It’s the 21st Century. You have the world at your fingertips. My brother in Bangkok may be living on the other side of world but he is never more than a second away. There are times when we are watching a sporting event where it seems like he is sitting next to me. Soon enough, with virtual reality, he will be. For now, we communicate with Facebook Messenger.
I’ll be the first to admit that I do not place a ton of importance on being able to connect with people. Outside of my wife, my parents, my brother, and my grandmother, if I can’t reach someone or they can’t get in touch with me, that’s fine. Constant contact and connection is a low priority for me that is not changing any time soon. During my travels, when I wanted to stay connected to people back home, I used services that were convenient for them, such as Google Hangouts and Skype. I realize there are plenty of other applications available. That there are plenty of applications available, is a bit of problem. You never know what application someone else is using—keep it simple, agree on an application with your parents prior to leaving, whether that’s Facebook Messenger, Apple’s FaceTime, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and Skype, it doesn’t matter, and stay committed to that application throughout your travels.
A quirk I encountered during my travels is that China does not allow access to Facebook or Gmail. Let people you stay connected with know you are beginning to travel in China and they may not hear from you for a month. There are VPN work arounds if you are desperate and need to stay connected.
Beyond staying connected with your family, there’s the broader, philosophical staying connected concept. One of the great things about living six to twelve hours ahead of the U.S. is the news doesn’t update as frequently while you are awake. There’s no need to refresh and revisit news websites throughout the day for new postings. You don’t need to constantly check the stock market for any price swings. Or sporting event scores. You can wake up, read the news once, and you are done. It’s liberating. While Americans sleep, you can be out enjoying life.
If you disconnect from sports and entertainment, you may have difficulty reintroducing yourself to these time traps when you return. Post trip, it’s strange sitting at a sporting event watching a bunch of guys run around. Or you’ll be watching The Walking Dead and think “why?” Hopefully there’s no pressing need to fully reconnect when you return.
I’ll be the first to admit that I do not place a ton of importance on being able to connect with people. Outside of my wife, my parents, my brother, and my grandmother, if I can’t reach someone or they can’t get in touch with me, that’s fine. Constant contact and connection is a low priority for me that is not changing any time soon. During my travels, when I wanted to stay connected to people back home, I used services that were convenient for them, such as Google Hangouts and Skype. I realize there are plenty of other applications available. That there are plenty of applications available, is a bit of problem. You never know what application someone else is using—keep it simple, agree on an application with your parents prior to leaving, whether that’s Facebook Messenger, Apple’s FaceTime, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and Skype, it doesn’t matter, and stay committed to that application throughout your travels.
A quirk I encountered during my travels is that China does not allow access to Facebook or Gmail. Let people you stay connected with know you are beginning to travel in China and they may not hear from you for a month. There are VPN work arounds if you are desperate and need to stay connected.
Beyond staying connected with your family, there’s the broader, philosophical staying connected concept. One of the great things about living six to twelve hours ahead of the U.S. is the news doesn’t update as frequently while you are awake. There’s no need to refresh and revisit news websites throughout the day for new postings. You don’t need to constantly check the stock market for any price swings. Or sporting event scores. You can wake up, read the news once, and you are done. It’s liberating. While Americans sleep, you can be out enjoying life.
If you disconnect from sports and entertainment, you may have difficulty reintroducing yourself to these time traps when you return. Post trip, it’s strange sitting at a sporting event watching a bunch of guys run around. Or you’ll be watching The Walking Dead and think “why?” Hopefully there’s no pressing need to fully reconnect when you return.