This summer, my daughter and I traveled out of the country for two weeks without my husband. Normally, connecting with friends and family back home is as easy as picking up the phone. But when traveling abroad, specifically to Europe, it’s a little trickier. First, you need to have a global phone — second, you need to be willing to pay upwards of $2.oo per minute plus data charges. That wasn’t going to work for us.
I have used Skype in the past when I traveled to Mexico and the Caribbean, and I figured it was worth a shot to try it when we were in Spain, France and Italy. I downloaded Skype Mobile on my phone before we left (keeping it on airplane mode the whole time) …รย and you know what!? SKYPE WORKED LIKE A CHARM! Even better, all of our calls home only cost $2.99 … from Europe! That’s truly amazing!
There is one caveat though: You need access to Wi-Fi. While in port (we were on a cruise), we stopped and ate lunchรย everydayรย and most restaurants offered free Wi-Fi with our meal. Skype also worked with the ship’s internet, which wasn’t free, but, it was considerably less expensive than the cost per minute of a phone call– And even better, when we called Skype to Skype, all of our calls were free and we were able to video chat. Skype allowed my daughter to talk to her dad everyday during our trip — had we not used it, I would have been stuck with an outrageous cell phone bill!
Of course, Skype is useful for not only trips out of the country.รย When it comes to summer travel, Skype can be used in a variety of ways:
–When visiting friends and family out of town, Skype is great for connecting with those who couldn’t make the trip. Skype offers a cool service called Group Chat, where friends/family can gatherรย togetherรย at a specific time to chat through video.
–If traveling without children (or a spouse,รย significantรย other), Skype is essential for connecting with them when you’re away. It’s one thing to talk to your kids on the phone, but it’s another thing to actually see them! I know Skype video chat has calmed my nerves more than a few times.
Here’s an infographic from a survey on how moms view technology in relation to bringing them closer to friends and family:
I’m not the only mom who finds technology essential for staying close to loved ones! Since discovering Skype: I’ve found that I feel more calm when I’m away because I know I will be able to see my favorite faces at night before I go to bed — I’ve worried less about cell bills and roaming charges because I can use Skype instead — I’ve felt a deeper connection with friends and relatives that are far by using Group Chat.
I now have the whole family on board with Skype and I’ve found that even though everyone is not as tech-savvy as me, Skype has been easy for everyone to install and use. My husband might be the most technology challenged person I know, and he picked it up right away– I think that says something!
Did you use Skype for travel this summer? Has it brought you closer to family and friends?
รขโฌลI participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Skype. I received Skype credits to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.รขโฌย
