The woes of international business: staying connected with loved ones

Family photo from Christmas: from left to right–my older sister Krystal, myself, my younger brother Brent, my father, and my oldest brother Patrick.

The woes of international business....

In my previous posts, I spoke of the exciting aspects of having a career in international business. You get to travel the world, and experience new cultures! You acquire so many little trinkets and souvenirs to decorate your house and to gift to friends and family. I can go on forever about the reasons why you should go into international business, however, we must also consider the negatives of this globe-trotting, business lifestyle.

You are going to be gone on business trips…. frequently….sometimes for long periods of time.

Most people have a family, or plan on starting a family. This type of lifestyle would seem nearly impossible–how can I have a family and travel? This would require you to be away from your family for long periods of time; something many people would not be willing to sacrifice. This is often the main challenge of people pursuing a career that requires frequent travel. There is an element of guilt–and often times children and spouses can feel abandoned. 

Wow, this post just quickly got depressing! 

It’s sad, but this is an important challenge that people in international business must face. However, do not worry!  There is light at the end of the tunnel! Don’t start packing it in, don’t drop your classes–you can still go into international business with a family, and without fear of neglecting anyone!

Luckily for you all, I have been researching ways that people alleviate these challenges that arise regarding frequent travel while having a family. 

There are, of course the obvious solutions; all of which have to do with technology. Thankfully, in this day and age, it is becoming much easier to stay connected to people, even on a global basis. It is much easier to communicate with someone 700 miles ways, than it was just 10 years ago. We have a wealth of communication technologies available, many of us are familiar with two of the more popular softwares available, such as Facetime and Skype, which can ease the burden of being away from family. Technologies like these can allow you to communicate with someone face-to-face in real time, no matter the location. There are many other alternative forms of video communication applications available for most phones and devices.

Facebook messenger

Facebook is the most popular social media network, and because of this, many of us already have this app installed on our phone. What we don’t know is that Facebook messenger now allows for video chatting with Facebook friends. The best part about this application, is its ease of usage. This is very important for people with young children. To make a video call, it’s as simple as choosing the person you want to call, and tapping the camera button in the top right corner. This is very child friendly, and makes it easier to stay connected to children while traveling. Facebook messenger is available for iOS, Android, and virtually any device connected to a Facebook account. 

Google Duo

Google Duo is a new application released by Google, with the aim of simplifying the video-chatting experience of users. This application simplifies person-to-person communication by offering simple controls, that can be easily used by children. The best part about this app is the fact that you are not required to use a specific account–you can simply log in using your phone number. Unfortunately, Google Duo is only available for smartphones–there are no web versions as of now. One particularly interesting aspect of this application, is that it has the ability to sense bandwidth problems–when issues are sensed, Google Duo decreases the quality of the video stream in order to maintain a connection. Duo also has the ability to switch between Wi-Fi and cellular signals in order to maximize the strength and bandwidth of the call. This will be particularly important for people traveling outside of the country. You can now be better connected with your loved ones, and have more assurance that your video calls won’t drop in the middle of a call. We all know how frustrating that is, especially for young children. This is probably my favorite video communication app–Duo puts in more effort to preserve calls and connections. Having a career that requires travel puts enough strain on personal relationships; however, it seems that Google has created the perfect app to make long distance communicate with our families so much easier! Google Duo is available for iOS and android.

IMO

IMO instant messenger is an available application for iPhone and android users. Like Facebook messenger and Google Duo, IMO is popular because of its ease of use. IMO allows users to communicate with others, regardless of the device they use; this application supports AIM, Facebook messenger, google talk, MSN messenger, and yahoo. Like Duo, IMO can be used on your network connection–2G, 3G, and 4G– or any wi-fi connection. One of my favorite things about this app, is that it allows for group video calls. Users can chat with multiple family and friends at the same time. People traveling internationally can now easily stay connected to their families, and can now speak to them all simultaneously; it’s almost like you never left! This app can easily become a favorite for people with occupations that require frequent travel.

JusTalk

The final video communication app that I am going to talk about is a fairly unknown one, JusTalk. This is probably the least known on my list, but don’t worry, I included it for a good reason! Like the other applications on my list, JusTalk allows users to make free HD-quality video calls over their network connection or Wi-Fi; this includes EDGE, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.  This application allows for group chat and calls with people no matter their location. The best part about this app is how it makes video calls fun; you can doodle, send stickers, and play games while on video call! This is particularly important for people with young children. It’s bad enough that you can’t talk to them face-to-face, but with the tools and activities of this app, you can make long distance video chatting fun! While this app is fairly uncommon, this does not pose an issue with connecting to people; if someone you wish to communicate does not have the app, they can simply connect using any web browser or social media site for free!

All of the applications suggested are available free for most smart phones and devices. Technology now allows us to stay connected to loved ones and family members, no matter where we are in the world. Business trips can be fun, but it’s not always easy leaving family behind. Luckily, with these video communications app, we can make things much easier!

While, I myself don't have children, I have a large family; so, staying connected is very important to me.

Family photo: From left to right–my father, my brother Brent, my little sister Emina, my grandmother, my oldest brother Patrick, My little sister Evie, my nephew Jaiden, and my Uncle.

This was taken when my grandmother was visiting from Nigeria–yet another reason it is imperative for me to stay connected–from left to right–my oldest sister Krystal, myself, my grandmother, my older brother Patrick, and my younger brother, Brent.

Myself and my youngest sister, Emina

Myself and my sister Edia

Emina and I again 😊