Over the past 20 months my travel has swelled from now and then to almost every week. It used to be I would worry about how I was going to go so far away and still stay in touch. But that’s all changed. Over the past few years I’ve amassed both knowledge and a ton of accounts that let me stay in touch. Ok, I admit I’m very connected. Maybe too, connected. As a result I’ve sat down and looked at what I have that helps me stay connected in the hopes that you too can stay connected too:
Landlines
Two-AT&T
VoIP
AT&T CallVantage (2 Lines)
Junction Networks OnSip
Televolution PhoneGnome
Inphonex Unlimited Calling to my SNOM 380s
Skype via a Phillips Desk Phone
PhoneFusion Fusion One
A Jazinga Box connected to OnSip
Softclients
Gizmo5
Skype
Bria on PCs
EyeBeam on Macs
Truphone on Nokias, iPhone and iPod Touch
Direct InBound Numbers
UK
Skype
VoIP User
France
Gizmo Project
Skype
Spain
CallCentric
USA
AT&T CallVantage (3)
Skype (3)
Gizmo Project (1)
Junction Networks (1)
InPhonex (1)
CallCentric (1)
GrandCentral (1)
Mobile Phones USA
Verizon Wireless Blackberry Storm
AT&T Nokia N95 (on a GoPhone Pay As You Go SIM)
AT&T Nokia N95 8GB 3G
AT&T iPhone 3G
T-Mobile Blackberry Curve
T-Mobile Google Android G1
Mobile UK
T-Mobile Nokia E90 or E71 using a Pay As You Go SIM
3 SkypePhone2 (two of them for the company’s use) On Pay As You Go SIM
Mobile Internet Devices
Sony Mylo (2)
Nokia N810
Nokia N800
Nokia N770
Apple iPod Touch
Mobile France
Transatel Le France Mobile Pay As You Go
Mobile Spain
Yoigo Pay As You Go SIM
Telefonica Pay As You Go SIM
Mobile Portugal
Vodafone Pay As You go SIM
Global Roaming
MaxRoam SIM
Wireless Data
Mobile Calling Services
MobiVox
TruphoneAnywhere
3G Cards
3 UK only 3G USB Modem on Pay As You Go SIM
AT&T 3G on a Novatel Wireless 950 HSUPA 3G USB Modem
Two Sprint EVDO Rev A on a Novatel Modem (one used with Cradlepoint to share broadband at meetings)
Two Verizon Wireless EVDO cards used by team members
AT&T 3G inside the Flybook PC
WiFi Access
T-Mobile HotSpot Service
Boingo Global Roaming (2 Accounts)
Boingo Mobile (3 Accounts)
StarBucks Gold WiFi Access
iPass Mobile
DeviceScape logon client Easy WiFi
Digital Camera
Panasonic with EyeFi WiFi SD Card
What does this all mean? It means I pay a lot to stay connected. I’m the exception, not the rule. As a global nomad I’ve figured how, for a price, to stay very connected and reachable. I’ve also figured out how to patch together my own network of connectivity in the countries I frequently visit the most. By taking advantage of SIP DIDs, local access numbers, call through services and using WiFI based calling, I use very little local minutes when I roam internationally on a a local SIM, listen to voice mail, return calls, etc. What’s more, using local Data SIMs on a Pay As You Go basis means great connectivity at low prices. Add in services from T-Mobile and Boingo and that means my WiFi bills are low. In hotels many that I stay in offer free WiFi or in Europe discounted plans for frequent guests with rock solid Internet Access. I travel with my own travel routers (Apple Airport Express and Asus Travel Router) which means multiple devices over one connection.
I doubt everyone needs as much connectivity as I tend to have, but when you need to be connected on the road, pretty much I’ve figured it out.