Going traveling, whether you’re going for a few months or indefinitely, is going to be one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking times of your life. You’re going to see and experience things you may never have thought possible, and you’re definitely going to come back with a new lease of life and perception of the world.Top nine tips on how to stay in touch while traveling.Learn the best ways to keep in touch while traveling abroad.
However, one thing you mustn’t do while traveling is losing touch with the people you care about. Sure, you’ll meet new, exciting people, but maintaining the relationships you have with the people who have always been there for you will give you a support network to fall back on should you need advice, insight, or even help to get home after an incident. They’ll no doubt worry about you if you don’t stay in touch, too!
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Here’s how you can make Staying in Touch While Traveling a breeze:
Make Contact When The Time Is Right
Whether you’re somebody who’s a little more elusive or you’re great at keeping in touch, you need to know when the time is right. Getting in touch too often may distract you and impede your adventure, while not getting in touch often enough could mean that you cause to worry, and delay those at home from taking action if something does happen to you while you’re out there.
It’s always best to contact your loved ones on arrival at a new destination, so make sure they know when you expect you and then update them when you actually arrive. It can be tempting to just go straight to sleep on your ride to your accommodation, but if you’ve told them you’ll contact them at a certain time, make sure you do.
Let Them Know If You Can’t Be Reached
If, for whatever reason, your loved ones won’t be able to reach you, or you won’t be able to access the internet for a while, make sure you let them know. If they try to call you and are met with a dead tone, they’re going to fill up with dread almost right away. Do the right thing and send out a quick message just to let them know – this is the reason you should always research where you’re going beforehand, what the signal is like, the internet, and so on.
Stay In Touch More Often If You’re Traveling Alone
If you’re traveling alone, then, of course, you should stay in touch far more often than if you were traveling in a group or with another person. While there are so many benefits to solo travel, and it is safe for the most part, there’s definitely a little more that can go wrong, and people who care about you will worry more than usual. Set up an agreed way of contact and how often they should expect you to contact them. Make sure you stick to it, as you want to ensure they have peace of mind while you’re out having fun. You don’t want to return from a boat trip, party, or sightseeing day to a ton of messages asking where you are and if you’re ok.
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Surprise Them Occasionally
Find a way to surprise your loved ones on your travels. Perhaps you could send something small back home to them if the postage isn’t too expensive. You could even send a postcard that you’ve put together online yourself with a few pictures of your recent adventures. This will be a great keepsake for them, and they’ll feel like they’re in on the action with you! Your loved ones will love receiving mail from you from somewhere exciting in the world, so make sure you keep an eye out.
Try To Stay In Accommodation With Wi-Fi
If possible and your budget allows, look at an accommodation with Wi-Fi so that you can contact your loved ones whenever you feel a little homesick or worried. Many hostels have Wi-Fi, even if it’s just in the café area, so this shouldn’t be a problem for you even if you’re on a budget. If your accommodation doesn’t have Wi-Fi for whatever reason, there will usually be internet cafés you can use. Make sure you research these when you do have the internet, ideally before you travel to a new place. Then you know what to do if your plan to contact the home fails initially. And also, when in a hostel or lower-budget hotel, enjoy the bathroom sink faucets that have class and are unique. One of my fun things to check out when I travel.
Create A Travel Blog
A great way you can keep those you love updated with your travels without spending a fortune on phone bills, is by creating a blog. Of course, you should still call home every so often so they can hear your voice and feel reassured that you’re really tripping the light fantastic and not lost without your home comforts, but when it comes to filling them in on the bigger details, reading a blog of yours may be far more entertaining.
Here, you can write for a larger audience, include some great pictures, and you may even find that this is a lucrative opportunity. Travel blogging is a great way to start making money, especially if you’re planning on traveling for an indefinite amount of time. Even if you don’t make money (which isn’t the reason you should start a blog anyway) a blog is a great online diary that you can even look back on in years to come to remember the adventures you had. You may think you’ll remember those small details that make you smile now, but chances are if you don’t record them, you’ll forget them.
Update On Social Media
Updating on social media is quick and easy, and a great universal way for both friends and family to keep up to date on your adventures. You can post pictures and funny status updates – just make sure you don’t spend too much time on there when you should be exploring. If you do decide to create a blog, using social media to share it and get the word around is a good idea too. You’ll get more traffic this way, and that can only be a good thing later on down the line, especially if you start getting shares!
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Purchase A Travel Phone And Sim
Sometimes, you just want to hear the voice of somebody you love. However, using your phone as normal while you travel isn’t always possible. Purchasing a cheap travel phone and sim will help you to control your expenses when it comes to calls, and you won’t be too devastated if something happens to your phone. You can even sign up for certain services to keep your regular number while benefiting from cheaper rates.
Start A WhatsApp Group
If you do manage to keep some sort of smartphone as you travel, starting a WhatsApp group, perhaps one dedicated to friends and one dedicated to family, is a quick way to stay in touch with what’s going on in others lives. With calling and Skyping, you may only be able to speak with one or two relatives at a time, but when you send a group message, everybody can get involved and catch up! Failing a WhatsApp group, a Facebook Messenger group chat can be just as good.
Although you want to live at the moment as you travel and drink up every single ounce of fun, you can’t forget your friends and family. They will worry about you, and you’ll likely come back a little different from you were before, so make an effort to maintain your relationships and show them that you won’t forget them!
