Why? Simply because international phone cards are cheap and staying in touch with friends and family overseas has never been so easy.

Take my example for instance. Cupid is a pretty sneaky guy at the best of times and you just never know when he's going to let fly with an arrow. In a trip to the United States a couple of years ago I met and fell in love (hey, it happens!) with a beautiful "georgian peach." Now, I am moving to the USA to be married but obtaining the proper visa and documentation takes time. In the meantime, discovering international phone cards has been an absolute bonus. What could have been an expensive exercise (call me cheapskate if you like) has meant lengthy daily phonecalls costing virtually peanuts. An international phone card has become one of my most important expense allys. I'm not kidding!

Another example recently was at my parents house. I was shocked to learn my father had just got off the phone to Italy when I got there. My first reaction was to say..."Reverse charge call was it?"

He responded with something like..."Hey, don't make me come over there."
Seriously though, dad explained to me how he had discovered the effective use of an international phone card in calling family in Italy. This endorsement comes from a guy who was like a phone "nazi" when I was growing up. If you even looked at the phone you were in trouble! Now, he'll spend 30 minutes phoning Italy from Australia and brag afterwards it only cost him a few cents. What a guy.

There are international phone card deals everywhere you look. Try this as an exercise. Walk down your main shopping precinct and count how many phone card outlets there are. You'll be amazed. Deals in all shapes and sizes. From Australia to the USA... $20 will get you up to 20 hours of talk time; and I'm being conservative.

The international phone card has been a bonus in phone conferencing. A one hour seminar out of the United States costing less than a couple of bucks from Australia. That's pretty good value in any one's language.

Yes, an international phone card is required luggage on an overseas trip but let's not be limited by our imagination. It sure beats paying exhorbitant telco rates for international calls from a landline.