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Staying in touch on your gap year
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Staying in touch on your gap year
How much you keep in contact with people back home during your gap year is a question of balance - somewhere between one email in six months and daily phone calls should do it.
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Staying in touch on your gap year
Keeping you and those at home happy
Don't promise what you might not have access to!
If you're heading off to a rural or undeveloped area, bear in mind that access to the internet and phones is likely to be limited or non-existent. The email or phone call you promised to make the minute you arrive won't arrive. Result - a lot of guilt on your part and anxiety on theirs. It's easier to give a very approximate timescale and keep things flexible. |
Staying in touch on your gap year - Space out the phone calls
You might be tempted to phone or email home every day, but it sort of follows the ‘best things come to those who wait' theory - i.e. resisting the initial urge to rush the phone or internet café will give you more chance to immerse yourself in the experience and ultimately enjoy it more. You'll have more to say when you do get in touch, too.
Staying in touch on your gap year - A welcome boost
Having said you shouldn't phone or email every day, well-timed emails or catch-up chats can give you the boost you need to appreciate the rest of your time away.
Staying in touch on your gap year
Spare a thought for those back home
Obviously we're not advocating lying to anyone, but occasionally taming your stories down might make things less stressful for you and your parents. If your mum was apprehensive about you going away, it's perhaps best not to tell her how you almost left your passport in your Delhi hostel or go into the details of your condition after a night out in Sydney. |
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Likewise, remember that people back home probably aren't doing anything a tenth as exciting as you are. By all means tell them what you're up to, but don't forget to ask how they are. That goes double if you're talking to your other half!
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Staying in touch on your gap year
A little frequently is better than a lot not very often
Good news - length doesn't matter! Don't think you have to write pages every time you send an email or postcard - a couple of lines will be enough to let people know you haven't forgotten them. They'd probably prefer to get something short every so often than get an essay and then nothing for months. You can give them the details when you get back! |
Staying in touch after your gap yearDon't be surprised to find yourself becoming firm friends with the people you spend your gap year with. Lots of returning gap year students tell us they're still in touch with the friends they made - and now we've made it even easier. You can find people who were on the same programme as you by joining the Real Gap Watering Hole on Facebook which also benefits people who haven't travelled yet; you can get advice from the people who've been there and done it, and even make friends before you depart! - look out for details of our own social network site, too.
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