While you travel to a new country, there is so much to take along and so much to leave behind. You may find your favourite stuff anywhere in the world but the love of your family is what you would miss the most.

Well, if distance is a concern then there are many ways to keep in touch. Make a call, send emails, chat online and do your bit to sustain the bond. You surely need to do a little of study like phone services, internet facility, etc and then you may connect to anyone around the world without going broke.

Phone Calls:

In the past, delays in communication were common. It was a huge expense to make a phone call to those travelling or living in other countries, yet people opted for this. Even today a phone call is believed to be the most suitable option for a personal touch.

Many companies have introduced different technology methods to make international calling easier and cheaper. So now it is certainly within your reach to pick the apt service, make cheap calls around the world and feel closer to your loved ones.

Online Calls:

You can download Skype for free and make calls via your laptop while you travel or at your home computer. Even most of the Internet café computers have it pre-installed. You also have the option of Google Talk and Yahoo Calls to make free calls. Register online; ask your family and friends to do the same, and just TALK!

Email/Chat:

If you have internet connection at your finger tips then it’s even simpler to keep in touch all day long. Fix a common time to be available online and login on Facebook Chat, Gtalk or Yahoo Messenger to chat with your family and friends around the world.

If they are not online, you can send emails of your experiences, plans, information, schedules, etc and this would surely make them feel good.

Upload Video & Pictures:

While you travel, create lots of memories to share them with your loved ones. Show them where you stay, places you visit, kind of work you do, your friend circle and the fun you enjoy. Put all of these together in videos and pictures and upload them on social sites.

If you are on Facebook, let your stuff go there! You can even upload your gallery on Flickr and Picasa or rather use youtube to host all your videos.

What is Travel Tuesday?

Twitter has a terrific travel community, attracting Travel Agents, Travel Bloggers, Hotel Owners, Airlines, Tour Operators and people genuinely interested in travel and world-wide destinations.

Earlier this year Katy, the Community Manager of ‘Where I’ve Been’ initiated #traveltuesday. You will see that Katy has a huge following on Twitter which has made #traveltuesday a great success and a highlight for many on Twitter.

The concept is not unlike #followfriday but for the travel-minded. The day is a hive of activity adding the #traveltuesday hashtag and a reason for your recommendation of fellow travel tweeps. The hashtag also gets added to tweets of particular interest, so those that undertake a #traveltuesday search will find not only industry tweeps but also interesting links, blogs and the like.

For those new to #traveltuesday here is a list of some of my favourite travel tweeps to get you started;

@AdamAxon
@AfricaFreak
@AusGeo
@BayAreaTendrils
@beachandcruise
@BtrVacationRent
@coffeewithzooly
@colletts
@DanHaneveer
@GotPassport
@JasonsTravels
@JimmyColeman
@JourneyJottings
@kgrahamjourneys
@LeanneNelson
@lonelyplanet
@LucyWhittington
@MelanieFineEVI
@NickBowditch
@peace_
@RitasOutback
@RockyTravel
@TheTravelTart
@traveldudes
@TravelWonders
@TravelWriticus
@velvetescape
@WhereIveBeen
@Whitsundays
@woywegian

If you are not on this list and would like to be included, please give me a nudge!

Social Media Complaining!

I have just read an enlightening article by Michelle Higgins the writer of the ‘Practical Travel’ column, for the New York Times. She outlines the use of Twitter for travellers, highlighting the use of Twitter when it comes to ‘complaining’!

With Twitter’s popularity growing and the awareness of the power of Social Media, many of the large travel and tourism companies have jumped on board. Not only do they have the opportunity to shout out their goods and services in 140 character tweets but they are now open to receiving 140 character tweets from their customers – and they do so.

Michelle Huggins writes “As hotels, airlines and other travel companies line up on Twitter to promote their brands, customers who voice their grievances in the form of tweets are getting surprisingly fast responses for everything from bad airplane seats to poor room service” – READ MORE