My wife and I will be volunteering overseas in Solomon Islands for 6 months. Currently we both use Telstra prepaid service, is there a cheats way to be able to receive messages while in Solomon Islands. We don't want to use international roaming because it will cost big $$$. Thinking of changing Telstra plan to long life, then while in Solomon Islands buying local sim. But how do I divert messages (not interested in voice calls) from Australia to Solomon Islands, do I use some kind of Skype service in between? Your help much appreciated.
I don't think you can divert text messages. Normally, receiving SMS is free, even when roaming (unless you're subscribed to some premium sms services), that's a different category altogether. However, you might still get voice calls from overseas until you run out of credit. So, using a "long life" plan, sounds like a good plan, just don't leave credit on your phone account.
Whatsapp will let you receive messages and even pics, videos, etc on your old number with your current phone, even if you've got a new local (SIM) plugged in. You should set this up before going overseas. You can also use it when you've got no data plan, as long as you have a wifi connection.