Just a few years ago, this would have been a far more complicated issue. Details of expensive long distance calls from obscure telephone offices, inconsistent post and mobile phones that never seemed to get a signal, even in the most urban locations…Bangkok included!
Now we are in the 21st Century and things are different; Internet, email and IP phones have made staying in touch with those at home an incredibly straight-forward process. On all but the more adventurous holidays we offer, you will find a suitable internet café and international telephone facilities at least every couple of days.
Internet and Email
Available in all the major destinations, and in many smaller destinations you will be visiting. Do not expect ADSL/Broadband speed service in all areas, but dial-up is usually more than sufficient for sending a few emails and staying in touch with news at home.
Use is generally very cheap (as little as $0.30 for an hour’s use in some locations).
For newcomers - To set up an email account to use whilst away, you may want to consider either www.hotmail.com or www.yahoo.com - both offer free services that you can log in to from anywhere in the world. We would recommend you do this before setting off to Asia and get used to its operating functions.
International Calls
Standard land line calls
Clearly marked offices and shops offer you standard rate calls to anywhere in the world. Quality of the lines will vary as will the cost. Be careful to choose a reputable operator.
Mobile Phones
Be warned; whilst the price of all other options listed on this page has gone down, the mobile phone giants of this world do not seem to have followed suit. Calls can still be very expensive and you would do well to check with your provider as to the exact call cost breakdown and options available to you before you depart for Asia. For UK residents, a cheaper option for some destinations can be found at www.0044.co.uk .
IP phones
Voice over IP/internet phones have truly arrived and you will love them for it. They offer cheap (if not free) calls back home. You log into your account in the same way that you would your email account. Many of the bigger internet cafes offer usage of a headset and microphone (and camera for that matter).
Currently, skype offers the best all-round service and you can open a skype account at no charge - visit www.skype.com.
Travelling with your laptop
Wireless is available in many larger hotels and a small number of internet cafes will allow you to use an Ethernet cable. It is advisable to take a memory stick or external hard drive with you, so that if these options aren’t available you can transfer any completed documents onto your web email account.
Post
Yes, it is still available! You will find a postal service in most towns and all cities. We would advise against using postal services in very small towns or villages as the odds of your postcard, letter or package ever reaching its intended destinations are often seriously reduced.
For all destinations, as is true on a worldwide basis, be very careful if posting anything of value (monetary or sentimental). We would always advise that you use a recognised courier service such as FedEx in these instances.
'All my friends were very impressed when I decided to keep a travel-log whilst I was away....a great way to keep every one up to date with where you are and I really enjoyed writing my weekly updates. It was even easy to add pictures! '
Janet (Thailand and Laos -1999)