Keeping in touch with home
We highly recommend that you shoot your parents an email or a quick skype call once you arrive in your apartment/get a wireless connection. As excited as your friends and relatives may be that you are traveling abroad, they are just as anxious to know that you’ve arrived safely.
Communication Apps
Smart phone apps also work very well and allow students to text and call back home with ease. Viber, Whatsapp, and Facetime are all recommended. The most common communication tool is Skype, which allows for free calling from one Skype device to another or very inexpensive calling from Skype to a landline or mobile phone.
Cellphones
The most cost effective and least headache inducing option is to get yourself a cell phone on site instead of bringing your own to use while you are in Ecuador. You will find that standard cell phones are very cheap to purchase and easy to use. You can expect a phone to cost $45 with a $5 SIM card. When you purchase the phone, you will be able to get a run down on how it operates and how to maintain it.
Plan on not knowing your local cell phone number until you are in-country and check out http://countrycode.org/ for information on dialing internationally and how to call home when abroad.
#CISabroad tip: Keep your locally purchased phone after you study or intern abroad so you can use it in your future travels! Just make sure to get a new SIM card.
