International phone calls
 

Just curious, what services should I be looking at for making phone calls from Jamaica if necessary? My cell carrier does not have any service options down there.

Can you carry enough string to make the cup and string work? Should be the cheapest option!

But seriously, do the have internet access? Maybe Skype or VOIP is cheaper? Jamaica seems like a place that might be tricky to find decent service.

I've thought about that as wifi is $14 per day. Not sure if it is worth that much or not. The people I would need to be able to reach me don't know how to use skype and I wouldn't be around wifi all day long.

If you have a smart phone you can get the magic jack app and see if that will work internationally. I don't know that it will, but it's worth a shot. I dumped Sprint and cut my phone bill by about $200 a month by using that app to make 98% of my phone calls.

I'm not lugging my laptop with me so that can't be an option.

So you don't have a smart phone? Because I use the magic jack app from my Galaxy S3.

You should be able to get a prepaid SIM from a local provider.

I'm looking for something that doesn't require wifi if I can. I would like to be able to be reached at all times rather than just when I am around wifi.

You're going to be on vacation, man. Give the people you want to be able to reach you the number where you're staying. Check for messages a couple times a day and enjoy yourself the rest of the time.

I traveled to Hawaii recently. My wife and I gave our parents the number of the resort we were staying at just in case there was a family emergency and then we both locked our cell phones in the room safe. I checked my work email once a day and relaxed the rest of the time.

Prepaid phone.

Midget couriers

If it involves an emergency with my kids I prefer to be notified immediately rather than a few hours later.

ATT&T international calling card. Or rent a cell phone at the airport when you get there.

I second this. It's actually pretty simple to set up an account in foreign countries and will be your cheapest way to call home without doing Skype or FaceTime over wifi. Even then, you probably wouldn't spend more than $14 per day on the phone time unless you really like to talk. Just get a basic unlocked gsm phone to take down there and find a vendor for the SIM once you arrive. Or you can buy the phone there too, but you may pay a little more for it.

my phone is already unlocked and is a world phone. I just need to find a sim for it then. Any suggestions that I can buy before my trip?