Hello. I will be living overseas for an extended period, and I'm wondering what the best option is for me. My current Verizon bill costs more than $100 per month. I would like to keep my phone number and to have the phone available if I travel back to the U.S., but it's definitely not worth more than $100 per month.

Is there some appropriate option? Is it possible to port the number to a lower-cost carrier where I would only be charged for actual minutes used? (I think the IPhone may be restricted to Verizon usage, but maybe I should use another phone?) It seems like it's only possible to freeze the phone plan for 90 days. Is there any other option I'm not thinking of??

Thanks in advance for your help.