From my experience last year, interviews were offered from October until January as mentioned. I had some interview offers through the mail also. The letters are not all bad! 🙂 So if you are on an abroad rotation and do not have access to your mail and phone and only your email, then you might miss out on the first crack to the interview. Remember, some programs have limited spots for interviews and you want to secure the ideal date for you. This is done by a first come, first serve basis. If you have someone (family, friend, etc.) answering your phone and mail, then it might be nice to get away as long as you have access to a phone at your abroad rotation to call and confirm the interview.
Good luck in making your decision.