There could be several reasons why you and your bestie find yourselves in a long distance friendship.
One of you may have moved away, you could have met online or even on holiday.
Whatever the situation, you have an amazing friendship and are looking for ways to stay connected and not drift apart.
Well, you’ve come to the right place!
It’s no secret that friendships make us happier so it’s important to keep them strong.
So how do we do that?
Here are our top tips on how you can strengthen your long distance friendship, no matter what life throws at you!
Before we begin: We need to tell you to give yourself a pat on the back. Being aware of the situation and wanting to do something about it shows just how much you value your friendship!
How to Maintain a Long Distance Friendship
1. Gifts Work
Studies have shown that sending gifts can make the giver happier than the receiver.
It’s a great way to let a friend know how much they mean to you and that you’re thinking about them. The sharing of gifts is a beautiful experience and there are some great long distance themed options to help build upon your friendship.
Gifts for Long Distance Friends
Bond Touch Vibrating Bracelets – These are amazing bracelets you both wear, and with a single tap, send custom vibrations whenever you’re thinking about them.
Friendship Lamps – Similar to the bracelets, friendship lamps connect to each other over wifi, touching one will turn on both lamps. It’s a simple gesture that can mean a lot to those you care about.
Spinning Heart Messenger – This is a beautiful way of digitally sending a traditional love note. The heart on the box will spin as soon as the message is received!
For more details on these gifts and some other amazing options, check out our recent article on the best long distance friendship gifts for your BFF.
2. Keep To A Schedule
They say “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” and that is true in many areas of life, including long distance friendships.
It’s easy to go about your regular routine, only to find that you’ve reached the end of the day and forgotten about the loose plans to video chat with your friend. If this happens too many times you’ll start to feel you’re drifting apart.
It’s a brilliant idea to schedule a time when you’re both going to be free. This is especially important if you’re in different timezones and have limited time when you’re both available.
Even if it’s just a 5-minute update, schedule it in and you’ll feel better for it.
3. Continue Shared Interests
You’re friends for a reason, right? It could be that you both love the same music, type of movies or sports team.
Make sure that you continue to share a love for whatever connected you in the first place and talk about them often.
To Note: If you find an article or video on something that interests both of you, don’t hesitate to share it. A couple of taps and you can have it directly attached in your chat conversation! It’s also a subtle way to show your friend that they are never far from your thoughts.
4. Watch Movies & Shows Together
Who doesn’t love to relax and unwind while watching their favorite TV show or movie?
Why not use this time to watch something together, and in sync!
We remember the days when you both would need to have the video file and countdown from three before pressing play. That’s now a thing of the past thanks to Kastapp.co.
You and your long distance best friend (or even a group of friends) can watch something with just one subscription as you can broadcast what’s playing to each other.
There is also a chat system built in so you don’t need another app to communicate while watching!
Want more? We’ve put together a list of the best (and free) ways for friends to watch movies together online and in sync!
5. Collab Mixtapes
While it’s still possible, the days of putting a selection of songs on a mixtape are pretty much over. It is a very cute thing to do, but we definitely prefer these two choices available to us today.
- Creating a playlist for your long distance BFF through a music streaming service.
- Collaborating and creating a playlist together!
Doing this with Spotify is super simple. You can create a playlist that you can then share and even collaborate on so that you both can listen to it whenever possible.
Check out this guide on how to you can make a shared playlist together.
Want to collaborate and listen together? Check out our recent post on the best ways to listen to music together online with friends.
6. Play Online Games Together
Playing the same game on your favorite console or device is a great way to have fun together wherever you are.
Whether it’s an immersive first-person shooter, massively multiplayer online (MMO) or even a simple app, there are so many options that you’re bound to find something that suits both of you.
We love simple smartphone based games that can be played without both of you needing to be playing at the same time. This allows you to play the same game for days if not weeks! Some options we like to play are:
Want to level-up your gaming experience? Check out our list of the best games for long distance friends to play together online.
7. Your Two Person Book Club
If you both enjoy reading, why not pick up the same book?
You may even learn something new about each other while suggesting different books and genres.
Amazon has such a huge selection of books that you’re bound to find something you’ll both enjoy.
Afterwards, sharing your thoughts on the book is not only a great way to bond, but you will also learn more about each other and the perspectives you have about different situations that the books present.
To Note: If you or your friend is a slow reader, Audible (another Amazon company) is a great option to listen along to the story.
8. Send Physical Letters
Many traditional ways of communicating, like handwritten letters, are becoming less popular in the digital age.
However, research has shown that there are many underestimated benefits, including boosting feelings of positivity and overall wellbeing when it comes to sending and receiving physical letters.
We can all remember the feeling we’ve had when sifting through the mail, finding mostly bills, then seeing a letter from a friend addressed to us!
Pure joy comes to mind!
Rather than sending a Facebook message, pick up a pen and piece of paper, a physical letter is a great way to show just how much you care about your friendship.
Not sure what to write? Check out our article on ideas for messages to send to your long distance friends and open when letter ideas for best friends!
9. Visit Each Other
One aspect that’s immensely valued in any relationship is effort. You want to feel as though your friend is putting in the effort and they likely expect it too.
Regular chats show a great deal of effort. But actually visiting each other in person takes it to another level!
Planning a visit or trip is also something you can bond over and do together.
TIP: While it is a great idea to plan things that you used to do or around your shared interests, remember to also think about options that help you to experience new and memorable things together!
10. Continue To Be Open With Each Other
When chatting with your long distance friends, you may have noticed that you’ve started to only talk about things on the surface. Those deep conversations you used to have are happening less and less.
It’s important to get away from the easy topics and truly ask how they feel.
If there’s something on their mind, you want them to still be able to talk to you openly. You’re friends because you know you can rely on each other and a little distance shouldn’t change that!
Remember, asking the right questions is only half the battle. Active listening is what brings it all together.
11. Social Media Is Your Ally
While social media shouldn’t replace how you communicate with one another, it can help create a subtle yet constant connection.
If you’ve been friends for some time on a social network like Facebook or Instagram the memories feature is great way to reminisce over things you did together in the past.
While you could use the Direct Message feature, Instagram also allows you to send stories to each other that you may not want everyone to see.
Want to let your friend know you’re thinking about them? Why not send them a quote about long distance friendships!
12. Best Friend Care Packages
Is your friend in another country or state where they don’t have the same things? Sending items from home can be an amazing gesture.
Think about some of the things they liked that they may not have access to.
- Food and Candy
- Drinks
- Cereals
It doesn’t have to stop there. Include other items like handwritten notes, pictures of you together and things you both enjoyed.
Need some inspiration? We’ve put together a few care package ideas that are perfect for long distance friends.
13. Dealing With Different Timezones
There’s a good chance that you’re going to be in different timezones.
If this is the case, depending on how big the time difference is, it may create difficulties around each other’s availability.
We’ve all sent a message that a friend hasn’t replied to immediately and as time passes we start to overthink the reasons why!
Guilty
Adding each other’s timezones on your phones can really help. You can even add the weather, which is a great way to feel closer to one another.
Now It’s Your Turn!
It’s very easy to let the hours, days and weeks slip away when you’re no longer seeing someone every day. We’ve touched on a few practical long distance friendship tips that you can easily start doing today.
Remember, you don’t have to do ‘all the things’, talk with your friend and pick a couple to try out together.
What are some of the ways you keep in touch with your long distance friends? Let us know in the comments below!
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