This is a collaborative post.
No matter how much you love travelling, you’ll have experienced the heart-wrenching feeling of homesickness at some point or another. Whether you’ve found yourself wishing you were back at home after a tough day, feeling lonely and missing friends and family, or simply longing for home comforts like your favourite meal or restaurant, we all know what it’s like to miss home when you’re on the road. With this in mind, here are my top five ways to keep in touch while travelling.
How to keep in touch while travelling
1) Send a postcard or greetings card to mark special occasions
Just because you’re away from home, it doesn’t mean you can’t show your loved ones you care. You might think postcards are outdated, but they can be a great way to let someone know you’re thinking about them. Personally, I still love receiving postcards!
Similarly, your loved ones will appreciate you marking important occasions like birthdays, Easter or Christmas by picking up a greetings card from a local shop and posting it back home.
If you’re travelling within the UK and trying to stick to a tight budget, you can’t beat the Card Factory when it comes to low-cost cards.
2) Make the most of social media apps
In today’s digital age, it’s estimated that around 2.77 billion of us use social media networks all around the world, every single day.
With this in mind, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to keep in touch with our friends and family while travelling. From Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to Snapchat, LinkedIn and Youtube, social media has made it easier than ever for us to stay connected while on the road.
Nowadays, you can even find designated travel apps to help you make the most of your travel experience. Take Alpacr for example. This newly launched social networking app enables you to get to know fellow travellers by building a profile around your travel highlights and memories. You can upload your favourite photos and travel memoirs from all your trips and share them with like-minded individuals. Download the app to your phone and use it to find inspiration on new places to visit and things to do while travelling, and perhaps even meet a few new travel buddies!
Moreover, don’t forget to download a mobile VPN to your smartphone before setting off on a trip. You sure will be using public WiFi while travelling, so do it safely to prevent a data breach and loss of your valuable information. Once connected to your VPN of choice, make sure to perform a free WiFi speed test to see if your new connection is fast enough for surfing the web.
3) Set up a mobile roaming data plan before you go
While many hotels and Air BnBs offer complimentary WiFi and it’s usually pretty easy to find WiFi hot spots throughout the world, you might appreciate the convenience of having a data roaming plan in place while travelling.
Whether you need to make an urgent phone call to someone back home, access Google Maps while you’re out and about, or just can’t wait to Instagram your lunch, it’s often worth setting up a mobile roaming plan before you head off on your travels.
Usually, your mobile network provider will have a range of packages in place for you to choose from. Often, you’ll be able to roam free of charge in a number of countries, while there’ll be an additional fee to use your data when travelling further afield. Check with your providerhe to confirm the charges for your chosen destination before you go.
4) Consider purchasing a local SIM card
If you’re planning on being away from home for more than a few weeks, you might want to consider purchasing a local SIM card in order to access cheaper rates. I’ll never forget the £500 phone bill I had when I arrived home after almost three months in Jamaica. Most of my charges were actually for for local calls and texts; trust me, it pays to get a local SIM card!
In order to use another SIM card in your phone while travelling, make sure your phone has a GSM-enabled (quad band), and check that it isn’t locked to your current network. If your phone is locked, you’ll need to speak to a mobile phone store or your network provider in order to get it unlocked before you travel.
Once you have an unlocked GSM phone, all you’ll need to do to get connected is to buy a local sim card at the airport or from a convenience store or mobile phone outlet, insert it into your phone, confirm your network settings and you’ll be good to go!
5) Take advantage of free voice and video calling
Wherever you are in the world, take advantage of free voice and video calling whenever you’re connected to WiFi with apps like Skype, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts, otherwise known as Meet.
In addition, if you’ve got an Apple iPhone, you can make free video calls to another iPhone through Apple’s popular FaceTime feature whenever you’re connected to WiFi. If you’re not connected to WiFi, however, bear in mind that FaceTime will use your cellular mobile data; if you don’t have a cellular data allowance in place, this would mean you’d get charged for using FaceTime.
Can you think of any ways to keep in touch while travelling that I haven’t mentioned in my post? Share your ideas in the comment section below.
If you found this post useful, check out my other travel advice posts to pick up some more tips before your next travel adventure:
- Personal Car Leasing: 6 Things You Must Know
- Work Vs. Wanderlust: Balancing Work and Travel
- 7 Tips For An Unforgettable Food Travel Experience
- 10 Easy Ways To Save Money For Travel
- Holiday Sickness: 5 Golden Rules To Avoid Getting Sick Abroad
This is a collaborative post.
Alpacr sounds like an interesting app! I always love to send a postcard.
It’s a nifty little app. I am actually sharing co-working space with the founders currently. They’re a lovely team and I really hope it works out for them. Be great to see Alpacr take off!
I don’t think there is anything quite like a nice postcard! I used to love sending them when I went away and there’s something special about receiving them as well.
I agree. It always makes me feel as though someone really cares if they take their time to buy, write and send me a postcard!
Ive just started taking my eldest on city breaks and he does get a little home sick. So these are great tips I will definitely be making use of the postcards next time we are away.
That’s great to hear. Glad you found my advice useful 🙂
These are great tips for when you’re away from home. We’re so lucky to live in age with video calling.
I agree. I’ve just upgraded to the XR and I’m going to give my 6S to my mum so we can video call each other when I travel. 🙂
I moved out of London for a year when I was 20 and even though I was still in the UK, I really did feel homesick so this would have been a nice little read back then! Hopefully, it helps someone now 🙂 xo
It’s surprising how homesick you can get when you’re away from home for a while, isn’t it?
When I travel outside Europe, I often buy a sim card and wherever I travel to I used my social media to create memories.
It often buys to buy a local SIM card. Social media is my fave way to keep in touch 🙂
Technology is wonderful but I don’t think you can beat a handwritten postcard or letter – although they do take their sweet time to arrive
Too true, I still love receiving handwritten cards and postcards.
These are some great tips, it’s always worth getting a local SIM card if you’re going to be off somewhere for quite a while. My boyfriend’s brother has been in Australia since December and is there until August now! He’s got a phone number and recently sent us postcards from Australia zoo!
I agree. The costs can really add up if you’re going to be away from home for a while.