Keeping in touch

How you intend to communicate and keep in touch while abroad is something worth thinking about in advance. 

Even in such a connected world, you still need to think about how best to keep in contact cost effectively. It’s especially important that you’re able to call local numbers and call home in an emergency, and not just rely on internet access.

When you are abroad, situations may arise in which you will need to contact or access services quickly. To make this as stress-free as possible, you should save a list of important numbers and contacts - this could include:

  • University of Edinburgh emergency number
  • insurance contacts
  • emergency services in your host country
  • your host institution key contacts
  • the number for your bank in case of lost/stolen bank cards

Using your phone abroad - things to research:

  • Will you be able to use the data on your phone/tablet for internet access and how much will this cost? (in destination and if doing further travel)
  • How can you ensure you're able to call local numbers and home in an emergency?
  • Should you get a local SIM card or plan?
  • Is your current handset locked to a network? How can you unlock it?

Staying in touch - things to consider:

As well as how you plan to stay connected, you should also consider when.

Whilst overseas, you will remain a fully matriculated student at the University of Edinburgh and will need to stay up-to-date with communication.  

  • Your Edinburgh student email will be the main source of communication with you while abroad - you should check this at least twice per week
  • Be aware of points in the year that you may have administrative tasks to complete for Edinburgh, such as matriculation at the start of the academic year and course selection processes for when you return. It is worth checking this with your School prior to going abroad.  

Staying in touch with friends and family will also be an important source of support, it can be easy to lose frequent communication when immersing yourself in your year abroad but try to maintain a balance by scheduling check-ins or times to call home.  

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