How to Stay in Touch With Family and Friends While Travelling (Even When It’s Tricky)

Staying connected with your friends or family overseas can be a tricky endeavor. Depending on where you are, you may not be able to use your phone, have access to WiFi or even have loved ones who prefer written notes or letters. Lucky for you, there are solutions to all of these roadblocks as long as you have extra money, stationery, and, in some cases, a power outlet.

Tricky Situation 1: Your Friend is In Prison

Touching base with a friend who’s in prison may be the trickiest thing to overcome on this list, but there are plenty of options for both of you to stay connected. Inmates are allowed to receive mail, books, magazines, money, and phone calls as long as they fit around specific rules.

Example: Utah Prisons

Utah prisons let their inmates receive letters, photos, and cards no larger than 4×6 and can’t contain nudity or Polaroids. Books must be bought from third-party vendors before sent to the prison, and only inmates can make outgoing calls. For more information on what you can send and to locate the address of an inmate you want to connect with, use PrisonRoster.com for Utah prisons.

Tricky Situation 2: You Don’t Have WiFi or an Internet Stick

Most big cities have WiFi or an outlet to plug your computer into, but your traveling goals may not include typical tourist spots. If you’re fond of hiking or going off-grid, try these solutions.

Get a Local SIM Card

If you have an unlocked phone, you can swap your current SIM card with a local one to make phone calls and send text messages. Set up takes 10 minutes and is much faster and cheaper than an international SIM card. Pick one up at an independent mobile retailer or local classifieds.

Send a Postcard

Postcards are incredibly cheap to buy and send. With some stationary, you can create a beautiful mural or note for your friends and family to enjoy. Postcards are usually sold at tourist shops, but it’s easier to pick one up on the way out of the airport terminal.

Tricky Situation 3: You Don’t Want to Pay Long-Distance Charges

While traveling, you’ll keep your phone on you at all times, making phoning your family the easiest option to stay in touch. However, long-distance charges can be expensive, so use the internet instead.

Use Facetime/Zoom

Iphones come equipped with Facetime that is free to use as long as you have a WiFi connection. A cheap way to use a video conferencing platform from anywhere is to buy local data, but if you’re staying in a hotel or coffee shop, you can use that opportunity to catch up.

Use a Messaging App

There are endless messaging apps that use WiFi: iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp are the most popular. Even Facetime, Zoom, and Google Hangout have a messaging portion if you want to type sometime to your friends and family you don’t want the room to hear.

Tricky Situation 4: You Want a Creative Way to Stay Updated

Whether you’re tired of the boring updates or you want to flex your creative muscles, these communication methods allow you to think outside of the box.

Send an Emails

Postcards are too tiny for any long-form notes unless you stick a piece of lined paper in the letter. Failing that, sending an email is the perfect option for constant connection. Plus, you can make the letter as long or packed with photos as you like without paying for extra stamps.

Create a Travel Blog

Sending individuals emails can be challenging if you want to keep moving or you’re spending too much time personalizing each message. A travel blog is a perfect way to stay connected while giving you the space to be creative. Another upside to blogging is the potential to make money from your travels, leading to more fun adventures in the future.