The Phone Issue

My cell plan is with Straight Talk. For $45 per month, I get unlimited minutes, unlimited text, and I-forget-how-much-web-access. The phone cost me 30 bucks. No contracts. No tax and fee bloat. My account is auto-refilled via my credit card.

But the phone and plan are useless outside the U.S.

So with the anticipation that I will move outside the U.S. within six months, and hoping to travel frequently, I am in a quandary about the phone issue.

Based on research, I think maybe my best move is to buy an unlocked iphone, then buy local sims cards wherever I go. On the other hand, maybe I can do with a cheap, international dumbphone and buy in-country sims cards. Or buy both the cheap phone + sims cards in-country.

Or forego a phone altogether?

Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what I want a phone for, and the answer to that question will guide me to the solution. To maintain contact with friends and fam, my laptop or internet cafes will be fine.

While I ponder that, here is a NYT article on the subject.

And 6 Fewer Excuses For Phoning Home: How to Make Cheap International Calls, by Anne Merritt at Matador Abroad.