There are three primary ways to talk on the phone from the US to Africa. You can use your computer, you can use calling cards, or you can use the “regular” phone. I will rank them from least expensive to most expensive.

Least Expensive: That is calling over the Internet via a program such as Skype or Vonage. These programs require some sort of speaker/headphone system with a microphone. They do not always work, but when they do, they can be fabulous and mere pennies per minute. I called from Zambia to multiple numbers in the US and talked for over two hours one day – my total cost was less than $5. However, the busier the “system”, the more lag time there is, leading to fuzzy reception. There were a couple of times when the person I was calling could hear me clearly, but I could not understand them at all.

Next most expensive: Use a calling card. In our situation, my husband bought a calling card and just bought more time on it when needed. Cost for us was about 39 cents/minute. You can find other calling cards for less, but read the fine print. Some have a hefty connection fee, some expire (which may or may not matter), some charge a slightly higher rate, but bill by the second instead of by the minute. Some also bill in three-minute increments, so again, read the fine-print. The calling card we chose was supposed to work both ways, but we never could get it to work from Africa to the US.

Most expensive: Straight calling from either a “land line” or mobile phone. I tried to keep enough minutes of “talk time” on my mobile phone in Africa that I could call the US and have a short conversation. Prices were over $1/minute, so often I would call my husband, let the phone ring twice, then hang up so he could call me back. Most “land line” carriers in the US also allow direct calling to Africa – for a price. Ours is 99 cents/minute, so we didn't use that option. Your carrier may have a much better deal.

Bottom line – there are several options for staying in easy, quick phone contact while you are in Africa. Hooray for technology!

More info from our Russian blogger, and our Ethiopian blogger