A brief guide on how to stay in touch with friends and relatives after relocating.

Leaving loved ones behind when you relocate abroad can be heart wrenching and even the stunning surrounds of your new location may not be enough to make you forget the bonds you’ve forged over a lifetime.

 Keeping friends and relatives up to date with your latest movements could help to keep your connection strong and keep all parties occupied until the next visit.

Use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to upload photos, add wall posts and create an online network of friends both new and old. The sites will also help you understand what your nearest and dearest are up to, and will save you amassing huge phone bills.

Use Skype or other similar programmes to make video calls without paying a penny and spend hours catching up on the family dramas. Grandparents can also watch their grandchildren growing over time and keep up active presence in their lives on a weekly or daily basis.

Write a letter and hark back to a technology-free era. Receiving heartfelt letters always seems more personal than a rushed email and you can include photographs or small gifts in your envelope to surprise loved ones.

Share photos with family members and friends at sites such as Photobucket, Shutterfly, and Slide.com. Once you have signed up you can download pictures to create an album and email the link to as many people as you like.

Start an online blog at websites such as blogger.com or wordpress.com and you can make daily or weekly posts about the ups and downs of your move, as well as adding photos and sharing the posts through both Twitter and Facebook.

You can post videos of family events and other special occasions on YouTube and email the appropriate links to family and friends.

If you’re still feeling the pang of missing those closest to you, a real-life visit may be the only thing to put you out of your misery.

Relocating abroad

After you have said your goodbyes to your family, the process of relocating overseas can be a complex and overwhelming experience. Fortunately, relocation agents can offer assistance with a number of issues form storage to searching for the best quality local schools.