It is more common now than ever for people to live abroad or to travel for many months. When you are overseas, it can be one of the most exciting experiences you can have.
But there is no denying that sometimes you miss the people who used to spend the most time with. It can become challenging to stay in contact with people while you are traveling or living abroad. So how can you make sure that your friends and family know that you are thinking about them even when you’re not there?
Here are a few suggestions:
Use Text Messages
We live in an age where people still don’t know if answering their mobile phone and unfortunately this means you quite often need to leave a voicemail rather than getting to chat. So get used to using text messages and try and find a company that offers the services that you need. A rolling contract, while you are traveling is usually the best option to try. And, find something that also has an extra amount of selected countries that you can contact via call or text Lebara.com.au is one such company that comes highly recommended.
Schedule
You have to build in communications into your schedule just like you would if you were working in an office. Making sure that you take into consideration any time differences between yours and your friends or relative’s country.
If you stick to a communication schedule to come, the issues that come with leaving voicemails missed calls different time zones, tend to disappear. While most people want to hear about your travels and what you’ve been up to make sure you’re still asking them a few questions about what they’re doing too.
Make sure the conversations aren’t one-sided; they may begin to feel a little bit left out.
Snail Mail
Create a mailing list to keep in touch with friends and family in one of the most traditional ways possible if you’re traveling, you can send postcards from all of the locations you visit.
If you live in a new country and will be there for a while, you can get used to sending cute things like postcards from the local area. Of course, you can simply stick to letter writing. Once you have a mailing list written out, try to rotate it, so you write a letter to every person on the list at different times of the year.
Tech-savvy
WhatsApp is big business and all you need is an Internet connection and the app itself on your mobile phone. Everyone can join in a group chat whenever it’s possible for them; there is no guilt about not being able to pick up messages.
If you are feeling super fancy, you can set up a newsletter via MailChimp, people can sign up, then you can email one newsletter a week to your friends and family with things like photographs, tales of your adventures, and even videos.
Most people have a video-enabled device. You can make use of this by scheduling in weekly FaceTime or Skype calls. This means that even though you are not there right now, you can still have those face-to-face conversations with the people you love the most.
There are many other ways to keep in touch while you are living abroad or traveling. It is essential for your mental and emotional well-being that you keep these relationships healthy. Making sure your schedule in time for the people that you love the most is excellent for you and great for them.