Staying connected as you travel to different countries can be a logistical challenge for live aboard cruisers, especially if you want to be able to make phone calls.

Whether you’re trying to check in with family, work remotely, call a local business or sort out a banking drama back home, knowing your options can help you find the best solution for your needs. As a digital nomad living on a boat full time, I’ve tried almost every option out there. Some worked brilliantly, others… not so much.

Using roaming on your home SIM

One way to stay reachable abroad is to keep your home SIM card active and enable international roaming. Some providers switch roaming on automatically, while others require manual activation before departure. You’ll want to double check coverage and fees in advance, as rates vary wildly between networks and can be expensive.

If you’re lucky, your provider might offer roaming bundles or free allowances for certain destinations. But for many cruisers, it’s the ability to receive SMS, especially one-time PINs from the banks, that makes keeping the home SIM worthwhile. We always keep ours in an old phone that stays secure on the boat, minimizing the risk of the SIM being lost or damaged. Just bear in mind that in some countries your provider may not have a local roaming partner.

Buying a local SIM card

Local SIM cards are often the most cost-effective way to get phone data and make calls within the country you’re in. Many providers offer prepaid bundles that include international minutes, although coverage is usually limited to specific countries. It also gives you a local number for businesses and couriers to be able to contact you on.

In Trinidad, we used Trinidad Digicel SIMs that came with unlimited local calls and “Anywhere Mins”. These minutes could be used to call landlines and mobiles in the US, Canada, the UK (landlines), Venezuela (Telefonica Mobile), and other Digicel Caribbean phone numbers. We’ve also had Martinique Digicel SIMs, which had unlimited data and calls within several Caribbean countries, and Lobster SIM cards from Spain, which came without any roaming limits EU wide.

Just remember that customer service may not always be in your language.

Using NoForeignLand to find local SIM cards

If you’re looking for local SIM options in your next destination, the NoForeignLand app is a brilliant resource. The map has a location marker for SIM Cards, with cruisers regularly tagging places like phone shops, kiosks, and mall stands where they’ve bought SIMs. Even better, the app works offline, so you can search for options even if you don’t have internet access.

Try an eSIM for greater flexibility

eSIMs are embedded SIM cards that are built into your phone, and allow you to activate and use digital mobile phone plans without physically swapping cards. Many modern phones now support multiple plans on their eSIMs, allowing you to toggle between them depending on where you are.

Travel eSIM providers like Airalo, Saily and Holafly offer regional and global data packages, which are handy for shorter trips or when you’re hopping between countries. They typically don’t include calling minutes, but you can team them with Wi-Fi calling or VoIP apps (more on that below).

The beauty of using an eSIM is you can set it up on the boat using a Starlink, then have phone data as soon as you get to shore. The downside is that data packages can be more expensive than local physical SIM cards, and not all phones support eSIMs.

Use VoIP apps for internet calling

VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. These are apps that let you make calls over the internet instead of using a mobile network. Some VoIP apps only allow calls to other users on the same app, while others let you call mobile numbers and landlines too.

Common app-to-app options include:

• WhatsApp
• Facebook Messenger
• Telegram
• Viber

Skype used to be among this list, but Microsoft stopped offering the service in 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams instead.

Apps that let you call mobile or landline phone numbers include:

• Viber Out
• Zoom Phone
• Ring Central
• Dialpad
• KeepCalling

Personally I use KeepCalling, and it’s been brilliant. At times when we’ve needed to call a bank back home or an overseas marine business to ask a technical question, I’ve been able to do it through KeepCalling for cents per minute.

VoIP apps are perfect if you’ve got a decent data connection or are connected to Wi-Fi. Some even offer call forwarding or a second phone number, which can be useful if you’re running a business or working remotely from your boat.

Enable Wi-Fi calling on your phone

Wi-Fi calling allows your mobile carrier to route calls and texts over a Wi-Fi connection instead of a cellular one. It’s built into most modern phones and doesn’t require a separate app, but you’ll need to enable it manually in your phone’s settings.

This can be a great option if you’re somewhere with strong Wi-Fi but poor mobile signal. Just be aware that some carriers still charge you for Wi-Fi calls as if they were normal mobile calls, so check the fine print.

Use a satellite phone for offshore or remote areas

When you’re out of reach of cell towers or far from shore, a satellite phone is a viable option for making calls. These devices connect to satellites orbiting the Earth, giving you coverage almost anywhere.

For now satellite phones aren’t cheap to run; the hardware can be pricey and the call rates are often higher compared to land-based networks. As a result, it’s usually reserved for offshore passages and remote area cruising. Iridium and Inmarsat are two of the biggest providers, with Iridium Go! and Garmin inReach (who use Iridium’s network) being popular among cruisers.

Satellite calling is an area that may see quite a bit of development over the next few year, as Starlink develops their direct-to-mobile capabilities.

Final thoughts

There’s no shortage of ways to make international calls while traveling. The best setup will depend on your budget, your needs, and how long you plan to stay in one place. We use a mix; our home SIM for receiving OTPs, a local SIM or eSIM for data and local calls, satellite phone for ocean crossings, and VoIP apps for everything else.