Happy FRIYAY. I am so happy it’s the end of another week. I can’t believe it’s pretty much the end of July…where the heck did the month go? We are over halfway done with the year and my head is still spinning. Today’s post was inspired by the best relationships I have with my #besties. I don’t live nearby most of my close friends, so learning how to keep a friendship alive when you live ~800 miles away from each other is SUPER important. Let’s dive into it.
10 Ways To Keep A Long Distance Friendship Alive
(four of my favorite humans in the world — thank you internet for bringing us all together)
There are SO many articles on how to keep long distance relationships alive — but not quite as many on long distance friendships. I believe it’s JUST as important to be able to keep friendships going because we ALL need friends (and GOOD friends, too).
Way #1: Be the first to reach out.
Technology is amazing. You don’t even have to be on the phone or in person to tell a funny joke or a “remember when” story. If BOTH of you keep this mentality, you will have a REALLY good base for a friendship. Keep in mind — this doesn’t work if you are the only one utilizing this rule. My best friend from high school (we’re still best friends today — read our bff questionnaire here) and I have a good habit of texting each other first. It alternates back and forth between the two of us, so neither of us feels like we are always the first to talk to one another.
Way #2: Use Facebook for good.
I don’t LOVE Facebook most of the time (it’s gotten fairly negative), but one thing I do like is the fact that I can tag my friends in funny videos that make me think of them, memes that make us both laugh, pictures that describe our friendship, etc. I get tags daily from my girls that make me ROLL with laughter. It makes me feel THAT much closer to them.
(Jordan and Brooke, my college besties)
Way #3: If there is more than two of you, GROUP CHATTTTTT.
I have a group chat going with 4 of my best friends and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us. Yes — my phone is constantly blowing up but since I’m USUALLY an active part of the situation I like it. It’s been amazing when one of us needs an immediate phone call for moral support, someone is always there, no matter what. We are funny together, and can bounce ideas off of each other.
Way #4: Google Hangout / FaceTime / Skype Sesh
I don’t care what your preferred form of video chat is, but whatever it is, DO IT. Once a week, I do a Google Hangout with a group of girlfriends and it’s SO amazing. I schedule it into my week so I don’t miss it. It makes us feel like we are all together. It’s an AWESOME way to keep yourselves close to one another.
Way #5: Snapchat
Some people really don’t like snapchat but I kind of love it. I can send little snippets of my day to my friends and it helps us keep each other in the loop with the little things you usually miss when you catch up only every so often. The face filters and voice filters are funny and we make each other laugh. It’s a great way to stay connected.
(Chelsea – my high school best friend and also soul mate)
Way #6: Call each other when you are in the car.
When I’m stuck in the car for a long time, I make my rounds calling all my friends. If I let them know ahead of time when I’ll be driving, I know how long they can chat and it’s a good way for me to pass the time and at the same time, catch up with my favorite people!
Way #7: Pretend movie dates.
Make a time to sit down and watch the same movie at the same time. Put each other on FaceTime and start the movie at the same time. One of us usually mutes our end of the TV so we don’t hear an echo. Then we watch together! It’s like having a sleepover together all over again. Making time to do little things like this is CRUCIAL to keeping a long distance friendship alive.
Way #8: Write letters or send care packages.
Who doesn’t love getting mail? I know I do. And I know my friends do, too. I love writing little notes and sending them to my girls every so often. It makes us all feel like we are loved. One of my dear friends from college sent me a care package on a week I was feeling really crappy and it just COMPLETELY lifted my spirits. She wasn’t with me in person, but that little gesture to show how much she loved me was exactly what I needed.
(Brooke + Katie — my college roommates and amazing humans)
Way #9: Don’t cancel your “dates”.
We know life gets busy. And obviously, some things need to be given some grace. However, try your best not to cancel when you make plans (movie nights, video chats, phone calls, etc). The easier it gets to cancel, the harder it will be to keep your friendship. Time differences can be hard, but try your BEST to make it a priority.
Way #10: DO NOT forget big life events.
Birthdays. Wedding anniversaries. Your friendaversary. Any day that is significant for them, should be significant for you, too. It doesn’t mean you have to always send a gift (money can be tight and everyone should understand that) but there is NO excuse not to call or even TEXT. Big days like these can mean a lot to people and if you are making your relationship a priority, then these days have to be a priority, too.
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
I hope that this helped you learn some new ways to keep your friendships alive and well, even when you are long distance. It’s hard to make sure you keep friends when you can’t regularly go out to lunch, hang out at home or even just see a movie once a month. It was so easy in high school when Chelsea lived exactly 7 minutes (10 if I got stopped at the main stoplight) away. It was even easier in college when my best friends lived in my same apartment with me, in the same ROOM, even. It can be done — it’s just not as easy as it once was.
(My first Jordan from High School and my second Jordan from College)
Let me know in the comments below if you have a long distance friend — and how you make it work for you!!
Awesome tips! Most of my friends are scattered around the country – it’s hard to maintain those friendships, but so worthwhile.
This is adorable! A ton of my friends are moving away soon, and I have been nervous about keeping in touch. It’s so nice to know that it’s possible 🙂
Aweee i love this post and you!!! Seriously, i feel like all my friends are long distance! I spend more time on facetime and skype and google hangout sessions than i do with local friends haha!
