Using A Rented Cell Phone In A Foreign Country
The first time that I went to a foreign country, away from my family, was when I was 13. I went on a class trip to Israel, and we needed to share a cell phone between 4 people.
Unfortunately, the window of time that we could communicate with our families was limited because we had activity-filled days, so there was a narrow band of time in which we could communicate home. As a result of the limited time, and because we were so busy, eventually all of us started to contact home less and less. However the cell phone that was rented in Israel (where we were) was a very good idea. It greatly improved my ability to contact my family, and was also significantly cheaper than calling on a pay phone and more accessible.
I would recommend to anyone going to a foreign country that they rent a cell phone if they want to contact anyone back home. Of course, the better option if you have a computer and an Internet connection is to get a service like Skype, and if you don't have a computer and Internet connection, then the best and most flexible option is to just get a virtual calling card from a company like Pingo.com.
At Pingo.com, you can receive $5 in free calls, and get 15% discount. All you have to do is use the Pingo coupon code "s4i"