Maybe not everyone’s been in a long-distance romantic relationship, but it’s safe to say that most people have dealt with some sort of a long-distance friendship in their lifetime. Think about it: as college students, most of the friends we grew up with are now miles and miles away from us, living their own lives at their own schools. Some friends are farther away than others, but no matter what the distance, staying in touch with your faraway BFF’s can be super difficult…especially when school starts to get stressful. Below are some simple and fun ways to strengthen you and your bestie’s bond from a distance.
Calls & facetimes
This one may seem a bit obvious, but calling or facetiming your best friend(s) really is essential to maintaining your long-distance friendship. Just the other day, one of my best friends who goes to school at the University of Michigan texted me a screenshot of her iPhone calendar. I looked and saw that she’d blocked out an hour and a half and had labeled it “Call Rylie at 4 P.M. her time”. I literally laughed out loud at the fact she’d ‘scheduled’ me into her day like that, but hey it worked! We facetimed for almost exactly the amount of time she predicted and got each other caught up on our lives. Maybe you and your bestie(s) don’t necessarily need to plan your every call and can easily reach each other at all times, but no matter what the case, remember that calling and hearing each other’s voices will make you feel closer together even when far away.
Send ANYTHING that reminds you of them
Texting and DMing are two of the easiest ways nowadays to reach or contact friends…and there are so many social media platforms to choose from! Maybe you’re not able to call your best friend as often as you’d like, but at least you know they’re (virtually) only a few keystrokes away. One of the easiest ways to get a good laugh in with your BFF, no matter the distance, is simply by sending them anything that reminds you of them. Whether it’s a gif, a funny tweet, a VSCO post that’s got you in your feels, or literally anything relatable you think your bestie will understand, send it their way. Usually, a conversation will follow; maybe it’ll be a funny one or maybe it’ll be a nice deep talk, but any conversation you have with a best friend is certainly always useful and always needed.
Books and movies
This one I have yet to try myself, but I’ve heard that it can be really fun to read the same books or watch the same TV series or movies as your best friend. Whether it’s at the same time or over a period of time, these are amazing activities that allow you to actively “share” something with your faraway friend(s). When it comes to books, as college students it can be hard to find the time to free read, but maybe you have a free night one weekend to watch a new movie. Get your bestie to watch too, and then you can both catch up and talk about it the next time you text or call.
Letters
Writing letters is one of my personal favorite pastimes. I’ve always loved the good feeling that comes after sending mail… and receiving it, too! It may seem a bit old-fashioned, but writing a letter, or even a short note or card, to your best friend is such a thoughtful way to keep in touch. Getting that email notification from school that says you have mail waiting for you when you KNOW you didn’t order something is always exciting as well. It takes a bit of extra effort and a stamp or two, but sending mail to your best friend will not only leave them with a big smile on their face, but it’ll also leave you feeling full, rewarded, and smiling, too.
Hang out…but virtually
During that same facetime call with my best friend that I mentioned earlier, she and I online shopped together over the phone. It was sort of like one of our old shopping days at the mall, minus the usual pit stop at Pressed Juicery of course. We had fun looking at sites online together and just browsing around. As the semester goes on, maybe you won’t have time to do longer over-the-phone hangouts like this, but keep in mind they’re great for seeing what interests you and your BFF still share or for discovering new things and trends each of you like.
Another best friend of mine that I’ve stayed in touch with since kindergarten once got me a little framed picture of us with one of my favorite sayings engraved on it. It reads, “side by side or miles apart, a friend like you stays close to my heart”. So simple yet so true, best friends will always be there for you and will have your back no matter where you are in the world. The ideas listed above are some fun ways to stay in touch with faraway friends, but the key to success with any long-distance friendship is effort. I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as a “perfect friendship” out there, but I do know that if an equal amount of effort is put into maintaining a friendship it will keep growing and blossoming each and every day. Best friends are best friends for a reason; side by side or miles apart, they’ll always have a spot in your heart.