When I went travelling in my gap year - over a decade ago, the only way I could keep in touch with my friends and family at home was via very expensive, time-delayed public phones, or through letters delivered to post restantes. While it was very exciting to receive letters when away, it was very difficult to judge where to send the letters to, or when we would be able to pick them up, as the post restante would only hold them for three months (it sounds like a long time - but our travelling plans were quite fluid).
This year a friend of mine got married in Melbourne, and my communications experience could not have been more different. With a young son at home with his Dad, I was able to go to Oz for five days but still know exactly how my son had slept, what he had eaten for every meal and receive photos of him sending me kisses across the globe, all thanks to broadband and mobile telecommunications!
Date: 11-12-2006
Sent by: Emma Batchelor
Category: Communication systems
