How To Stay In Touch With Long Distance Friends

I was surprised to see this as one of the most common questions in my inbox when I asked you guys what topics you were interested in reading about. But, it makes sense – keeping up with any kind of long distance relationship, whether it’s romantic or friends/family, can be so hard.

Now that I live in New York, almost all of my really close friends are ‘long distance’ from me. Just like any other relationship, long distance friendships need to be nurtured. They take effort from both sides and sometimes you have to get creative with the ways you keep in touch. Here’s a list of ways I’ve been keeping in touch with my long distance friends all over the country…

Schedule phone calls & put it on the calendar:

We’re busy people. But if you’re like me and live by your google calendar, you won’t forget something if it’s set in stone on there. Decide on a time that works for both of you and COMMIT. Don’t break this date. I usually use Saturdays or Sundays during the day for catch up calls with family and friends.

Send quotes, videos, or memes on Instagram:

This sounds simple, but there’s no easier way to tell someone ‘this is funny and made me think of you’ than sending a meme (or something else random) via DM on Instagram. I send my friends everything from quotes to funny cat videos to @bestvines.

Schedule and commit to trips:

Plan trips throughout the year to visit each other’s cities. These have been some of my most memorable trips. Last year I visited Brighton in Dallas. Even though we only had a couple days together, I loved getting to do nothing but catch up, hang out at her house, and see her favorite spots in town. Brooke and Linds (my two best friends from college) were in town last weekend and we’re already planning when we’re all going to meet up in Kentucky next!

Set up Facetime dates:

FaceTime is by far one of the greatest things to happen to long distance relationships. This single handedly helped Conner and I make it through long distance. Rachel and I even set up coffee dates like we’d have when we lived to together Chicago and just sit on the phone and drink our morning coffee together. It’s almost the same as if we were sitting next to each other on the couch!

Comment on their social media posts:

This sounds very millennial of me, but this is an obvious one I need to do more of. It lets friends know you’re up to date on what’s happening in their lives and that you care enough to stop by for a hot second to let them know.

Schedule couples things:

It’s also fun to bring the guys along. It gives you a chance to meet who they’re dating (or get to know their husbands better) if you haven’t had the chance to see them very often. Plus, it’s always fun for the guys to hang out and get to know each other.

Catch up on long drives:

This is one of my favorite things to do when I’m on long drives. It’s time when I can completely focus on the person on the other line.

Group texts / group Snapchats:

This is a good way to keep up with a specific group of friends – your college cheer team, girls from your dorm, high school friends, sorority sisters, etc. It’s easy to stay up to date with everyone this way because you can send one text and reach everyone at once.

Always have headphones in when you’re walking places:

Especially if you live in a big city (like NY) and you walk everywhere. I love having headphones in because a perfect way to pass the time when you’re going somewhere.

One main tip of advice that’s helped in my long distance friendships is to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Don’t get offended too easily if someone doesn’t answer your call or if you don’t hear from them for a while. Respect their hustle, don’t take it personally, and just try to get a hold of them again a couple days later. I think this is one reason why long distance friends tend to fall apart. Our lives are so busy (or at least we make them that way) and it’s easy to say ‘oh, I’ll call her back tomorrow’. You have to be an understanding friend, but also do your best to commit to your time together.

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