I very rarely use this forum for work purposes so I hope this is OK. I do think it’s a good fit for the STW demographic.

Anyway, I’m currently writing a feature about using technology to maintain work/life balance while away on business.

Do any of you use Skype or similar to see and chat with the kids while on business abroad? And would you be prepared to discuss with me?

Please drop me a line if you’re interested.

I find Whatsapp video call is handy for that.

I have done, but it wasn’t really worth it. I’ve always worked away during the week, and my family just get on with it no bother. Sometimes I Skype them from my phone if I am somewhere cool or want to show them something.

I do however use FB messenger to chat to my wife all day, on and off. That’s a big one for me. Talking bollocks about whatever is really on my mind to someone who really understands me is something I can’t get anywhere else, and it’s good. If we are in the middle of a good series on Netflix we will sometimes simultaneously watch an episode in our respective locations and then chat about it 🙂

I also FB post about where I am and what I am doing, for the sake of the wider family as they always like to know where I am. Particularly my wife’s Auntie in the US who would love to travel but can’t afford it – she can get a little adventure vicariously through my posts.

i reckon 10 posts before this gets smutty…

I travel a fair bit and have done for more than 20 years. Both my wife and I are profound introverts, however, and neither of us have much to say on a technological platform that wouldn’t be better discussed in person. So we don’t tend to use any form of communication when we are separate. If we do, it’s a matter of me asking her to give the little kids a kiss for me.

Having said that, I will have a goofy text exchange with one of my two eldest kids from time to time.

Use FaceTime a fair bit.

As per SaxonRider, I prefer to use text in many situations, and I can imagine texting my kids much more than I can Skyping them.

Yep. Skypeing at midnight from the US to catch our boys before they go to school.

In the Navy and used Skype quite a lot when I was in Bahrain for six months last year. We found it alright but gradually reverted to phone calls instead, just less of a distraction I guess and we also messaged each other quite a lot. I’m away during the week now and usually call every 3 days otherwise we haven’t got much of anything new to talk about.
Using Skype emojis to make up filthy phrases kept myself and my Wife quite entertained.

I’ve spent months on end working away from home, been away for over four months this year in two stints. Tend to stick to Whatsapp in the week due to the time difference being a pain in the harris. Skype on weekends.

Happy to go in to more detail on email if you want.

I have a daily Skype video call where the kids ignore me and the wife tells me about all the things that have broken in the house. I’m normally away three days/two nights per week.

I’d sack it off, but I’d never hear the end of it.

I send my kids postcards when I have to work away overnight. (Seriously, not trying to wind anyone up). Never had to do extended stays away from home though.

i do 6-6 in africa and use whatsapp.

Whatsapp desktop during the day for the spontaneous little bits of interaction, plain old phone calls in the evening. Tried FaceTime and the like but it just feels awkward.

I travel mainly through europe for business, but occasionaly longhaul. I’ve two children who are 4 and 2. I use Facetime for video calls (its better at tarting itslef across 4g / wifi as it needs) and whatsapp for texting, pictures or simple audio.

The 4yr-old gets very shy on facetime & will just sit and smile. The 2yr-old will shout. LOUDLY.

I always seem to be on holiday when my jobs are being erected on site, so I do it the other way round and facetime work when im away. Handy being to see any issues in realtime and being able to give a decision there and then.
Get some funny looks when you are on the beach though 😆

WhatsApp, FaceTime, skype, postcards, and a travelling highland cow who joins me on my travels. Kids can follow the cow’s adventures on twitter which apparently makes it all much easier to understand than “dad’s going away to x again”.

If it keeps them happy then I’m happy. Does get some weird looks in airport security though.

My boy is two and a half, he loves FaceTime and talks away like he won’t on the phone.
I don’t work away often though. So it’s more for fun really.

Do any of you use Skype or similar to see and chat with the kids while on business abroad? And would you be prepared to discuss with me?

Yep but I’m away from tomorrow 🙁

Most likely back come Friday …. but feel free to send any questions or pm ….

I’ve been doing 3 nights away for the last few years, use Whatsapp and also Life360 so I can see where the wife’s spending her time….

I’ve been working away for the last 18 months, 5 days a week with the odd Friday at home.

We just have a regular slot every evening where I speak to my Wife and two children by Facetime. It’s nothing like being at home but my Wife comments often that I get to find out more about what the children did at school through a focussed Facetime call then she does through an evening with them before bedtime.

Neither of us work away but between work, school and kids activities, we use text and WhatsApp to stay in touch. Some days we don’t meet from the moment I get out of bed in the morning till when I get back into into it at night.

I’m assuming MrsMC does actually get out the bed and go to work……

Most conversation is by phone. Most regular thing is that I always take a couple of travelling teddies with me and send a picture of them getting up to something every day. In fact here’s one of the little scamps now…

[/url]Get Down Travel Ted Im Sure Those Bananas Are Heavy Enough Already by D(i)rT, on Flickr[/img]

Although these days I send pics using WhatsApp rather than flickr. The teds always give a wee challenge every day trying to get an inter sting pic too.

Working in locations all over Iraq for 4 years, occasionally in the UK and rest of middle East.

Skype sucks if the internet is poor – a conversation involving both parties repeating “hello?” And “can you hear me?” Is worse than no chat at all.

Traditional phone calls whenever possible, but 90% of the conversation is WhatsApp. Great for pictures, video and chat.

The key is it has to work – if whatever your using is buggy and slow and can’t work for fluid conversation then it’s worse than text messaging.

ohndoh – Member
I send my kids postcards when I have to work away overnight.

Keep meaning to do this – lovely idea. Posted about a similar subject the other night. Skype hasn’t worked for us (at all) – the small person gets bored almost instantly unless I start dancing / wearing a cloak / any other silly thing.

But perhaps that’s because I’m unexciting? Hard to say but I expect small children just don’t care very much when dad is working away!

Work away 1-2 days most weeks and all week occasionally

Facetime is our medium of choice , mainly because they can all crowd round the ipad [when the kids can be dragged of xbox]

Whatsapp also gets some use and imessage

Thanks for all the responses, I have messaged the two of you who expressly said you’d be willing to discuss.

Using PM system as hotmail has been down all bloody day.

🙂

I tend to use FaceTime, but it usually just results in the youngster pulling faces and doing extreme close ups of nostrils or in his mouth.
So for conversation, FaceTime audio.

its changed a bit in the last few years….

working on a standby boat in the north sea 15 years ago, i’d write a letter, it’d go in a binbag with the rest of the boats mail, fast rescue boat would launch and take it to the rig, crane would drop its hook to collect the bag, wind it up, bag goes on next chopper, someone posts letter….

Girlfriend posts reply letter c/o operator of oilrig in the field where my ship’s working, it goes out in chopper with other mail and newspapers, riggers read the newspapers then next day bag them up with our mail, throw it over the side of the rig into the sea, call us on the radio for a man-overboard exercise, we launch fast rescue boat and recover bag of newspapers/mail, letter finally gets to me….

now i use whatsapp/ FB messenger. Limited internet bandwidth means that video calling, and sometimes voip is frustrating at best