How To Make A Long-Distance Friendship Work

Life can sometimes get in the way, and this can leave you in a situation that you would rather not be in. For instance, your friend might be offered an amazing job in a completely new city or country, but this fantastic opportunity compels them to move away. Even though I’m sure that you will be very excited for them and super proud, you might not be too happy about having to say goodbye to one of your closest lifelong friends. Of course, it might not be them who has to move away. You might find a new opportunity in a new place, and could be compelled to move your life.

No matter how the situation comes about, though, there is no denying that it can be tough saying bye to one of your best friends. You won’t be able to hang out as much as you did, and you’ll probably only see them once a year when either of you gets the chance to visit the other. It will be a big change in your life and something that make time to get used to. You’ll probably have to overcome feelings of sadness and loneliness at first as well.

Don’t worry, though, dealing with a long-distance friendship doesn’t have to be a huge struggle. There are plenty of ways you can make it work for the two of you. Here are some tips that can help you get through it.

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Accept The Situation

Firstly, it’s really important that you accept the situation. There is probably nothing that you can do to change things, as whoever is moving will probably be compelled to do so. Don’t feel too sad or angry about your friend leaving you, though. On the contrary, you should feel happy for them being given the chance to progress well in their life and for them being able to move to somewhere new and exciting. And, think of it this way – you’ll now have somewhere to visit if you ever want to enjoy a weekend away!

Put Skype Calls In Your Schedule

Thanks to the internet, it is now easier than ever to keep in touch with someone far away. You will be able to enjoy video calls and see each other face-to-face using apps like Skype and FaceTime. To make sure you don’t go too long without a catch up, you should arrange your video calls in advance so that the two of you can find the time to fit them into your busy schedules. You might have to think carefully about scheduling the calls if you live in different time zones, as the difference in time might make it difficult to find a time suitable for both of you.

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Do Things Apart But Together

Video calls aren’t the only way you can spend time together. You should think about some pastimes and activities that you can do together still even though you may be apart. For instance, you could plan on watching the same TV show or movie one evening and then having a chat about it together. You could even do this with a book – read the same book over a few weeks and then you’ll be able to review and discuss it the next time you talk to one another. I’m sure that the two of you will be able to think of lots of great things you can do together even though you may not live apart.

Don’t Cancel Video Calls Too Often

We all live such busy lives these days, and you never know when something might crop up that throws a spanner into your plans. So, it’s understandable that something might happen that requires you to cancel and reschedule your video calls together. It’s fair enough if you need to cancel because of something urgent, but you should try and keep this to a minimum. It could be difficult to reschedule a suitable time, especially if there is a big time difference between the two of you. One way to prevent having to reschedule is to keep your video calls at the same time every week. That way, you will know not to accidentally plan anything at the same time.

Send Each Other Care Packages

It’s also a nice idea to send your friend a care package every now and then. This is an especially good idea if they have moved to a different country and regularly miss home comforts. You will be able to pack a box full of all their chocolates, potato chips, and other goodies that they might not be able to get in their new home. You could also add a few other little gifts to remind them of you. They might even reciprocate this gesture by sending you a package full of cool and interesting candies that you won’t be able to get at home!

Try Some Traditional Methods Of Communication

I’ve already mentioned a few of the modern digital ways you can keep in touch with one another once you live apart, but why not try some of the more traditional methods as well? These are often a lot more romantic and nostalgic, and they will keep the communications between the two of you a lot more interesting. For instance, you could use snail mail and send each other hand-written letters. You could even be really 90s and send each other faxes. It’s now possible to send a fax by computer so it doesn’t have to feel totally old school. It’s a good idea to mix things up with traditional and modern ways of communicating so that it’s always interesting to stay in touch!

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Plan To Visit Each Other

Of course, you should try to visit one another as often as possible. Now that you have a friend who is based in a different city or country, you have a great reason to visit this location. You could enjoy a few weekends away throughout the year and have one big trip to visit them for a couple of weeks once a year. Plus, I’m sure that your friend will return the favor and will come back to visit their old home so that they can visit you and all their other friends and relatives who they left behind.

Meet Up Halfway

If your friend has moved to the other side of the world, it could be too expensive to visit them even just once a year let alone a few times. There is one solution to this, though – you could both agree to meet up halfway in between you both. For instance, if your friend has moved to Australia, the two of you could book a trip to Hawaii as this is the midway point between both countries. Doing this means that it isn’t just one of you who is spending a lot of money on flights to visit the other. Plus, you’ll both be able to enjoy a fun vacation together!

Create A Group Journal

You might want to set up a group journal together. In fact, if there were a few other friends in your friendship group then you might want to invite everyone to the journal too. You can update it with things that you’ve been doing through the week so that everyone else can read it and keep up to date. You will also be able to read all about what everyone else has been doing. This is a great way to keep up to date with your long-distant friend without calling them every day.

Set Reminders For Their Birthday

If your friend lives in another country, you will have to plan their birthday card and present in advance as you might need to post them a week or two ahead of time so that they get there before their special day. So that there is no way you forget their birthday, you might want to add a reminder to your phone that notifies you a couple of weeks in advance. You should then have plenty of time to prepare for it.

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Be Interested In The New People In Their Lives

Your friend will obviously make a lot of new friends in their new home. You shouldn’t have any feelings of jealousy towards these new people, instead though it’s nice to try to stay interested in them. After all, you might be hanging out with them if you ever do visit your friend. So, it’s helpful to be friendly when you meet them and, as a nice gesture to your friend, you should be interested in the things that they do with these new friends.

Don’t Force Things

There might be periods of time during which you don’t hear from your friend. This is perfectly natural. Make sure that you don’t try to force any conversation when there isn’t anything new to update your friend with or else it might put a strain on your friendship.

Hopefully, all of these tips will help you keep in touch with a long-distant friend!

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