Phones and International Calls

I remember once speaking with a friend who was planning to leave for Europe two weeks later. When I mentioned that she should make a hostel reservation (she was going to start in Paris), she said she was putting it off until she figured out how to call. She had a point: I had never made an international phone call before my first trip to Europe, and I suspect some of you may not have either. So, to make that reservation before you head out, or to call abroad for any other reason, here’s an example of dialing abroad to a hostel in Paris from the United States:

“Oil” is the international access code for dialing out of the United States to any country. Dialing this prefix puts you on the international lines. Other countries use different prefixes, and these are listed on the inside front cover of this book.

“33″ is the country code for France. Each country in the world has a code, and the pertinent European ones are also listed on the inside front cover. No matter what country you’re calling from, the country codes remain the same - for example, the code for France is always “33.”

“1″ is the French area code for Paris. These codes may begin with a “0″ if dialed from within the country, but this “0″ should always be dropped if dialing internationally. For example, Central London’s area code if calling from Oxford is “0207″; if calling from Kansas City, Kenya, or Singapore it’s “207.” Area codes should be listed with local numbers, or will be in the city information sections of your guidebook. The remainder is the local Paris phone number of the hostel. Even now it still amazes me that I can pick up a phone and be speaking to someone in Paris or Rome in a matter of five seconds. Don’t hesitate to call ahead for that first place to stay. If you don’t call, you’ll worry about where you’re going to sleep all the way across the Atlantic.