Image: bruce mars on Unsplash.com

There’s always that excitement of leaving home to go abroad for studies. Between the joy of finally being accepted into your academic program overseas and the hustle of this new undertaking, it’s difficult to notice when communication with loved ones back home becomes less regular.

It’s possible to keep in touch with your family. The only catch is that you and your relatives would have to make a conscious effort. And you don’t have to be overwhelmed or break the bank while doing it.

It’s normal to wonder how to stay in touch with your family back home, as it is for the 680,000 other international students studying in the UK. If this is you, we’ve put together this piece to explain to you how to stay in touch with your family while in the UK.

Challenges Faced by International Students

What difficulties do international students face in staying in touch with their families and friends back home? There are quite a few.

1. Distance

The distance between the UK where you are studying and your home may be quite large. This can hinder you from coming home for important family gatherings. The best you can do at this point is call home or send messages to the celebrating parties. But this can only work if you and the person you want to felicitate with have enough mobile credit.

2. Time Zone Differences

There’s also the question of time zones. The considerable time difference between the United Kingdom and many other nations may make frequent phone calls or video conferences difficult to arrange. While it may be midday in London, it could be the middle of the night at your loved ones’ homes, complicating communication.

3. Financial Constraints

Traditional telephone calls and international messaging services can be pricey. Students frequently find themselves carefully monitoring their communication expenses, resulting in limited calls or messages, particularly if they are on a tight budget. Plus, some of your loved ones at home may not have enough resources to call you. The financial strain can hinder the frequency and quality of communication with loved ones.

4. Technological Hurdles

Not everyone back home may have access to the latest communication technologies. Limited internet connectivity or familiarity with digital communication platforms can be barriers for some family members, making it challenging for students to stay connected through video calls or instant messaging. So, sometimes, you may just have to make do with basic voice calls and messaging.

5. Limited Access to the Internet

Although internet access has become more widespread, some students or even their loved ones back home may still face connectivity issues. Limited access to a stable internet connection can hinder regular video calls or other data-heavy communication methods.

The Role of Mobile Connectivity

For many international students, mobile connectivity is the answer to these challenges. Now you can stay connected with your family with your mobile phones.

As long as both parties have mobile credit, you can send messages, share photos, and make calls whenever you want. All of these ensure you can have real-time communication without the constraints of time zones.

Here’s how mobile connectivity helps overcome the communication challenges faced by students abroad:

Instant Messaging

If you need to exchange communications, messaging systems such as WhatsApp, WeChat, and Telegram allow you to send text messages, voice notes, images, and videos to loved ones in real time as long as you all have data access.

Video calling

If you top up your family’s mobile phone, you can enjoy face-to-face chats with friends and family via Skype, Zoom, and other video calling programs. Despite being thousands of kilometers apart, this surely gives you a sense of intimacy.

Social media

With Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, you can easily connect with your family and friends. These platforms allow you to share updates about your life, watch images and videos from home, and remain in touch with your loved ones.

Introduction to Mobile Top-Up Service

What could be the solution to the various challenges to the connectivity problems you face as an individual student? Mobile data top-ups.

To enhance the effectiveness of mobile communication, services like Boss Revolution provide this valuable service. These services allow international students in the UK to send mobile top-ups to their loved ones back home. So, with this, you have a smooth connection and enhanced communication without the financial burden.

For instant transfer of mobile credit, you can send mobile top-ups from the UK to your family. This ensures that family members back home have the means to stay connected without worrying about running out of mobile credit.

Here are some benefits of Mobile Top-Up Services:

Cost-Effective Communication: By sending mobile top-ups, international students enable their loved ones to make local calls and send messages without incurring additional costs. This cost-effective solution ensures more frequent and extended communication.

Instant Accessibility: The top-up service provides instant access to mobile credit, eliminating the need for physical recharge cards or trips to local stores. This convenience is particularly valuable in emergency situations or when immediate communication is required.

Supporting Loved Ones: Through mobile top-ups, students express their care and support for their family members. It goes beyond words and provides a tangible way to contribute to the well-being of those back home.

Personal Stories

To truly understand the impact of mobile top-up services, let’s hear from some international students who have experienced the positive effects firsthand.

Maria’s Story

Maria, a student from Spain studying in the UK, shares, “Being away from my family was tough, especially during the initial months. I wanted to stay connected, but the costs of international calls were just too high. But mobile top-up services helped tremendously. Now, I can send credit to my family’s phones instantly, and we can talk more often without worrying about the bills.”

Raj’s Experience

Raj, from India, expresses, “My parents live in a rural area with limited access to online payment methods. Sending them money for mobile recharge used to be a complicated process. But using mobile top-up services makes things simple. I can top up their phones directly from the UK, ensuring they always have the means to reach out to me.”

Ahmed’s Experience

Ahmed, facing financial constraints, says, “I couldn’t afford regular international calls. Mobile top-up service was a game-changer. I could recharge my family’s phones with just a few clicks, making communication affordable and frequent.”

More Connection with the People You Love

In all, staying connected for international students goes beyond just bridging the physical distance. It’s more about overcoming the obstacles created by time zones, costs, language problems, and limited internet access.

Fortunately, cellphone top-up services have stepped in to address these prevalent issues by offering cost-effective, easy solutions.

With these services, overseas students in the UK can concentrate on their studies while maintaining the most important contacts. So, whether it’s a fast text or a voice conversation, distance should never be an impediment to staying connected with the people we care about.