How to stay in touch with family and friends while being abroad

The power of social media 

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and also Tiktok are a wonderful tool to stay in touch with your loved ones. No need to keep everyone up to date one by one - just post some pictures or videos on your feed/story and all your friends will know what you’re up to!   You can also use the Direct Message features of the platform for a quick chat and heads up. Staying in touch using social media is sometimes easier because the 'bar' to send someone a message is way lower! So by posting things on social media you make it easier for your friends and family to reply to messages and stay in touch. One of our recruiters, Celeste, moved to Valencia in September and then a friend who she met during her exchange in Estonia saw her post and planned a visit! They hadn’t seen each other for a while and social media helped them to reconnect. 

Messaging apps

Of course, apps like Whatsapp, Telegram or Signal are also great for staying in touch. Here you have every option to report on your experiences, whether by text or voice message. I think voice messages make it more personal sometimes to communicate, because the receivers can hear your surroundings and notice more easily in which mood you are. It feels a lot more like the way you normally talk to each other!. An even more personal way to communicate on these platforms, is to send a video of yourself talking about how you are and what has happened the last few days. This feels more like video chatting, except for that it doesn’t matter if you can’t be online at the same moment.  I am sure that your family and friends would love to receive some video updates from you!  Besides video messaging, these platforms can of course also be used for direct video calling.You only need a stable internet connection! 

Time management is key 

Time management is key when you want to stay in touch across multiple countries. Especially if the time zones are different, it can sometimes be difficult to plan your communication. So be sure to plan fixed days and times with your loved ones when you want to talk on the phone or video chat. Also, keep in mind that you might forget to keep in touch sometimes, since you'll be meeting a lot of new people as well. So you could also write yourself little reminders to check in or just call someone a bit more spontaneously, because sometimes it can be hard to schedule calls with everyone’s busy agenda When i was in Bali, sometimes I would sit by the pool in the evening and think ‘oh i could call home!’Since it was six hours earlier in my home country, there was always a relatively high chance that someone would pick up. Sometimes this works so much better than always having to plan your calls. 

Virtual meetings

In the current times, when it has become normal to video conference anyway, why don't you just arrange a cool evening with your family or friends, via Zoom/ Google Meets or similar? You could have a wine night together and just talk, or even play a game or watch a movie together. Netflix Party is a wonderful tool for this, for example. Here you can meet friends online and watch movies and series together on Netflix, even if you are in different places. The playback is synchronized and makes it possible to chat with each other and exchange reactions in real time. The host can simply start a movie or series on Netflix and then share the link with others who can join. This way, you can watch the content together even though you're not in the same place. Another idea would be to just have a cool online game night. Here are some examples and ideas of games you can play online. 

1. Jackbox Games - A collection of party games that can be played on a PC or console and connects participants via video chat
2. Quizduel - A trivia game where players can test their knowledge in various categories such as history, geography, music, and pop culture.
3. Mario Kart Tour - A mobile game where players compete as characters from the Mario universe in a racing series
4. Tabletop Simulator - A simulator that allows players to play various board games online, such as Monopoly, Chess or Risk

Postcards and letters 

It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but let’s be honest: how special would you feel if someone sent you a ‘real’ postcard? So grab some cards, sit down in a cute cafe and send your family and friends some greetings from abroad! 

Plan your visits 

Depending on where you are, there may even be an opportunity for your friends and family to visit. We all know the typical sentence "I will definitely visit you" and in the end it doesn't work out. So plan from the beginning when it fits best and set a few days when it will definitely work out. Getting a visit from home is always one of the best things, since your friends and family can get to know the place you call home now.  And when people want to visit you, give some recommendations about how to make it easier - can they stay at your place for example? Are there some nice holidays/festivities which your friends definitely can't miss? In our blog you find a list of holidays and festivities in the month of April!  I am sure that they will love to visit you! Furthermore, you might also go back to your home country once in a while yourself. 

Here you have some tips, which platforms and apps you can use for planning the visits: 

• Omio is a website and app where you can find train tickets to a lot of different locations 
• Also you can use the flixbus app to find cheap bus tickets all over europe
• You can also check out Skyscanner for cheap flights. Note: always take a look at the train and bus options first, before taking a flight! Train and bus travel are much more environmentally friendly. 🌿

Don’t wait any longer and start your adventure abroad! If not now.. Then when?