After living for 12 years in Germany, and with Stefan living a very international life as a kid, we have lots of family and friends spread around the world with whom we like to keep in touch. It’s always nice to be able to stay connected to friends and family when we travel.

Running a business that is spread across multiple continents and blogging with people around the globe, we also find ourselves talking with more and more people from all over the world. The one thing which is always important is a strong and reliable way to stay in touch with clients, business partners, readers and friends and more. Chatting on the phone is so much faster and easier — and you can get a much better emotional connection with the other person as well. Video even more so (when it’s available). I know, you might be thinking of a few chat apps you might be using right now, but there’s something even better out there.

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Talk, Talk, Talk

A while ago, I found a mobile app called Nobel com that allows you to call cheaply anywhere in the world. I can basically call anyone in Europe or Asia and pay under 2 cents per minute while enjoying excellent call quality. The app uses your Wi-Fi connection or 3G data to make the call so if you have a good data plan you can basically call (almost) for free.

Since we can’t rely on having great Internet access or at least a reliable connection, the company also created International calling Cards NobelCom which also allow you to call from almost any phone by calling an access number and inserting your PIN to enjoy low rates.

 

It’s in the Box

Dropbox is a great tool for staying in touch and sharing information. You can not only quickly and easily share family photos and videos right after you shoot them, but it has great business capabilities as well. In fact, business users of Dropbox also get to work with Office in the cloud. So you never even need to leave your browser to make updates to that presentation you’re making with your team tomorrow, or the blog post draft I’ve been putting together. Plus you can access it and take it anywhere with you that you like on your PC, phone or other devices.

 

The Online World

It might sound cliche, but there are few better places to keep in touch than within the social media realm. Facebook and Instagram are my favs at the moment. You can learn a lot more about people through Facebook, but I personally prefer posting on Instgram.

 

Take it Offline

There’s something special nowadays about snail mail. Whether it’s a card or letter, I find myself appreciating that birthday card, postcard or handwritten note so much more now than I once did. So if you’re trying to really show someone you care or appreciate them, drop a card or letter into the mail. Whether you are saying hello to family or trying to land a new account, a well delivered message in a matching envelope can move mountains.

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Well, that’s just four of my favorite ways to make sure I’m not losing touch with everyone around the globe that we need to stay connected with on a daily basis. The world is far more connected now than we every would have dreamed 20 or 30 years ago…and that’s bound to continue long into the future.

What do you use to keep in touch? Do you like to keep it old fashioned or are you moving at the speed of light?