Hubby and I took an early vacation this year and will probably get away later this summer for a long weekend. Our kids are grown but that doesn’t mean we don’t check in with them while we’re away. Now that we all have Skype on our phones and computers it’s easy and fun to catch up and share details about our trips while we’re away and while we’re on the road as well!
Does Technology Bring You Closer to Your Friends and Family?
How We Stay In Touch Through Skype As We Travel!
Just a few weeks ago my daughter was traveling for business and couldn’t find her destination. She doesn’t have a GPS in her car and she was starting to panic. Thank goodness she had the presence of mind to pull over, Skype me from her smartphone and ask me for directions to her location. I was able to look up where she was going, send her the directions and calm her down all that the same time!
My daughter and nephew recently took a cruise to Bermuda and we were able to stay in touch through Skype. Landline calls were out of the question due to the exorbitant cost and mobile-to-mobile calls were no better at $2 a minute. Thank God for Skype! As soon as the kids docked in Bermuda they had wifi and we were able to stay in communication by smartphone and computer through Free Skype-to-Skype voice calls and instant messaging and video calls!
My nephew is traveling to Israel in just a week! So I decided to subscribe to Skype Premium for a month. I’ll be able to chat with Micah every day which is super because not a day goes by that we don’t connect! I’d miss talking to him and seeing him for the two weeks that he’s gone! Besides that I’m ‘baby-sitting’ his cats and Emma-Lynn Thompson is a beast! I’m going to have to be able to get in touch with him on a moments notice for advice on how to cope with this neurotic kitty! 
For just $9.99 I’ve received the following:
- Skype-to-Skype video and audio calls
- Low rates to landlines and mobiles
- Instant messaging
- Conference calls
- Group video calling² ~ Wow have these video chats come in handy! Up to 10 people can chat in real time and plan summer get-togethers or just gossip about the day’s events! I rounded the gang up on Skype to plan a weekend family barbeque. This way there’s no ‘he-said, she said’ about who’s bringing what and I don’t have to call everyone and leave messages. It was so easy to plan a date and find out what everyone wanted to bring! Plus it was fun to be able to see everyone while doing the planning, almost like having a party before the party.
- Group screen sharing ~ Such an easy way to share vacation photos without having to email them to everyone back home.
- No partner advertising³
- Live chat customer support ~ Yes, I’ve already taken advantage of live chat customer support which can be accessed via the Skype website 24 hours a day and is worth the price of a Skype Premium Subscription in and of itself. I had a technical support question which required removal and reinstallation of my Skype program. They worked with me for a few hours, non-stop until they remedied my unusual situation which turned out to be faulty audio drivers. Kudos to Skype Customer Service for an outstanding job!
- Unlimited calls to US and Canada
- Unlimited¹ calling to a country of your choice.
There are a lot of premium features that are super but I just don’t have the need for them. Skype Premium gives you the ability to send group text messages but to be honest, when Hubby and I are vacationing it is just the two of us now and if I text one of the kids back home it is one or the other. But this is a great feature for someone who needs to text a large group of people at one time.
To learn more about Skype and how they can help you stay connected click HERE.
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I 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.
1 A fair use policy applies. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. Mobile calls to selected countries only.
2 Group video calls can be between three or more people (up to a maximum of 10). For the best quality, we recommend calls with five people or fewer. A fair use policy applies to group video calling.
3 In some countries we display adverts from partners. These are not seen by customers with Skype Premium.
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