When loved ones move away or are travelling for long periods of time, it may seem impossible to know the best way to remain in regular contact. In addition, given the abundance of ways to communicate nowadays, it is understandable that you may find yourself fairly overwhelmed when deciding what the best way to communicate will be.

This decision seems even more difficult when it comes to your children. Of all members of society, children and young people are probably the most knowledgeable of the various ways to communicate, even when it is long-distance. Here are top ways to stay in contact with your child, and a few more important tips!

Set-up a Social Networking profile
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are fantastic ways to remain in contact with almost everyone. If your child is over the age of 13, before they leave set up two social network accounts; one for yourself and one for them.

Internet Calls
A plethora of companies allow internet calls to be made from country to country at some of the lowest rates. Sign up and get internet-calling!

Utilize E-mail
Brush up on your e-mailing skills, because long gone are the days of posting letters. There is no easier way than email, to send large amounts of information in written format.

Traditional Telephone
The telephone is still one of the best ways to keep in touch, make use of the traditional telephone and call as often as you can. If your child in travelling abroad and you are worried about the international rates of calling from a landline, spend a few minutes visiting comparison websites for the best mobile phone deals which can save you money at home and save your child from incurring high roaming charges.

Create contact schedule
Before your child leaves be sure to draw up a home away from home rota or a contact schedule, allocating the best times you can both contact one another.

Brainstorm with your children
Before they jet off, make sure you have discussed some of the important things they need to remember, like ways to keep in touch. Swap ideas with your child or children to find out which forms of communication they'd recommend and be comfortable with whilst they're away from home.

Keeping in touch requires contact information
Perhaps the most obvious thing to do when hoping to keep in touch with anyone is to make sure you have their contact details! However in the excitement or upset, you can be forgiven for forgetting to make sure that you have the right information in order to stay in touch with them. This is also essential because of the fast paced nature of the world today, in that young people can so frequently change their contact details, for example when purchasing a new SIM card they'll be using a new mobile phone number.

Final thoughts: keep all contact portals open
An equally obvious yet easily forgotten thing to do is making sure that you have the contact details of all the individuals who your child will be travelling with. This includes contact information for the place where your child will be staying while they travel.