Keeping in touch with friends and family

One of the downsides to being an expat is losing touch with the people you care about back home. Unfortunately most of us have so much going on in our new lives abroad that it can be easy for communication to fall by the wayside. Before you know, it’s been months since you’ve had a right good catch up with your best friend.

So how do you stop this from happening?

Get organised

Seeing the people you care most about is effort free when you live in the same place. You bump into them in town, they pop round for dinner, or you go to the same bar every Friday night. Once you move abroad, you can no longer rely on that spontaneity, so you have to make time to speak to each other. Scheduling a time to call each other might sound a bit corporate, but arranging a catch-up in advance means dedicating time to your friendship, and no other plans can get in the way of it.

Get online

These days the internet is the easiest way to keep in touch with people. While it’s totally possible to keep in touch using a 3G dongle, if you can get reliable wi-fi where you live you’ll find it much easier (and faster) to catch-up using the following methods...

Social media. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram keep you in constant contact with those you care most about. People share everything from big moments (weddings, babies, etc) to the small things (gripes about public transport and what they had for lunch). It’s a good way to feel like you’re still part of their everyday life.
Skype. Video chat over the internet with your nearest and dearest, or top up your credit and enjoy cheap phone calls to landlines.
Email. Writing personal letters to your friends will give them a reason to get excited about opening their inbox. Try not to write too much at one time: it might make it difficult for them to reply. It’s best to keep it to a few paragraphs. The more often you write, the less you will need to write.
Blog. Blogging is similar to journaling. Use your blog to share opinions, experiences, and photographs. You can set up your own blog for free in a matter of seconds with Blogspot or Wordpress. It’s a great way to keep everyone you know updated at once. It’s also fun to look back on in years to come.

Make special occasions count

You might not be able to see your friends and family on special occasions, but you can still send a gift and a card with a heartfelt message. You don’t even have to deal with the foreign postal services. Moonpig is a website that lets you design bespoke birthday cards and write your own messages in them. They post the personalised cards to addresses in the UK, USA and Australia so you don’t even have to buy a stamp. Amazon also offers gift wrapping on many of their items, so you can get presents delivered straight to the lucky recipients.

Invite them to visit

Don't just assume that your friends will come to visit you. They might feel that suggesting a spontaneous visit will be imposing on you (especially if they are planning on sleeping in your spare room). Telling them that they are welcome to visit any time is a good first step, but being more specific will make them more comfortable. Suggest dates: the last week of the school holidays, the week leading up to New Year, or your birthday weekend for example. They won’t feel like they’re stepping on your toes, and you get time to prepare for their arrival.