Phone numbers for where you are

There are times when we are traveling and would like to have the folks we are visiting be able to reach us via a local phone call. There are also those times we want to give out our phone number, but really don't want to receive calls from the folks (most usually a sales operation) after a certain period of time.

For those situations and more, I've been using a service called Vumber. When you sign up for a Vumber phone number, you can select pretty much any area code in the US, and a number is assigned to you. That number is then redirected to your existing cell phone or land line number.

So far, that's not all that unusual since there are lots of services that can do that.

What sets Vumber apart is its range of features.

• For one thing, you can request your number be changed at any time, making it convenient to use for those "temporary contacts."
• You can also set up your preference for how caller ID is shown, both on inbound and outbound calls, so that your calls appear to be originating from your Vumber.
• There is, of course, a voicemail account for each Vumber, and messages can be sent to your email account.
• But one of my favorite features is the ability to have multiple Vumbers. This means that I can have a Vumber in multiple area codes, and call from and receive calls to all of them at any time.

Of course, there are costs to using Vumber. The basic charge is $9.99 per month for one Vumber. You can change your Vumber twice at no charge, but there is a charge thereafter, as well as for additional Vumbers.