It doesn’t matter how old or grown-up you get; you will have many friends and family members worried about you when you travel. So, when travelling, you need to do the responsible thing and keep in touch. It helps to put your friends and family at ease, and in some instances, it can become a lifeline. That being said, it is not always easy to keep in touch with your loved ones back home which is why we have put together the following guide, so here are all the tips you need.

Phone Calls

This is the most obvious method of keeping in touch with your friends and family while you are out of the country. Do some research on your current network provider. Do they have roaming charges? Can you easily use our phone in another country as is? If not, you might want to check out other options. For example, getting another sim card can make it a lot easier. Lebara offers sim only plans, and their sims can also be used for international calling. Top the sim up before you leave to ensure that you have enough credit to make your calls while you are gone.

Video Calls

A simple phone call is not enough for some people. They want to see your face, to see that you are okay with their own two eyes. Luckily, there are a lot of free video call platforms that you can use to stay in touch. However, almost all of them require some form of internet connection, be that wi-fi or data. This can make video calling exceptionally difficult. If you want to video call, then you might have to look for an internet café or any establishment with wi-fi that you can use. 

Messaging Services

This is by far the easiest way to keep in touch; you don’t have to worry about navigating time differences or scheduling calls. Sending texts may cost more in the long run than using online messaging services, but you only need a phone signal instead of an internet signal, which makes them easier. However, if you can find that all-important internet connection, then sending messages via an app like WhatsApp or Facebook messenger would be better because it is free to send and receive messages on platforms like that as long asyou are using your wi-fi or data. Lastly, don’t forget about emails; in a pinch, they will do, although not everyone checks them regularly. They are also unlikely to get them as instantaneously as they would via other messaging services.

Social Media

There are a lot of social media sites that you can use to keep your friends and family abreast of your travels. It is an easy way to inform a large number of people of your plans all at once. You can share photos, videos and anecdotes from your journey. Depending on your following, your social media accounts can form the basis of a travel blog. A successful travel blog can attract followers and advertisers. In addition, you can earn money by posting your experiences to help youfund your travels. 

Tips for Keeping in Touch

Most of these tips have been touched on briefly above, but they are worth going into more detail. Firstly, think about whether or not you want to take your existing handset; it could be an attractive target for thieves, you might want to opt for a cheaper handset. You also need to check whether your device will work overseas and replace your SIM card accordingly. Finally, if your device will work overseas, then you should look into whether or not your service provider charges high roaming fees because it may still be worth exchanging your SIM. 

Next, remember to use wi-fi as much as possible. It is often free to use, and it is a great way to gain access to online resources like maps, in addition to keeping in touch with your friends and family. Before you go, you should download a wi-fi finder or scanner app. It keys into your phone GPS location to find wi-fi hotspots near you. You can use the app as long asyou have downloaded the database of hotspots previously. 

Schedule in your contact with your family beforehand. It makes it a lot easier. Decide when a text will suffice versus when you want to have a full conversation over the phone or via video calling. For example, you could agree to a message every day and then make time for a longer conversation once a week. Remember to consider the time difference in these plans because, unfortunately, it may not always be realistic to find a time when both parties are up and alert. 

Remember to pack your charger and any travel adaptors that you will need. You will struggle to keep in touch with anyone if your phone is dead. It may also be worth investing in a power bank. Depending on the nature of your trip, it may not always be feasible to be near an outlet to charge your phone as often as it needs it. A decent power bank can store at least one full charge for your phone, if not more; this means that it can give your phone that boost when it needs it. Of course, you will also need to remember to regularly charge your power bank. As a rule, you should charge your phone first and then your power bank whenever you find an outlet. 

In The End

Keeping in touch with your loved ones back home helps to give them and you peace of mind. It will likely also come in handy for you. However, it is not always easy to keep in touch whilst travelling; it can be expensive – depending on your service provider – and it isn’t always easy to find wi-fi hotspots or mobile signal. That being said, planning ahead and scheduling your contact makes it an awful lot easier and helps alleviate the worry and stress of both sides.

B xx

disclosure this is a collaborative post