This post will be for all friends and family who want to keep in touch with us while we are abroad. It provides some tools and services to manage things with us and our kids.
I will not post most of our contact info on the web. If you need to get these pieces of information, find us on facebook.
Communication
First of all, understand we will be 7 hours ahead. So when it is 7:00 pm in Chicago, it is 2:00 AM in Budapest. Please don't call us at 7:00 pm Chicago time.
We will maintain new US numbers through Voice over IP services on our phones. They will hopefully support both voice and SMS services. Message us for the new numbers.
I am going to try to keep our current phone numbers on Google Fi, but they will mostly be turned off when we are abroad...we will turn them on when we are stateside.
The best way to get in touch with us is using the following apps in order of preference:
1. Whattsapp - this is a mobile app available on Android or Apple that allows for SMS, multimedia sharing and phone calls. It is a reliable service and owned by Facebook. I think this will be our primary service where you can reach us on the go. You can find us by our phone numbers.
2. Facebook Messenger - Also offers messaging, multimedia sharing, and phone calls. We will also likely be available on the go using this service but it is secondary to Whatsapp. The messenger app is available for Android, Apple and Windows devices.
3. Viber - Same as Whatsapp...we don't use it now, but may begin to use it more later. Again, you can look us up by our phone number. The app is available for Andoid and Apple devices.
4. Skype - Right now we use this for planned calls only as most of the above services aren't available on laptops. There is an app available for Android, Apple and Windows devices. We typically do not have the Skype app turned on on our phones.
Payments
Due to difference in banking systems and large expense in sending packages to Hungary ($65 for a envelope), sending a check will not work.
If you want to send us money (holiday gifts etc), there are three primary ways to do it:
1. Venmo - This is a phone app available for Android and Apple. The service is owned by Paypal, thus very reputable. You link it to a bank account and it allows you to send money for free. You can look us up by our email addresses.
2. Paypal - This is primarily more of a web application, though android and apple apps are available. You can send money as "friends and family" to us this way. This is a bit more difficult as we will then need to transfer money to our bank account. You can send money from credit card, but it will deduct a fee. Tranfers are free if you deduct from a bank account or use your paypal balance.
3. Zelle is a web application that allows you to send money from one bank account to another. Currently, our bank accounts do not support this, but I understand one of them will very soon.
4. Send a check to one of my parents. The check should be made out in their name, not ours.
Gifts
Shipping is EXTREMELY expensive unless you go through a specialized shipping service. It costs roughly $65 to send an envelope via Fedex/UPS and $600 for a 50 lb suitcase. You do not want to send packages through normal mail as they often get "lost" (ahem stolen) in transition.
Also, no store present in the US is also present in Hungary. the only gift card you can send would be Amazon, which leads me to my next point.
If you do want to get us or the kids a physical gift, the best way to do so is through Amazon.de (the German Amazon site). They will ship to us for free, though the price will be adjusted for Hungarian VAT at the end (think of it as sales tax). Please message us for address.
I will update this if we find other reliable websites to buy gifts.
Holiday Cards or Letters
You can send us cards or letters cheaply. Do not include anything of value as they are known to disappear (ahem stolen) in transit. Also, please do not send checks as we cannot cash them in Hungary.
