They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but if you and your friend are separated by a few thousand miles, maintaining those friendships can suddenly seem so much more difficult.
Making friends at school and university is easy because you live so close to each other, but it’s a natural part of life to move away after that point – whether it’s for a new job, to be with a partner, or just because you or your bestie want to go travelling long-term.
If you’ve got a long-distance friendship, and you’re wondering how to keep in touch and stay as close as ever, then the good news is, that with a little bit of time and effort on both sides, it’s easy! Discover our tips below to keep that bond just as strong…
Schedule in regular catch ups
This seems obvious, but with all the different technology available to us, it’s not like it’s difficult to keep in touch with each other!
From Whatsapp to FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Zoom and more, make the time to schedule in a monthly call, where you both clear your diaries for an evening, so you can have a proper catch up.
Make it cute and cook dinner together at the same time while you’re catching up, or order a takeaway so you can have dinner (or lunch, depending on the time distance) together. Alternatively, you could both have a little pamper session during your catch up – think facemasks and painting your nails.
Essentially, doing something fun that you’d usually do together is a great way to maintain your long-distance friendship, and will make the two of you even closer.
Send surprise care packages
Catch ups are great, but nothing feels as good as receiving something in the post – especially if it’s from a long-distance friend!
Sending little presents in the post every now and then will be a nice surprise for them, and will let them know you’re thinking about them. It could be something small and thoughtful, like a friendship bracelet, or a lovingly put-together care package, containing some classic British comfort food, such as posh tea bags, Cadbury’s chocolate and Digestive biscuits.
Not only does it feel great sending someone a present (especially if it’s your bestie, who lives thousands of miles away), but you never know, you might just get one in return!
Pick something you can do together, apart
Whether it’s reading the same book, trying out a yoga class, or watching a new TV series, pick something you both enjoy and do it separately, and then catch up about it after!
From talking about the plot twist you didn’t see coming, to how you managed to perfect the downwards dog, or your new favourite characters, you’ll be able to constantly message each other about it until your next catch up – and it’ll feel just as good as if you did it together.
Pull a Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
Take inspo from one of the most iconic noughties chick flicks around, and think outside of the box when it comes to keeping in touch with long-distance friends.
OK, so we admit that finding a pair of jeans that you both fit into might be a bit of a stretch (literally), but how about a T-shirt or a jumper instead? Post it to each other once a month so you can both take turns wearing it – just make sure that when you send it over, you include a note of what you got up to when you were wearing it!
Plan a break away together
Obviously, this requires money and forward-planning, but now the world has opened up again, it’s quite literally your oyster!
Whether you plan to fly out and visit your bestie in their new hometown, or you choose to meet somewhere halfway, planning a trip away together will give you both lots to look forward to, and it means you can make even more shared memories together.
You could even turn this into a yearly thing, where you each take it in turns to pick a destination, so you can tick off some must-see countries on your bucket list!
Send each other a card
Messaging apps mean you can keep in touch instantly, but nothing feels quite as personal as receiving a letter or card.
Whether you agree to send them once a month, or keep it sporadic to add an element of surprise, send your bestie a friendship card or miss you card every now and then to let them know you’re thinking about them, with a sweet message inside.
Got the card, but struggling to think of what to say? Hopefully these quotes will get your creative juices flowing…
Long-distance friendship quotes
- “True friends stay with you no matter the distance or time that separates you from them.” – Lance Reynald
- “If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.” – Winnie the Pooh
- “True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart.” – Unknown
- “There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.” – Diana Cortes
- “No matter where you are, you will always be looking at the same moon as I am.” – Unknown
So, if you were wondering how to keep in touch with long-distance friends before you read this, hopefully you should now know that it’s pretty easy! All the two of you need to do is put a little bit of time aside for each other, to make sure that even if you’re separated by thousands of miles, you still stay just as close – or perhaps even closer – than you were when you were living in the same city.
Alternatively, we’ve got more friendship inspiration, including how to get over a friendship breakup, to top tips on celebrating Best Friend’s Day and more. Over on our blog, you can also discover all the other articles we’ve written.
