While travel is a great way to explore the world and to discover new aspects of yourself, there truly is no place like home. Whether you are planning to be away for an extended period or if you are simply taking a week-long holiday, it is always good to have some contact with your family and friends back home.
If you are on the move, however, this is not always easy.
Thanks to the internet and advances in telecommunications, staying in touch is much easier these days than it was in the era of letter-writing and telegram-sending. Still, finding the best way of how to stay in touch with home while travelling takes experience and it is good to have some guidance before you depart.
Let’s look at some specific ways that you can stay in touch with home while you are travelling.
Make The Most Of Video Calling
Many digital and social media platforms now offer free video calling services. To reap the benefits of some face-to-face conversations with your family and friends, all you need is an internet connection and a laptop.
While it will never truly be the same as standing side-by-side with someone, video calling the people you miss back home is a good way of staying connected.
Pick Up The Phone
If you want to enjoy instant communications with your family but lack a computer, you can always purchase a local SIM card that is suitable for the country where you are staying. In many places, these cards are very cheap and will allow you to talk with your family and friends back home for hours, even on a shoestring budget.
Take Advantage Of Automated Communications
If you would actually prefer to have some time to yourself while travelling but still want to maintain a small level of communication with home to assure people that you are doing well, you need to take advantage of automated communications.
Many apps these days allow you to set up your phone to send out SMS messages with updates regarding your location. This will allow your family or friends to keep tabs on where you are. This can be a valuable means of staying safe while allowing you to take a break from interactions with the people back home and focus on making the most of your travels.
Send A Postcard
While it might not be as instant as an electronic message, exchanging letters or postcards can be even more enjoyable now than in the past.
It is not too often that your mailbox is full of anything but bills and junk. Take the chance while you are abroad or travelling to send your family and friends postcards with pictures of the locations you are visiting. You can even use the card to include a brief note about how you are doing. There are even postcard apps now so you can use your own photos and do it all through your electronic device.
Look To The Locals
While staying in touch with home is important, it is also ideal to make friends and set down some roots in any place where you are planning to spend an extended period of time. It might seem daunting at first to acclimatise to a new city, country, or culture, but making the effort early on during your stay will provide you with many opportunities to make meaningful connections.
If you are travelling quickly through different places or are simply travelling for business purposes, then there are still many chances to meet new people throughout the day. Even if you only have a casual conversation, it’s one more personal connection you can add to your list of experiences while travelling.