How to Use Skype When Traveling for Business

Hotel phone service is notoriously outrageous. If you work for a small company, your travel expenses will soar from using either your hotel phone or your cell phone to connect with your family or keep in touch with business issues. Skype provides a user-friendly alternative that won't break the bank. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A laptop with an Internet connection, preferably a wireless one
• A headset with both a speaker and a microphone

1. Go to www.skype.com and download the Skype client. Set up a user name and password.
2. Email your family and business connections and ask them to do the same.
3. Do a sound check with your headset to make sure it is working.
4. If you have to make some calls to land line phones while on the road, purchase some "Skype Out" credit. This is extremely low cost, and allows you to dial any phone from your computer. You can pay using a credit card, bank account, or Paypal.
5. Click on the green button next to each name to call them, once you are connected to the Internet in your hotel room or airport.
6. Click on the red button to hang up.
7. Click on the Dial Phones button to dial out. Use the keypad that pops up to dial the number you need to call.

Tips & Warnings

• If you get poor call quality due to network congestion, hang up and dial again. It is usually better the second time around.