Many people don’t realize that staying in touch with friends and family back home while traveling can be as big of a factor to the success of your trip as can the actually planning of the trip itself. The reality is, that it is human nature to miss and be missed, and simply keeping the people closest to you up to date with your travels can go a long way to not only make your trip a success, but to also make the inevitable return home a lot more enjoyable. Below you will find a few of the easiest ways to stay in touch while you are away from home.
Start a Travel Blog!
It may seems somewhat cliché, and even a pain in the butt to keep up with, but starting a simple travel blog just for family and friends can be a life saver when it comes to keeping everyone informed with what you are doing. These things don’t have to be super flashy and intricate. You can simply do a weekly or bi weekly update with a picture or two to make your loved ones feel in touch with you.
An Email Newsletter!
Don’t want to start a blog and go through the hassles of creating a websites? No problem! Start a simple mailing list and add your closest friends and family to it and write them a weekly or bi weekly note of where you are, what you’re up to, and how things are going for you! You’ll be surprised how many people will read these updates religiously and live vicariously through your stories. Don’t have time to write a whole story? No problem, just tell your friends and family that you’re doing great and where you are and where you plan to go next. Even this short paragraph update will be greatly appreciated.
Call on Skype!
One of my favorite ways to keep in touch with my closest family and friends is via Skype. Nothing beats being 1000s of miles away and still getting to see someone face to face. Download Skype and teach your friends and family how to use it before you leave for your next trip!
Keep in Touch Over the Phone
For those family and friends who can’t use Skype (either out of lack of trying or lack of technology) you can still keep in touch using the good ol’ fashion phone! That’s right, there are tons of internet calling websites that allow you to cheaply call your loved ones right on their phones using your computers. Many of the sites allow you to make international calls, and the best of the best provide you with affordable international calling rates that can be very affordable.
I’ve been traveling quite a while now, and I can’t stress the importance of using at least one of these above techniques to stay in touch with loved ones. My returns home are often met with excitement as many of my friends already know half of the stories I’ve lived through thanks to me staying in touch.