Great list!!! I moved away from St. Louis 2 years ago and have used most of these tips to keep close with all the friends I left behind. It’s a lot of work but it’s so worth it!!
Great list! There is a group of us from college who all live away from each other now, but we do our best to keep in touch. I love the idea of writing a letter!! I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that!
Love this, Taylor! I’m the same way. Pretty much all of my friends are 2+ hours away from me. Snapchat and group texts help get us through for sure!
Great suggestions. Technology makes it so much easier to stay connected with people who are far away!
You’re right, constant communication is key! It’s so easy to lose touch with the daily life otherwise!
Great tips! I have a couple friends that are long distance – one in New York and one in Sweden so it can be hard to keep up. I tend to text and send cards/gifts to the first one and the one in Sweden, we use Facebook and Skype!
-Lauren
These are really good ways to stay in touch! I use most of these on the daily to stay in touch with friends that arnt far away too!
These are all great tips! Not living near my besties is definitely a struggle, but three of my girlfriends and I just started a notebook that we mail to each other each week with what we’re up to. It’s a fun way to keep in touch, since most of us get so busy we don’t do a ton of group chatting!
http://hollyhabeck.com
“Be the first to reach out” …so simple yet so important with any friendship. I love the care package idea too!
I really like this post. As I head into my last year of college, I have made so many new friends, as well as several high school friends that I still am close with. But I graduate in May and I hope that after that I will be able to continue several of these friendships after we all move to different places.
This post is great, Taylor! I have many friends that are now all over the country after graduating from high school and college, so it can definitely be hard to keep up friendships when you’re not super close to each other. These are all great tips for keeping those friendships alive when they’re far away 🙂
Kristen | http://www.sophisticatedgal.com
Oh I love the movie date. What a great idea!
My bestest friend lives over 20 hours from me, so I feel this post so much. I text her throughout the day, and anytime we see something that reminds us of each other, we tag each other or send photos. We also like to send little friendship pen pal boxes back and forth to share books, send little gifts, etc. when our husbands are out, we like to get bottles of wine and have A Skype sesh for a long distance girls night!
It’s funny, I really hate talking on the phone, but I love Skype/Google Hangouts, haha. It’s definitely a fun way to catch up without having to travel. These are such great tips!
I love all your suggestions. Group chats are my fav. Thanks for sharing.
❥ tanvii.com
There are some really great tips here. There are definitely some relationships that I haven’t kept up with and I can’t wait to implement some of the tips into my life. Thank you for sharing
Those are all good ideas, and I especially love the idea of having movie nights! I live just far away enough from my good friends that it makes things hard. They are not all technologically savvy, so that makes it even harder! Lol
This is so special! I love this! My friends from high school are the best! We make an effort to plan trips together and recently I hosted our girlfriend’s retreat at my house and it was so amazing to bond and share!
xo Debbie | http://www.tothineownstylebetrue.com
Great tips. My friend Traci lives in another state and we talk weekly by phone. With that and Facebook we have remained friends for almost 10 years and when I moved cross country she flew in to road trip with me. We had a blast! True friends are true friends, no matter where they live.
You guys all look so great in your pictures! My best friend doesn’t really use technology, so I have to either call her to keep in contact, or send her a letter. So, we end up only communicating a few times a year. It would be so much easier if I could use the ideas you have!
Love this! Friendships are amazing and long distance friendships are sweet!!!
I really loved this post, so heart warming and inspiring! Most of my good friends live far away, so these are great tips to ponder..thanks for sharing!
Valerie
xo
These are all great tips! Most of my friends don’t live in the same city so we’re always Facetiming.
Great post! I have many amazing friends who live all over the country. We have managed to stay close for over a few decades. Yes, I’m aging myself. ???? I would also add to the list, plan a weekend trip once every other year to a different destination. It builds new memories and lets everyone catch up!
I agree that long distance besties are such an important relationship to nurture and work on! The majority of my friends live about 5 hours away since I moved out of state and it’s hard sometimes! I love the idea of having a “movie night”! We currently text during commercials of our favorite shows haha!
Joy
http://www.basicallyjoy.com/
Thank you for writing this! I guess I always get stuck at the first point, needless to say I pretty much don’t really excel at the rest. But, thanks for the guide! 🙂
Great ideas! My best friend lives a few hours away, so staying in contact is always good for us. We don’t see each other near as often as I wish we did.
Hi Taylor! This is such a great post. As a Military Family it seems like most of my closest friends are the farthest away. These tips are perfect making sure that doesn’t mean our friendship suffers. Thanks so much!
Love this! Really made me think about my bestie and how long it’s been since we’ve chatted. So skyping her tonight!
Great tips! My best friend lives in another state. We’ve been friends for over 20 years and 10 of those years have been long distance!
Things definitely take more effort after high school and college! I love the idea of using Facebook for good!
This is such a great list! Having a faux movie date is something my close friend and I would enjoy together. We both like talking during movies, haha, so it would be perfect!!
I’ve become a bit distant from a childhood friend that lives in a different country, but hopefully I could use some of these to rekindle our friendship 🙂
being the first to reach out is a Wonderful tip!! thank you