Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
only within the country, not elsewhere in Europe.
You can use international phone cards from anywhere, includ-
ing most hotel rooms (check to make sure that your phone is set
on tone instead of pulse, and ask at the desk about hidden fees for
toll-free calls).
To use a card, scratch off the back to reveal your code. After
you dial the access phone number, the message tells you to enter
your code and then dial the phone number you want to call. A
voice may announce how much is left in your account before you
dial. Usually you can select English, but if the prompts are in
Czech, experiment: Dial your code, followed by the pound sign
(#), then the number, then pound again, and so on, until it works.
To call the US, see “Dialing Internationally,” next page. To
make calls within the Czech Republic, just dial the local number;
when using an international phone card, the area code must be
dialed even if you're calling across the street.
To make numerous, successive calls with an international
phone card without having to redial the long access number each
time, press the keys (see instructions on card) that allow you to
launch directly into your next call. Remember that you don't need
the actual card to use a card account, so it's sharable. You can write
down the access number and code in your notebook and share it
with friends. If you have a still-lively card at the end of your trip,
give it to another traveler.
Insertable phone cards are a convenient way to pay for calls
from public pay phones and can be purchased at any post office.
Simply take the phone off the hook, insert the prepaid card, wait
for a dial tone, and dial away. The price of the call (local or inter-
national) is automatically deducted while you talk. Dialing 970
before the country code (970-001 for the US) saves you about half
the price on international calls (20 cents per minute to the US or
EU), but is still more expensive than an international phone card.
Using Hotel-Room Phones, VoIP,
or US Calling Cards
The phone in your hotel room is convenient but expensive (unless
you use an international phone card, described previously). While
incoming calls (made by folks back home) can be the cheapest way
to keep in touch, charges for outgoing calls can be a very unpleasant
surprise. Before you dial, get a clear explanation from the hotel
staff of the charges, even for local and (supposedly) toll-free calls. I
find hotel room phones handy for making local calls.
If your family has an inexpensive way to call Europe, either
through a long-distance plan or prepaid calling card, have them
call you in your hotel room. Give them a list of your hotels' phone
numbers before you go. Then, as you travel, send them an email or
Search WWH ::




Custom Search