunate enough to have more money then you’ll need to live very comfortably for the rest of your life, then, perhaps, you don’t need to learn to use all this fantastic technology. But, in today’s world and economy, most of the people I know are looking for any ways they can to save money, while not compromising their standard of living to any appreciable degree. Skype is definitely one of the ways.