Specifically I am traveling from the US to Germany in October and I'll need a phone that will be able to work there that I can use for calling back to the States. I know that Verizon has a loaner program but it's quite expensive, and I've toyed with the idea of just getting a cheapo prepaid phone and using calling cards while there, but I'm not sure that's the best idea either. I've also been looking at unlocked phones for current and future use, would those be a good idea?