Skype - Is it me?

I have been trying to get Skype on my Laptop, my iPad & my Mobile, because I may be going to work as a volunteer with a charity in Malawi & we need to have conference calls. I'm reasonably techie. I've used Skype before, years ago on a laptop. I wasn't anticipating any problems.

My current Laptop has Ubuntu as my Browser, which is relatively unusual. But I found & downloaded Skype for Linux - Nothing happens - I've tried several times. Is it something to do with Microsoft? The Laptop is 8 years old. Should I bin it & buy a new one or move onto my iPad?

My iPad is my most recent hardware & I haven't used it much. I prefer to be on a desktop & don't feel the need to always be connected to everyone & everything. I also prefer actually talking to real people - Call me odd if you like. I got it downloaded & I can sign in, but when the test call came through it worked on my mobile, but I didn't see anything on my iPad. Doesn't the call come through to more than one device at a time? Can't it cope with multiple ones?

My Samsung Mobile was a doddle to download & it worked first time.

I really want it to work on the bigger screen of the iPad, especially for video calls if I call my family.

Someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong. It's all been hugely time consuming & deeply frustrating. Life's too short for all this hassle.

Maybe I should become an internet free, gadget free, zone.