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LadyHibiscus -> RE: Satellite Mobile Phones (8/28/2012 7:52:43 AM)
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Iridium is actually not that bad. Our Mobal euro mobiles are costly per minute because they roam between countries, but since they're emergency-only it's no big deal. They use O2 where I'll be, but the service is sporadic away from many places. When we're in northern Michigan our Verizon coverage gets goofy, so you have to wander around looking for a good signal, which can be at the end of the pier, or at the top of the steps, or by the kitchen window... and I am NOT playing that game in unfamiliar territory.
My family's stress level is going to be stratospheric at the notion of me travelling abroad on my own, AND doing things I don't normally do (HIKING? for a WEEK?) I will need to make a 5-15 minute call a day, and I don't care if it's crackly I just need to touch base and make sure THEY are okay, too.
Researching this has been interesting! I wish I had the kind of life where I could just chuck everything for a week, but I don't. And I am really grateful that I have people who care that much about me. It's not a hardship to make an expensive phone call for a tiny bit of peace of mind for all of us.
Years ago, I was on an antiquing weekend with my late friend Susan, and I could NOT get hold of anyone. It turned out that my grandmother had had a mysterious fall and smashed her head, two long gashes on her scalp down to the bone. There was a plastic surgeon on ER rotation that day, bonus!! In my world, lack of contact really DOES imply trauma, far too often. The trauma never happens to me, and I know I won't be on the ground to do anything for them, but I will be reassured that all is as okay as it's likely to be.
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