How to Keep in Touch on a Student Budget

Guest post: Chris Marling

When spending time studying abroad, the last thing you want to be worrying about is how to keep in touch with family and friends – and how much it’s costing you.

However, with good planning, you can keep in touch on a budget. Of course, this is only a general guide and all of these tips are situational; not every country is going to offer up these opportunities, depending on how far afield you travel. But hopefully you’ll be able to find a suitable solution.

Research international call rates

Forewarned is forearmed. So if you’re studying abroad, make sure you find out about international call rates before you arrive in your study destination. Local contacts can be especially helpful here; either fellow students who have been to the region, or contacts you’ve been given for your arrival.

Try to get details of international call rates from mobile providers both at home and abroad to check call and data rates; some providers will give special rates for particular countries due to international deals, while others offer bundles of international calls and roaming that can be pretty reasonable.

Getting a SIM card from the country you’re travelling to can be particularly useful, as you can obviously also use it locally while away.

Consider an international SIM card

Another option may be to pick up an international SIM card. These are mobile phone cards (which can offer minutes, texts and data) provided by companies that have worked out special rates to particular countries. You’ll have to shop around to see who, if any, has good rates to your destination – but they can be a real bargain.

International SIMs tend to be most useful if you’re travelling to multiple countries, but don’t rule them out. They can usually be easily topped up online or by phone via a card and if you get one from your home country, you should have access to support and service from back home if things go wrong. With any SIM though, make sure it’s compatible with your handset before you commit!

Join a VoIP service

When we talk about broadband and roaming internationally, we’re not just talking email and social networking: voice over internet protocol, or VoIP, can be a great way to keep in touch while abroad too.

The most commonly known VoIP service is Skype, but there are plenty of alternative services around. Essentially you’ll use an internet connection (and usually a headset) to talk to anyone else who also has an account with the VoIP provider. This takes a bit of forward planning (getting everyone you want to chat with to sign up!) but can be a real money saver.

Can you get free internet access?

Look deeper too. Is there free Wi-Fi in your university or student halls? Are there internet cafes nearby? Might you have access to a landline – and if so what are the rates from there?

If you can get free internet access via Wi-Fi or broadband, you essentially have free calls – which can be video or just audio. Many students will use a laptop or netbook for this, although smartphone apps are also available (you might want to check with your mobile provider first though, as some frown on VoIP use over their networks).

In short, lots of options to help you keep in touch without overspending – there should be some combination that works for everyone!

Chris Marling writes for broadband, smartphone and tablet consumer information site Broadband Genie.

How do you prefer to keep in touch? Do you love video calls or prefer to stick to just audio? Have you discovered an amazing new service no one else knows about?