Keeping in touch with family and friends while you’re working overseas as a nurse can be tough, but with the internet and other technology, you can still communicate as often as you like. Even if you’re in the middle of traveling, you can always pick up the phone or send a quick text.
10 Ways to Keep in Touch With Family as a Travel Nurse
While text or phone-based interaction can’t replace face-to-face, the following solutions to your long-distance problem will definitely hold you over until the next time you can go back home.
1. Schedule Regular Video Calls
One of the best ways to maintain a connection with your loved ones is through video-based communication. Set up a schedule for regular video calls, whether it’s weekly or biweekly. This provides an opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives and share complex stories.
Not only that, but consistent communication will give everyone something to look forward to and help bridge the physical distance, ensuring that you remain an integral part of each other’s lives.
2. Utilize Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enable you to stay updated on the lives of your family and friends. If it’s privacy you’re concerned about, consider creating a separate account specifically for sharing moments from your professional life abroad.
But whether you want to stay private or public, regularly posting updates or engaging with your loved ones’ posts builds a sense of connectedness despite being separated by distance.
3. Share Photos Regularly
Visual aids help make memories more vivid when you’re working overseas as a travel nurse. Use photo-sharing platforms like Google Photos or Dropbox so everyone can access your pictures instantly. Make sure to take selfies regularly, either at work or when you’re traveling.
To add some fun to this process, use an automatic photo editor app like Picsart, which allows for quick image enhancements before you share those snaps with your loved ones back home.
4. Start a Group Chat
A group chat is an efficient way to keep in touch with multiple people at once without losing connection with any individual member. Use messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber, LINE, or iMessage to create a family or friend group chat where everyone can easily share updates.
It also allows the entire group to interact seamlessly whenever they have time, fostering community and maintaining long-distance relationships among all participants involved.
5. Send Postcards and Letters
Sending physical mail might seem old-fashioned, but it adds a personal touch that digital communication often lacks. As a travel nurse working abroad, postcards and letters offer unique insights into the places you are visiting that your family and friends will likely appreciate.
Before you leave, you can purchase a pack of postcards, or you can pick them up at an airport. Alternatively, you could create your own postcard as long as you provide proper postage.
6. Keep Up With Their Lives Too
Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean life halts elsewhere. Take the time to ask about what’s happening in the lives of those you care about while sharing yours too! Show interest in their daily activities and special occasions by asking relevant questions during your catch-ups.
If your friends or family members aren’t especially talkative, consider using conversational prompts that can help them open up. Or, you can stick to small talk if that’s comfortable.
7. Surprise Them with a Phone Call
These days, text messaging and social media platforms tend to dominate most daily communication. However, there’s still something heartfelt about a spontaneous phone call that may catch them by surprise and make them feel special. It shows you were thinking about them!
It’s also much easier to talk about complex topics on the phone rather than through text messages. This option is also perfect if you want to start a video call but don’t have internet.
8. Establish Traditions and Celebrate Together
Just because you can’t speak face-to-face, it doesn’t mean you should stop celebrating holidays or special events together. Set up video calls or send little gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday celebrations to maintain your connection even though you cannot be physically present.
If you want to celebrate with your friends or family over food, ask for the menu in advance. This way, you can cook something similar to the party host and partake in the same traditions.
9. Start a Collaborative Journal or Blog
Invite your family and friends to contribute along with you in an online shared journal or blog that documents your adventures while traveling, as well as their experiences at home. Blogging or journaling is a great way to keep in touch, and it can also serve as a unique keepsake.
Not only that, but you can monetize your blog or take on sponsorships if you get big enough. This can help you build a bit of passive income that can support your other travel adventures.
10. Be Patient and Understanding
Life happens, and schedules change, making it difficult sometimes for people to maintain communication consistently. Remember that staying connected isn’t only about the frequency of contact but also the quality of interaction with family and friends despite the distance.
In some cases, speaking to your family or friends using video chat or the phone may not be possible due to time zone differences. In these cases, adaptability will help you stay in touch.
In Conclusion…
Working abroad as a travel nurse can be an exceptional life experience, but it also comes with the challenge of staying connected. By following these recommendations, you can ensure that both your personal experiences and those shared with your loved ones are cherished equally.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
