Staying in touch

German post box

Whether you go to the other side of the world for your career break, or just the next county, you'll probably want to check in with the folks back home once in a while.

Phone

The most obvious and easiest way to stay in touch. Calls from abroad can cost loads, so get a phonecard.

Email

Email is cheap and easy - internet access is now widely available throughout the world (especially on well-trodden backpacker routes). Set up a special account for when you're travelling - Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail are the most popular. Make sure your email address list is in your online account, and don't forget to email yourself copies of your passport and insurance documents. Use this email address to sign up for our career break newsletter, and travel updates from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Blog

If you have an online travel diary, your friends and family back home can read about what you've been up to, see your route or itinerary and look at your photos right away. It's also a nice reminder for you of your trip!

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Mobile

If you take your mobile abroad, you must check with your provider about where you can use it and what the costs are. See if you have to pay to receive calls or texts, and if you have a contract, consider switching to pay-as-you-go (in case it gets stolen). Make sure either your travel insurance or your moby insurance will cover it, and remember to pack your charger and an adaptor. If you have a Nokia, you can get a wind-up charger.

Letters, postcards and parcels

Kind of old-fashioned in this day and age, but if it's somebody's birthday (like yours), getting a proper card can be quite special! Sending postcards to family and friends reassures them that you haven't forgotten about them, and they're especially nice for people who aren't online. If you have all your addresses on your computer, print them out onto address labels to take with you.

If you know roughly where you're going to be at a certain time, look up the address of the post office which offers Poste Restante in your guidebook. Poste Restante means they'll keep stuff that's addressed to you at the post office until you turn up with your passport to claim it. It's useful if you forget to take something, or run out of something, and can't get it locally.

Whether you're sending or receiving mail, bear in mind that reliability of post varies hugely, as does the cost of sending parcels. Also remember that it can take a long time for things to arrive.

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Top staying in touch tips

  • Remember that the people who stay at home have news too. Conversations (whether by email or phone) should always be two-way, even if you think your current lifestyle is much more exciting!
  • Phone people on their birthdays if you can, or at least send a card.
  • If you're travelling alone, keep your next of kin updated about roughly where you are and where you plan to go next.
  • If your nearest and dearest have a tendency to worry, try to be reassuring in your emails or phone calls. It's OK to withhold information if you think it's going to worry them (so long as you're not putting yourself in danger).
  • Finally, remember that how often you phone or email is up to you - it is your career break after all.