By Kim Gradel

If you're considering studying abroad, no doubt it's occurred to you that you might occasionally (or often) talk with the people you know and love back home. Whether that be your girlfriend or boyfriend, best friend, parents, or anyone else, communicating across continents can be challenging.

We're going to explore a few of your options.

International phone calls can be expensive. However, as global infrastructure improves and technology advances, the number of cost-effective phone options continue to increase.

Phone cards
Probably the easiest way to get in touch with folks back home is through phone cards. Typically these will be plentifully available in your host country or you may be able to find cost-effective options online before you leave. These phone cards enable you to make calls, usually for a set fee per minute based on the country you are calling. Thus, phone cards are easy due to the incremental nature of the costs. If you're only going abroad short-term, they will allow you to get back in touch and complete some basic, necessary communications. However, there are often fees for calling from public phones, for time elapsed after you activate them, etc. These fees can add up quickly and cut into the minutes you thought you'd have available for calling home. It's therefore important to investigate your options and determine what you're going to be charged for, and how your calling needs relate to your available options. If you're interested in exploring the costs and benefits of phone cards further, SpeedyPin.com is one provider that offers helpful information and some tips in this area.

Cell phones
Cell phones are an increasingly effective way of communicating overseas. While short-term rentals can be expensive, they are becoming more common and affordable. Renting an international cell phone with a pre-paid value of calls can keep you in touch on short-term ventures abroad or longer-term studies depending on the options you purchase.

Some providers, such as Telestial, provide cell phones as well as SIM cards. Depending on the type of cell phone you already have and where you are going, you may just be able to swap out your SIM card and be able to make calls from your existing phone. While this may still result in slightly high per-minute fees for international calls, taking a phone that can also be used for local calls in your host country may be very helpful.

I went to London my junior year and found that I really couldn't survive without a phone. I therefore was forced to purchase an expensive phone with pre-paid calls since I couldn't commit to a long-term plan. (I was there for 3 months - too short a time for a year-long contract and too long a time for solutions like phone cards to really meet my needs.) If I was going to go there today, I would use my current cell phone, which is quad-band. I would just get a new SIM card, and away I'd go.

Internet Communications
At the end of the day, probably the cheapest and easiest way to communicate is through the various online options. While needing to find an Internet café or other form of access may be more difficult on short-term trips and probably won't meet your local calling needs, students staying abroad long-term typically find it vital to their continued close contact with those back home.

Instant messengers, email, blogs, and all your other usual online communication tools are great options for overseas communications. I'd particularly encourage you to investigate starting a blog if you don't already have one. Blogging will avoid the need for you to send out mass emails as you can relate your adventures in one place as they occur and have people check in with you that way, leave messages, and contribute to your experience.

If you're considering studying abroad and would like to read the blogs of some students who have taken that leap, you should check out www.BlogAbroad.com. As you'll see from these student blogs, not only does blogging allow you to communicate while you're actually abroad, it also will allow you to create a memoir of your trip that you can read and enjoy when you're home again. Sharing your adventures online also serves as an encouragement to other students who are considering studying abroad and helps you to process the experiences you're having and enjoy and learn from them in ways that you otherwise might not.

VoIP
Another great innovation of recent years has been the increasingly excellent communication available through Voice Over IP. No doubt you've seen at least one of those fun Vonage commercials with their addictive music and been warned against paying too much for phone service. Marvelously enough, you can probably talk to people back home for free if you both sign up for Skype or another similar service. Even if you can't persuade your parents or grandparents or one of your 'technological cave-man' friends to sign up for an Internet phone service, Skype offers very affordable rates for "Skype-out" which will allow you to call regular land-lines or cell phones. Vonage and other providers allow you to connect regular phones to the Internet for a similar type of service.

If you've never looked into any of this before, these many different options may seem a little overwhelming. It's not that complicated though, and this unprecedented number of options means you can find what works best for you.

A Short Plea
If you've read nothing else in this article, read this next sentence. Please, please, please make the effort to get in touch with whoever is waiting to hear from you back home!

When I went to London, I didn't 'get around' to calling or emailing home for quite a while as I didn't know where to get Internet access, how to use an international calling card, or how to handle the fact that I arrived in a dorm with no land lines. My parents were getting quite distressed by the time I did wander across an Internet café and shot them an email. Do warn people that you may be out of touch for a little while after arriving, but do try to let them know you're safe and let them hear from you occasionally!

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