I wonder if you can help.....

Some friends have just left the UK to go across the USA in an RV, and have emailed me to find a suitable method for them to email and phone back to the UK. Can anyone suggest what they should buy, bearing in mind that they are only in the USA for a year? I was thinking a mobile phone with email capability, on a "pay-as-you-go" basis, as we have here in the UK. Any recommendations are greatly received.

Thanks

Kev Jackson