Whether you are traveling around the US or overseas it is important to keep in touch with your family at home. Not only to make sure that they are doing alright but also so that they know where you are. The world being what it is, it will make it easier for your family to sleep at night if they know you are safe. Always leave several family members an itinerary so they know where you are at all times and if they want to contact you they can.

Cell Phones

How did we ever live without them? Before you leave on vacation make sure that your plan is going to cover you in the area where you are going on vacation. The first thing you need to know is if you have to pay roaming charges. This is very important and it is possible to rack up an astonishing amount of charges if you don't fully understand your plan. Your US phone will work in Canada but most plans charge roaming charges for calls that are made from and received outside the US. You don't want to come back to a surprise.

Most US phones don't work overseas unless you have a world wide plan. There are several choices of phone rental companies. We used Vodephone through Verizon and were very happy with the service and the charges. You can also purchase a worldwide phone and then get a Sim card for the countries that you need. The least expensive choice is to buy a track phone when you get to your destination.

Phone Booth

Most pay phones in Europe only take prepaid phone cards so if this is how you plan to communicate make sure you purchase a card usually at a tobacconist or druggists.

Having a phone card provided by your phone service provider will allow you to charge your home phone for calls you make from overseas. Before you do this, check what your phone plan charges for calls made from overseas or across the country, it may be very expensive.

Email

Bring your laptop, netbook or blackberry these days and even though all hotels and B&B's don't offer free wireless, many do. If you don't want to bring a laptop many hotels have a business center with Internet access, most of these are free. If this isn't an option look for the local library, they usually have free Internet access. You just have to sign up to use it. Most cities also have Internet Cafe's where you can send email messages and cruise the net. Prices vary so check around and always make sure you don't leave any personal information on a public computer.

If you are on a cruise this will be one of the only ways that you can communicate when you are at sea. It is expensive to use the Internet on a cruise but keeping in touch makes it worthwhile

Drop them a line

This is the old standby and you can always pick up a stack of postcards on your first day away to send to your friends and family. If you are sending them from overseas you will need to find a post office and be sure to write airmail on the card. Most likely you will be back home before your card arrives but it's the thought that counts.

Learn more about this author, Belle Starr.
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