How do you stay in touch with friends and family while traveling?
I make use of the full array of tools we have available these days. I find Facebook is an except touchpoint with people who aren’t super tech-savvy, while other friends I stay in touch with using Snapchat or Instagram or whatever other network pops up that allows us to communicate easily.
Mostly via Phone, Facebook, Skype, and email.
We invite them to visit us at our new location and show them around! Win, win.
Generally, since I don’t travel all that much, I’m not over-communicative while traveling. Smartphones are an amazing invention—I use WhatsApp as and when needed. I even tell workmates to use it if I’m traveling rather than mail if they really need me.
Skype, FaceTime, What’s App
Working remotely from abroad certainly has its downsides. I spent the last decade of my life living outside of the same time zone as my family. Fortunately, they aren’t too demanding, and we talk or email every few days. With friends, since I’ve lived in about a dozen cities over the past 8 years, many are distributed around the world. While there’s a lot about Facebook I don’t like, it is a great way for friends to stay updated on what I’m up to and where I’ve been. I have regular Skype chats with a few friends, and the rest I catch up with whenever I’m back in their city.
My friends and I WhatsApp/Viber/Skype on a regular basis, and I also post photos and status for general consumption on Facebook and Twitter. I make certain to see friends and colleagues in any city I visit.
I mainly stay in touch through WhatsApp, Skype, and social media.
- FaceTime
- Snapchat
I tend to make time to talk to them while I’m doing something mundane, like cleaning the camper or heating up dinner. It’s great to catch up while driving too! Also, now that we live on wheels…I get to visit friends and family I normally wouldn’t be able to see for months or years!
When I am traveling out of the country, I always update Facebook so friends and family can follow along. I keep in touch through messenger and sometimes with Viber and WeChat.
Facetime, iMessage, Skype, WhatsApp
The range of apps for this is dizzying. I use WhatsApp and Facebook messenger with most friends. My teenage nice is exclusively on Snapchat, so if I want her attention I need to go there. I tend to call home using Google Voice at least once a week. And because I blog and share photos on Instagram, my parents and family usually check those mediums if they haven’t heard from me in a few days.
I’m very fortunate to have friends spread out throughout the U.S. Typically if I’m at a conference near family or friends, I’ll spend an extra day or two hanging out with them. It makes going to conferences all the more fun, plus seeing people I don’t get to see regularly is awesome.
