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list of ways to stay in touch with friends during travel or a move

Whether traveling for a week or a few weeks or longer, children and adults alike might find that they miss their friends back home.  Technology today has provided so many opportunities for staying in touch for little or no cost (not including the cost of equipment).  Of course, there is something magical about the old-fashioned methods of communication as well.  Finding new ways to connect with friends is as much fun as the connecting.  Here are a few ways that we have discovered we can keep up with our friends back home or with family who live far away.

photo by re-ality

    • Letters and Postcards – I know, I might as well have said morse code or telegraph, right?  But who doesn’t like getting mail in the mailbox?  It is usually an unexpected treat.   Letters provide more detail while postcards offer a pretty or unusual photo.
    • Telephone or Cell Phone – Communicating by phone has been so commonplace that it is hard to remember a day when we weren’t instantly connected everytime we went to the grocery store.  However, it can be a useful tool for the whole family.  Be sure to print one of ListPlanIt’s Friends & Family Quick Phone List in Contact Information and fill in the numbers of those you might like to call.  Text messaging is probably the fastest way to reach friends or family (of course, not while driving, please).
    • Email – This is one of my personal favorites.  Even though, at times, nothing beats hearing a loved one’s own voice, email allows you to send a message or letter to someone quickly without all of the normal emotions that go into a telephone call.
    • Skype or Instant Messaging – Talk about sending a message quickly, this method allows you to type a message or call over the internet.  If both parties are set up through the same service, then the communication is free!  Even if you choose to do a video call (provided that you both have a web cam).  We have been communicating with my family back in the States everyday, and we pay nothing to do so.
    • Social Media – Facebook, blogging, and photo-sharing services such as Photobucket.com or Flickr.com are fun ways to stay in touch and include photos or videos.  You can even share photos or articles from other sources.  No more clipping newspaper or magazine articles to send through the mail!

Which methods of communicating with friends do you prefer?  Which methods do your kids prefer?

Jennifer Tankersley:

View Comments (1)

  • I prefer email, so that the communication happens whenever it is most convenient for both parties. My teenagers are both into texting and social media sites...they use those much more than phoning. And no one in my family likes video calls with Skype - we're all camera phobic!