However, it appears that one does not need a global droid, and can talk and text with Google Voice & Skype using hot spots and keeping the phone in airplane mode.
Correct, you don't need a 'global Droid', whatever that may be. Any modern Android phone will do outside the US.
Google Voice, though, is not available outside the US, so I'm betting it doesn't work there either.
Skype, Viber, Mobyler, Tango, ooVoo, etc. etc. will work when you have a WiFi connection, but not always! Some Telcos/ISPs in some countries throttle VoIP use because they don't make any money on it. Thereby forcing you to use their expensive mobile phone systems.
But email and chatting are still free (over WiFi).
Airplane Mode cuts off all transmissions to and from your phone. I.o.w. mobile phone signals
and WiFi signals!
If you're going on a long trip you might care for the free
Glympse app to for instance let the folks back home watch your (lack of) progress in the back of a taxi through the Parisian gridlock, or doing 250 miles an hour in a high-speed train across Europe
At the same time you could be mailing them or chatting with them, or shooting pictures and video with your phone illustrating what they see on the map.
And if you're on a WiFi connection you can stream live video to the folks back home with the free
IP Webcam app so they can see, live, what your camera, ermmm... phone sees!
