How to stay in touch while away at University or on a gap year break

The summer education term may be coming to an end but already tens of thousands of students across the country will be thinking about heading off to University in September.

But while leaving home means leaving behind your family and friends, it doesn’t mean you can’t stay in touch – even if it’s only to ring dad and ask for some cash and to let your mum know when you’ll be back with the dirty washing.

The internet offers plenty of ways to communicate, often for free, meaning the tightest student budget will go a lot further.

And if you’re heading off on a gap year break, there’s even less excuse for not ensuring those left in cold, rainy Britain know you are safe and having a good time.

Jon Blumberg of Sky Broadband commented: “Planet Earth may seem a huge place but over the last 100 years the world has got smaller thanks to major changes in both transport and communication.

 “Now you can speak to someone on the other side of the globe for free, using your broadband connection, and it’s as if they’re in the room with you.

“For students heading to University, the internet not only provides them with the means to complete their course, it also ensures they can stay in touch with their family. Once they’ve finally got up that is.”

Below Sky Broadband offers a range of tips to make the most of all the internet has to offer for students and gap year travellers…

Internet Phone Calls: Sending telephone calls through your broadband is known as Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP. It may sound complicated but it’s so easy when you sign up to free to a service like MSN Messenger.

By logging on to the internet, whether using a wired or wireless connection, you can call relatives from far flung countries at a fraction of regular prices – either simply with speech or video too using a webcam.

There are various apps available for smartphones and tablets such as the iPhone, Android and iPad. But if you’re using these services abroad, be sure you only do it using wireless internet as connecting through the device’s 3G mobile data can be very costly as it will incur roaming charges.

Mobile Dongle: Carry your own wireless internet hotspot in your pocket with one of these nifty gadgets. The small device creates an internet signal thanks to a mobile phone SIM card inside. You can even use it to hook up multiple gizmos such as a laptop, smartphone, games console and tablet.

They are available on monthly contracts as well as pay as you go but remember, if you use one abroad, it could prove costly due to more expensive network roaming charges.

Cloud Coverage: Services like The Cloud blanket the UK in a cloak of wireless internet. You can’t see it, but it’s always there, offered in shops, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and even pubs. It’s not available just on the street.

You can buy set amounts of minutes and log on as and when you need it. Check your mobile phone contract too as many smartphone owners get bundled minutes for free from their network provider.

Safe Surfing: Always make sure the networks you connect to are secure as you could be putting your personal details at risk if you do internet banking or any other sensitive task. Always protect your computer with a firewall to avoid it being hacked into.

Blog It: You might not feel like writing anything extra when you’ve essays and dissertations to produce but tapping out a few blog posts each week is a great way to left off steam and tell the world what you’re thinking.

It’s simple to create a free one using services like Posterous, WordPress, Blogger or Tumblr and you can customise it with different colours, themes and images. What you write about is entirely up to you but just remember your granny might read it, and she might not want to know what you got up to after that heavy cut-price drinking session in the local nightclub.

Picture It: Photo-sharing websites such as Flickr are perfect for creating streams of pictures that can be viewed on the internet by your family. Whether it’s your Uni life or snaps from those travels, this is simple to set up and free. There are also digital picture frames on the market that connect up to the internet through Wi-Fi. So if your parents or relatives have one at home, you just email the pictures directly to it. But make sure you send the right ones.

Social Media: We all know how Facebook and Twitter can be useful to stay in touch, but remember to always sign out when you are finished if using them on shared or public computers. You wouldn’t want your housemates posting something silly on there, would you? Never write down your passwords, and if you’re worried what the family back home might think about your Uni antics, then there’s always the built-in privacy controls.

Music Soundtrack: Whether it’s tunes to help make those long nights studying easier or something to play on your travels, Last.fm can keep you in touch by sharing playlists. With Last.fm you’ll also be able to see what music your friends and family are listening to and they can view the same about you. Internet radio is also a great way to feel like you are back home. Check out TuneIn Radio for hundreds of stations.

Stay Secure: Whatever ways you choose to use the internet at University or while travelling, always follow the same rules you would if you were in the comfort of your own home. Use a firewall, never open attachments or links sent from sources you don’t know, and however old you are, be careful when meeting ‘friends’ you only first found in the virtual world.

Online Gaming: Uni’s all about having fun right? Well, when work gets too much and you can’t write another word, turning to the games console or PC to play your friends and family sometimes helps. But remember, online gaming can present its own security dangers. Always be careful when clicking any links shared with you by friends on social networks that claim to be invites to play games – they could be viruses. Also watch out when online gaming on consoles and adding friends to your account, not everyone is who they say they are!