There are many advantages to careers that allow you to travel abroad. Not only do you get to see the global impact of your work, but you are also able to drink in different cultures and places. Still, when you have to leave your home country for an extended stay, homesickness is inevitable. As much as you may enjoy the travel you must do for work, you still want to stay connected to your friends, family, and life back home. Fortunately, we will in a time when we have the world at our fingertips with smartphones, tablets, computers, and WiFi hotspots like Sapphire. However, that doesn’t mean that staying in touch just comes naturally; you have to make a conscious effort to maintain your relationships, just as you do when you’re in the same country. There are a number of ways you can do this, and in this blog, we will go over a few.
Make a Mailing List
Before you leave for your travels, it’s wise to compile a contact list to ensure you don’t miss out on keeping in touch with anyone. Of course, depending on how many people you add, it may be unrealistic to reach out individually to each and everyone one of them, particularly with your busy work schedule. This is where you can draw inspiration from the business world: compile an email list where you can blast out monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly updates to your loved ones, just like the newsletter updates you get from your favorite local businesses. This way, you can keep everyone in the loop without writing individual emails.
Download These Apps
Before you head abroad, make sure you have all the apps necessary to stay connected in our tech savvy world. This is particularly important if you have a family. You want to be able to stay in regular communication with your spouse, and you don’t want to miss all your children’s major milestones while you are overseas for work. That is where technology truly is your best friend. There are a wide range of social apps that make staying in contact with your family easier than ever. When you have the Sapphire international mobile hotspot, you can use these apps anywhere with a crystal clear connection.
Google Hangouts
If you are looking for a free texting app to stay in touch with your friends and family regardless of whether they have an iPhone or Android, Google Hangouts is a great tool for you. If you have Gmail, all you have to do is simply download Hangouts, and you are ready to connect with other users for free. Not only can you chat back and forth, you can also use it to make voice and video calls on both your mobile phone and computer.
WhatsApp is another popular texting application that many international travellers use. Its benefits include that its interface is very simple and intuitive to use and it is compatible with both Apple and Android devices. A lot of people outside of the U.S. prefer WhatsApp over applications like Google Hangouts.
FaceTime/iMessage
If you have an iPhone or other Apple device, you can use FaceTime and iMessage to keep in touch with other Apple users. You can connect both of these applications to your iPad or Macbook as well so your loved ones can reach you through several devices using the same app. FaceTime is a video chat platform so you don’t have miss out on that important face-to-face time with your family, and iMessage is a convenient way to stay in contact with any iPhone user instantly. Even if you can’t physically be there for special moments, you can still be there for the important things when you have access to this technology.
Skype
The leader in video chatting, Skype is a great app to have downloaded to your mobile device while you are traveling overseas. Skype-to-Skype audio and video calls are free, and you can even pay for outside calling as well.
Having one or more of these apps takes a lot of the guesswork out of staying in contact with your family. If there are any important events going on while you are working overseas, these types of apps allow you to still participate. If you are missing a birthday or wedding, for example, you can record a video of yourself as a sign of celebration and support, or you could FaceTime or Skype with your child to help them prepare for a big test. By using these apps, you don’t have to sacrifice important quality time with your family.
Make a Communication Schedule
You can download as many social apps as you want, but if you don’t actually use them, it’s not going to make any difference. When you’re busy with work, it’s easy to let the days slip away without talking to your loved ones. Next thing you know, it’s been two weeks since you have spoken to your spouse, and they are quite upset.
Be proactive about addressing this problem by creating a communication schedule in advance. Keep in mind the time zones when you are figuring out what time would be best for all parties. Make sure that during this time, you are able to be in a quiet and distraction-free environment to connect with your loved one. You don’t want to offend them by giving them only part of your attention. Even though your international travels may be more interesting to talk about, make sure to also listen and stay up to date with what is happening back home. In the event that you miss each other’s call, don’t leave it at “call me when you’re free.” Set a concrete time to reschedule right away so you don’t just keep missing each other.
Staying in touch isn’t always easy, but when you make a concerted effort, you don’t have to feel disconnected from your loved ones. Looking for an international WiFi hotspot that you can rely on to keep you connected wherever you go? Shop Sapphire today!