Staying in touch with your loved ones back home when you’re on the road long term is a necessary part of the experience but one that not all people can tolerate. For some, it’s a way to keep their homesickness at bay and let worried loved ones know they are safe. For others, it can be a bit of a nuisance if your goal was to disappear and leave the modern world behind you. Whether you’re at one end of the spectrum or the other, nearly all of us have to stay connected while traveling to some degree and there are various ways we can do this depending on where in the world we are, and how much we’re willing to spend.
Mobile phones
When I’m traveling long term I use a mobile phone for, on average, about 1% of my trip. International calling and texting costs are way too high for me to even consider using it in the same way that I do back home, and over the years I’ve slowly learnt that I don’t really need in if I’m backpacking around. Some people feel like they need a phone with them, but for contacting home most find that they use the internet instead of calls or texts.
If you’re living in another place for a long time then an unlocked mobile phone could come in handy, which you can buy a cheap local SIM card for and use to connect with new friends or for work purposes. If you’re looking for a job some employees might consider your application more readily if you have a local phone number they can use to contact you.
Taking your smartphone abroad can have its advantages. You can use this to connect to WiFi networks in hostels or cafes, and by downloading certain apps you can text and call home for free presuming the other person has the same app. Always make sure that you keep your smart phone in a safe place and away from pickpockets.
Laptops or tablets
There are more travelers on the road nowadays with laptops or tablets than there are without, and that comes down to the pure convenience of having your own bit of kit to use. Netbook laptops are very lightweight and easy to carry round, and tablets are so slim and portable, revolutionising travel and technology.
It comes down to personal choice as to which one you want to buy, but in terms of using it to contact home make sure it’s suitable for connecting to WiFi networks and open to downloads such as Skype to call home with.
I myself have a Netbook that has been on the road with me for over 3 years now and I’m on it almost every single day. Having the freedom to connect when I want to the WiFi in a hostel instead of waiting for computer to be available far outweighs the downside of having to carry it with me and insure it.
Internet access
It has always astounded me that even when I’m in the smallest of towns that barely sees contact from the outside world, there’s always an internet connection somewhere that I can use. The more you travel the more you realise that there are very few places without any means of connecting with the world beyond, but sometimes it can be in a less convenient manner. For this reason you need to choose your hotel wisely. Sometimes, hotel management do not care about their property systems. And that’s why they lose their clients. There are a lot of products on modern market.
Internet cafes are just about anywhere in the world, but sometimes WiFi hasn’t quite made it to that same place. These are instances where you have to just admit defeat and use an ancient computer that may as well have a hamster running on a wheel to power it. If you’re only going to be sending a couple of emails or putting up a Facebook status saying ‘I’m alive!’, then it doesn’t matter so much, but don’t expect to be able to sit there for hours surfing the net.
One thing I would definitely encourage travelers to do is to find a healthy balance between keeping in contact with people from home and making the most of your travel experience. Whilst I know it’s necessary to make sure that the people back home who care about you know that you’re safe, spending too much time online can really distract from the world around you. Definitely make sure you check in every now and again, but I would encourage you to devote most of your time to living in the present and immersing yourself in the culture that’s on your doorstep.
