Simplest way to keep in touch with home from SA

[Daveboone]

Hi Folks...I didnt find much information on this subject yet...
My wife and I are going to the Eastern Cape of SA in April for our first Africa trip (actually first overseas trip anywhere!), and I am figuring out the best way of staying in touch with home. Why, I have asked myself because certainly Mr Roosevelt was totally out of touch with home with his year in Africa way back when....
I was originally going to bring our laptop computer for e-mailing, but our Iphones have internet /email capability, we use Spectrum (Verizon). We will not be constantly online, just likely a daily message back and forth to be sure all is ok with our son who is house/dog watching for us.
What about texting? Of course that is simpler than needing to get online. Thoughts, practices?

 

[BourbonTrail]

If there’s Wifi, WhatsApp or Signal work well for texting/calls/video. Wifi also allows email.

Otherwise you will need to be setup to use your phone overseas (which the carrier can answer the how for that), and pray for signal.

I would ask your outfitter/ph what’s their recommendation for their location.

 

[Buffalo1]

Cell phone with international SIMS card. IF your locations have wifi- you are good to go. Data exchange between US and RSA are expensive. Wifi helps to solve that problem.

 

[375Fox]

WhatsApp is easiest and free for calls and texts over WiFi. Everyone outside the United States especially Africa already has it so it’s really useful to communicate with outfitter. Have your friends/family at home download it to their phones before you leave. You will have access to WiFi at airport, plane, hotel, hunting lodge so I have never seen need for buying an international phone plan.

 

[Daveboone]

Thanks for the quick replies! My outfitter tells me Wifi is present at our lodges, so that is a good start.
To clarify...for WhatsApp our folks in NY also need it for us to use it?

 

[baxterb]

Check with your phone provider. I was surprised that Verizon had an international plan for Kenya. I added it for a month and it worked very well. I remember coming out of the northern frontier district back into cell range and getting messages from my wife. Also had a conversation with my kid while on the Laikipia plateau. iMessages worked flawlessly

Having said that, I hated being tied to cell service.

 

[375Fox]

Thanks for the quick replies! My outfitter tells me Wifi is present at our lodges, so that is a good start.
To clarify...for WhatsApp our folks in NY also need it for us to use it?

Yes, the people you want to talk with using WhatsApp also need to have it on their phones.
If you have iPhone you can call and text over WiFi to other iPhone too, but WhatsApp is much more reliable I’ve found, especially on slow internet.

 

[M McDindi]

As long as you have access to WIFI, either on the aircraft, at the lodge/quarters you stay in, restaurants/cafe's/hotels and even most airports provide usually free access. You just have to ask for the password. So, WhatsApp, Facetime, Skype, Duo etc. all work for text messages, audio and video calls etc. provided all parties have/use the same app. I think the most widely used app in most of southern Africa countries is WhatsApp. Works fine in Bots, Nam and RSA. Seems everyone and every place has a WhatsApp phone number listing.

If you have a newer phone with 5G and VOLTE you can even make regular phone calls over WIFI if the data rate is fast enough.

Most email applications work over WIFI as well.

 

[1dirthawker]

i used WhatsApp with success. i don't talk much but just texting is pretty easy.

 

[Red Leg]

Verizon has an international plan. It works perfectly in SA. I suspect your lodge in the Eastern Cape will be within a cell tower footprint. I travel internationally a lot and use their TravelPass service. It costs $10 a day for unlimited service to include 4G. Use your phone just like you do at home. We have used it for several years in Africa, South America, and Europe.

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Download WhatsApp as well, but remember anyone you speak with has to have it downloaded as well. Few people in the US, unlike the rest of the planet, even know what it is.

 

[CaScotsman]

Its usually cheapest to buy a temporary SIMM card for your phone at the airport. I have Verizon, their international plans are expensive, and depending on the country spotty to useless. Verizon worked OK in Limpopo Province in 2015. Ask your outfitter if Verizon has worked well for others in his area. Relying just on a tablet/phone using the lodge/outfitters wifi is cheapest, but to protect yourself run a VPN service, especially if doing any CC/banking access. I've used IPVanish / Norton Secure VPN / Private Wifi successfully.

 

[thriller]

Wi-Fi calling with what’s app. International phone plan. Or if nothing else is a garmin in reach mini works wonderfully

 

[BRICKBURN]

Thanks for the quick replies! My outfitter tells me Wifi is present at our lodges, so that is a good start.
To clarify...for WhatsApp our folks in NY also need it for us to use it?

Yes

 

[CoElkHunter]

Yes, the people you want to talk with using WhatsApp also need to have it on their phones.
If you have iPhone you can call and text over WiFi to other iPhone too, but WhatsApp is much more reliable I’ve found, especially on slow internet.

I have WhatsApp and it works great here with WiFi conversing with AH members overseas. My question and concern is, if one must get a Covid test prior to boarding the plane from RSA for the return to here, would/will the testing company text the results via WhatsApp or would you have to have an international plan on your phone to receive the results via a text?

 

[375Fox]

I have WhatsApp and it works great here with WiFi conversing with AH members overseas. My question and concern is, if one must get a Covid test prior to boarding the plane from RSA for the return to here, would/will the testing company text the results via WhatsApp or would you have to have an international plan on your phone to receive the results via a text?

I think it most places will make a plan for you to get your results with any option you have. My results were given to me on paper in Zimbabwe in October before my flight.

 

[shootist~]

I used the Verizon international plan. $10 per day- charged only on the days you turned on the data plan while overseas, IIRC. It worked for texting and I was usually (but not always), able to attach one photo to a text. But plan on it being low bandwidth.

We had Wi-Fi for email also, but only if close to the PH/Outfitter's residence. Very low bandwidth in our case.

 

[Tracey Colson]

I used wifi calling, Facebook messenger and text messaging all three while in South Africa. As long as I used wifi calling for voice calls I got no extra charges. I did add the travel pass plan to my Verizon phone before I left, but never used it. The nice thing is that there is no charge unless you use it so just turn off the cellular part of your phone so that you don't receive calls causing the charges to start

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

My last trip I added nothing to my plan. I have IPhone and AT&T. I used WhatsApp and WiFi calling from camp, also email and did Facebook and AH on camp WiFi. I also switched to roaming when not around camp a couple times and went on SA Vodacam. Made some WhatsApp and 2 phone calls. My bill was like $25 more than normal is all. I plan on adding nothing to plan or changes on phone for next trip.

 

[Philip Glass]

Hi Folks...I didnt find much information on this subject yet...
My wife and I are going to the Eastern Cape of SA in April for our first Africa trip (actually first overseas trip anywhere!), and I am figuring out the best way of staying in touch with home. Why, I have asked myself because certainly Mr Roosevelt was totally out of touch with home with his year in Africa way back when....
I was originally going to bring our laptop computer for e-mailing, but our Iphones have internet /email capability, we use Spectrum (Verizon). We will not be constantly online, just likely a daily message back and forth to be sure all is ok with our son who is house/dog watching for us.
What about texting? Of course that is simpler than needing to get online. Thoughts, practices?

Most lodges have Wi-Fi. On Verizon you just call, text and email like normal. No plans, nothing special. This is all I do unless I’m in Zim or something then I’ll have my sat phone.

 

[Fred Gunner]

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