Nowadays, being able to communicate with family and friends abroad does not have to be expensive.
I remember growing up in Florida, the only way my parents knew to keep in touch with our family in France was through snail mail and the phone. I must admit, snail mail was great. I had pen pals in France and it was lovely to take the time to write, draw and attach small bracelets and such along with my letters. Those were the beautiful slower types of days…
Anyways, my mom was the one to keep in touch with her family the most and my dad would always get astronomical phone bills at the end of the month as my mother would speak on the phone for hours on out.
15 years later, technology has really lent a helping hand and reduced, and even eliminated, the cost of communication with loved ones abroad. Here are a few ways to keep in touch and communicate with family and friends abroad and how we use them. This, of course, includes different communication tools, depending on what type of communication we want to have and how technology-smart is the person we are communicating with.
Facebook 
With over 1 billion people using the social network platform, I’m pretty sure you don’t need an explanation of how to use it.
How we use it
It’s practical for passive communication. You don’t need to write to someone to stay in touch. It’s so easy, all you need to do is click on their profile to check out their latest updates, photos of their latest trip, new apartment, baby, etc. It’s also good for sharing news, funny videos, quirky pieces of information…that kind of stuff. However, I feel that since the birth of Facebook, people are now posting less and less of their personal lives as their friend lists expand more and more. It’s understandable that you want to share a precious moment of your life with a random high school classmate you never spoke to before or that girl you met at the bar and never saw again.
Who we use it for
People who we might be curious about, but feel too lazy to reach out to.
Skype 
It’s a great way to keep in touch, but for some reason, Skype calls tend to take up much more time than other means of communication.
How we use it
Speaking from personal experience, Skype is for those close friends and family members where Facebook messages and WhatsApp voice notes are just not enough (we need to actually SEE them in their pajamas!) And for those family members who are somewhat technology-smart and were capable of downloading Skype onto their computers. I also use it to get in touch with my non-technological family members who don’t own a computer or don’t know how to download phone Apps. In this case, I buy Skype credit and call them directly on their cell phone or landline. As most of the time I am making calls to the U.S., I can’t go wrong at one cent a minute.
Who we use it for
Close friends and somewhat technology-smart family members as well as totally disconnected friends and family who you must call directly on their landline or cell phone.
WhatsApp
Is it just Colombia or is the word rest of the world hooked on WhatsApp? WhatsApp is so popular in Colombia it comes for free with basic phone plans that don’t include data.
How we use it
WhatsApp is the way everyone in Colombia communicates. It replaces text messaging and I was even surprised that companies put their WhatsApp number on flyers and business cards in order to communicate with their customers. It’s a quick and effortless way to exchange short messages without having to go through the bother of calling someone. To top if off, WhatsApp has a new feature that lets users call each other for free through the App. Even though the connection might not be the same as a normal phone call, it is still pretty great considering it’s free amongst all WhatsApp users worldwide.
Who we use it for
People who we are in constant contact with and that were capable of downloading the application.
Lycamobile 
Lycamobile is the largest international mobile virtual network operator. They have great rates that allow you to call international landlines and cell phones straight from your phone.
How we use it
Like a normal phone call, it allows us to keep family and friends updated about the latest happenings and events in our lives. The things that are too complex to share through messaging, we share by phone. Lycamobile offers prepaid sim cards to make affordable international calls. They have a plan of 1000 minutes from the U.S to Colombia and unlimited minutes, texts and data Nationwide in the U.S. for $30. Not bad if you ask me. If you’re loved ones are in Europe, they cover several countries there too.
Who we use it for
If you are reading this, maybe it’s not for you but for a family member who is technology challenged and spends a fortune calling you or other family members abroad from their landline or cell phone. If a certain someone came to mind, maybe you can help them save money by ordering them a sim card straight to their mailbox so they can start calling you from their phone. No more excuses! They don’t have to worry about the hassle of downloading fancy Apps and creating profiles, which although is a breeze to us, seems like rocket science to them.
I know there are other tools such as Google hangouts and other chat applications such as Tango, Viber, FaceTime, etc., but after having tried many tools, I’m happy to stick to what has worked for me depending on how technologically challenged my friends and family are and how close I want our communication to be.
What are you using? Are there any tools you can suggest to communicate with family and friends abroad? If so, please share in the comment box below!
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2 comments
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I have a Skype phone number – local to the U.S. – that I use to call other’s in the U.S.