If you live in one country but have lots of friends and family members in another – we all know there are lots of easy ways to stay in touch today. But what’s the best way and how should you approach the overall “task”?
Over recent years, the most popular way has been through web-based video links and Skype in particular. And this is, undoubtedly, an excellent way for couples, relatives and close friends to see each other and to talk – sometimes intimately. There is no substitute for the moving image – and it’s particularly useful where any young children are involved; allowing older relatives to see them develop and grow. But it lacks spontaneity and people have to arrange a rendezvous. Also, the video means that we generally prepare ourselves to look our best for the “appointment” all of which can be a bit of a hassle.
Land-based phone calls have gotten cheaper over recent years and can even be free depending on the deal you choose. But these can also be problematic if you want or need to get in touch with someone quickly and easily – someone who may be at work, visiting the shops or out and about doing whatever.
Then there’s email. Email is also great as the written word allows you to carefully consider what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it etc. This is the best tool where you really want to be careful in what you’re saying and if you need to pass information to someone else in an official or delicate way; the written word has no equal if you take your time – in making a considered communication.
But perhaps the best way stay in touch across country boundaries now is through mobile to mobile? This was previously crazily cost-prohibitive, but now interesting information about incredibly cheap price plans means that is no longer the case. In fact, you can speak to your friends or family members overseas mobile-to-mobile for an unlimited time for just $15 a month.
Mobile communication has its advantages and disadvantages, of course. But on the whole, it’s an absolute boon to people who are living in one country with friends or family members in another. It means they can get in touch any time the time zones allow – even on the most trivial of matters – and to chat to people just like they were in the next room, without having to continually calculate the cost.
This is a huge benefit to the Hispanic community living in the U.S., in particular. That’s because there are close to 40 million people in the USA now speaking Spanish in the home as their first language according to a recent survey. This is bigger than many medium-sized countries and is one of the main reasons the mobile service providers are competing so hard for the market.
In short, all these different ways of staying in touch have their advantages – but the arrival of these new deals on mobile calls means you can now very much add this one to the equation.
