With the progress of technology in general, traveling and communication have become easier to maintain and improve on. Thank goodness, because it is now easier for us to learn about the places we are traveling to while also relaying the information back to your friends wherever they may be. Here are suggestions for the times you or your friend goes abroad and you just have to get some kind of message to them.
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like to get into lengthy virtual conversations, a postcard may be just right for you. It rids you of the obligation of having to respond to someone right away when you would rather have them right there with you, but a postcard also tells them that you are thinking of them even though you’re so far apart. They’re cheap, too!
For those who like to think of themselves as old souls, this is a great option for you. Letters really only work best if your friend is staying in one place for at least two weeks, otherwise they may be gone and onto their next destination or on their way home by the time your letter is delivered. Having a pen pal is a great way for you to imagine what it was like back before the Internet, and it also helps you be your own spellcheck.
WhatsApp may be the most used international communication app throughout the entire world. It seems like every person I meet from another country uses WhatsApp as regular texting, let alone for international use. It’s extremely user friendly and accommodates both iOS and Android softwares, and it’s free. A similar app with the same purpose and functions is Viber.
Using multiple forms of social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter are great ways to verbally keep in contact with your friends while also stay up to date on their activities. Using them both allows for topics of conversation as well. For example, if your friend posts a photo of the Terracotta Army, you’ll probably have a lot of questions about that visit and what it was like to see them. So, shoot them a message on Facebook!
Are you the kind of person who is not satisfied with words, but has to actually see your conversation partner’s face while you’re talking? Are you and your friend also a lucky owners of an Apple product? If so, then be sure to take advantage of the wonderful feature that is officially known as FaceTime. If you are not able to use Apple’s FaceTime, then use Facebook’s video feature from the messenger. It will feel like you two never even said goodbye in the first place.
