One of the hardest parts of travelling is being away from the ones you love. You may be having the time of your life and experiencing things you could only ever dream of, but being apart from the people you care about most in the world is always going to be tough.
The only way to make it a little easier on yourself is by staying connected, and regular phone calls, emails, and Facebook updates can go some way towards sating that ever-present ache inside, so that you can carry on with your journey and not have to cut it short.
Of course, the problem is that most travellers will have a very limited budget, and staying connected can sometimes cost quite a bit. To help you keep your expenses down whilst still staying in touch, here’s what we recommend…
#1: Skype or FaceTime for Free
When you’re apart from the people you love, there are a lot of things that you will miss about them, from the way they frown when they’re concentrating to the sleepy sound of their voice when they first wake up in the morning. The best way to capture these at once is by video messaging, and this makes Skype and Facetime your new best friends. Reliable, free, and easy to use, they’ll stop you from breaking the bank on those days when you just need to see a familiar face or hear your mum’s dulcet tones.
#2: Install WhatsApp
When you’re travelling, you won’t always have the time or a strong enough internet connection for lengthy video conversations, so make sure that you and your whole family install WhatsApp as the next best thing. Although you probably have it already, older relatives often won’t, so encourage them to download it onto their phones for the occasions when a quick message is all that’s needed to brighten your day. Once they learn that it’s completely free to use, most will be happy enough spending a little time getting to grips with it.
#3: Choose a Cheap Yet Reliable Courier for Sending Presents Home
Another nice way to stay in touch is by sending the odd present home, especially on your relatives’ birthdays and at Christmas. It doesn’t have to be anything impressive; just something to show the people you love that you’ve been thinking about them and to give them a flavour of where you’ve been. Unfortunately, doing this can be incredibly expensive, which means that it’s important to choose your courier with care. We recommend a company like My Parcel delivery to limit your expenditure whilst still ensuring optimum customer care and a package that will arrive in perfect condition.
Follow these three top tips today to keep your costs down and make it easy to stay connected when you’re travelling abroad.
