We pay all our bills electronically except for the snow removal service that I pay when I get home. As far as the mail is concerned Scuba is correct that you can only do an online hold for 30 days. I make a special trip to the post office to get approval for a longer period (up to 90 days or more) and then I communicate with our long time carrier as to the exact date I’m coming home or whether I need to extend further. It pays to get to know your carrier. I give him a nice tip around Christmas in appreciation for his service.

I keep the phone on airplane mode and use WhatsApp on WiFi. And sometimes Skype if my contact is not on WhatsApp. I tried a SIM card with local service but found I was topping up all the time. The place where I stay and all my favorite bars have WiFi.