My kids and I have really got into skiing over the past couple of years and we can’t wait to hit the slopes again just after Christmas. My 11, 8 and 6 year old are desperate to get out in the snow and together with my husband we love getting away from all the hustle and bustle of Christmas for some real family time, safe in the knowledge that we’re just a video call away from our friends and close family. Our packing list is growing each year with thermals and layers aplenty, along with our all-important phones and tablets to make sure we’re still in touch with extended family at such a special time of the year.
With travel adaptors all safely packed, don’t forget to make sure you’ve got your all essential apps loaded onto your devices. I’m regularly in touch with friends and family via Instagram and Facebook, and having a good video calling app like Whatsapp or Skype installed is also recommended. I love to make sure that I’ve got ski condition reports loaded and although I’m a big fan of a paperback, because space in my bags can be at a premium, I will upload a couple of e-books for time off the slopes or make sure that the kids have a movie or some games to play as we take the long drive from the airport to the resort. It’s a great idea to download the My EE app to keep an eye on your usage and rest assured that you know where your monthly allowance is up to. With 4G coverage in many EU countries it couldn’t be easier to stay in touch and grandparents will appreciate us sending back videos and photos of the children on the slopes, while I’m reassured that it’s all part of my regular monthly package thanks to EE’s international roaming.
I love grabbing my phone and heading up onto the piste with it tucked into my ski jacket. Not only can you get great family photos of the kids getting to grips with their skis to share with my family on social media, but you never know when you’ll come across something spectacular like a giant snowball and will want to grab a snap.
Stopping in for a hot chocolate at one of the mountain restaurants, it’s great to be able to check in with my husband to see how he’s getting on, make a quick Skype call to my family or post a photo to Instagram. It’s worth remembering to bring a portable pocket charger for your phone too, as your mobile battery will be affected by the lower temperatures.
Many resorts are well equipped with Wi-Fi hotspots so as well as preserving your battery life, it’s always a good plan to take advantage of free guest Wi-Fi options at cafes, hotels and restaurants whenever you can. It’s great to be able to Facetime or make a Skype video call from the heart of the ski village and keep up to date with each of my close friends. Being connected to Wi-Fi is also a good way of ensuring you don’t use up your data whilst roaming. I love that EE sends a text to let me know how I’m going with my data usage, so I always know where I’m up to, and because of their data caps I know that I won’t go over my allowance by accident.
Lots of the ski resorts across Europe are places where you can use your minutes, texts and data for no extra cost so it means making phone calls and writing emails to friends to arrange get togethers back in the UK couldn’t be simpler. I’ve found that there are times when the Wi-Fi back in the ski lodge hasn’t been as good as I had hoped, so thanks to EU roaming I can make use of the hotspot option on my iPhone and link it up to my laptop. It’s a great solution for getting online and linking up is so seamless while not incurring any further costs.
Taking some time to prepare ahead of getting to the ski slopes makes all the difference and having my phone along with me means I can keep in contact with loved ones over the seasonal break and share how we’re getting along in the snow. My kids love to be able to contact their relatives to say thanks for their presents and we’ve been known to make a video call using WhatsApp from the ski lodge to grand-parents while the children are opening their gifts.
I’d love to hear your ideas for staying connected with family and friends while out of the country. What are your best tips? Leave a comment below.
