How to Stay Close and Have Fun with Long-Distance Friends

Keep in touch with friends near and far with these creative ideas

Co-authored by Adam Dorsay, PsyD and Aly Rusciano

Last Updated: August 1, 2024 Fact Checked

Even with so much technology designed to help us connect with other people, it’s still surprisingly easy to lose touch with your friends. Fortunately, there are things you can do to stay connected and involved in each other’s lives, even from miles away! To help you do it, we’ve compiled a handy list of ways to keep in touch with your friends. Whether you're long-distance or just have busy lives, we’re sure you’ll find something here to help you reconnect and stay in touch.

The Best Ways to Keep in Touch with Friends

Play video games together.
Share a virtual dinner or cocktail hour.
Stream a movie together.
Send each other surprise gifts.
Start a challenge or virtual club together.
Send a sweet text during a special event or occasion.

1

Play online games together.

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Catch up while you have fun playing together. There are a bunch of different gaming apps you can use, or you can use a classic console such as a PlayStation or an Xbox if all of your friends have the same console. Many games also have chat features so you can talk to each other while you play. You can catch up on each other’s lives, celebrate a win in the game, or poke fun at each other when a player makes a mistake.
- You can all agree on a time to hop on the game and play together.
- There are a ton of different games, from first-person shooters to turn-based puzzle games, so you can find one that everyone will enjoy or take turns picking the game.

2

Share a virtual dinner together.

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Have some fun choosing a recipe that everyone can enjoy (and cook), and set a time for you and your friends to get together over a video call. Cook your meal and enjoy it with your friends! Talk about the cooking experience while also catching up and spending time together.

3

Enjoy a virtual happy hour together.

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Choose a cocktail or beverage and share it over a video call. You can choose a fancy cocktail and share the recipe with your friends, or just grab a bottle of wine or beer from your fridge. Organize a time you can all get together and catch up while you enjoy your drinks.
- You don’t have to have an alcoholic drink! Make a mocktail or fancy juice concoction.

4

Host a streaming party to hang out virtually.

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Spend some time watching a movie or show together. Choose a movie or show that you and your friends will enjoy and schedule a time for everyone to start watching it. You can chat during the movie or use the “Netflix Party” browser extension to watch together and see each other’s faces on a video call at the same time.
- Kast is another app you can use to share your screen and watch a movie or show together with your friends.

5

Challenge each other to shared experience.

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Work toward a fitness, wellness, or personal goal together. Find something that aligns with your and your friends's goals, such as getting in shape or reading more. Check-in with each other to stay motivated and on track toward your goal. It’s a fun way to stay in touch, and it’s a shared experience you can have with your friends, even if you live miles apart from each other.^{[1]
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- For instance, you can start a challenge to walk for 30 minutes a day or do 20 push-ups a day. Whenever you do your part, you can text or message your friends about it.
- A challenge also doesn’t require live conversation, and your friends can message you and do the challenge on their own schedules.

6

Start a virtual book club.

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Choose a book for all of your friends to read together, and set up a weekly or monthly virtual “meeting” to discuss what you’re reading. You can connect with an app like Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangouts. Have fun talking about the book and catching up on each other’s lives.^{[2]
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7

Send memes, articles, or videos to your friends.

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Share something you think they’ll enjoy to stay connected. If you come across a really funny meme or an interesting article, send it to your friends! Chances are they’ll laugh or find it interesting as well. Plus, you don’t really need a reason to send a photo or a video. Just text or message it to them whenever you come across something you think they’ll like to let them know you’re thinking of them.
- For instance, if you and your friends are big fans of The Office, you can send a meme from the show that you think they’ll find funny.
- You can also send news articles you think they’ll enjoy.

8

Connect through social media.

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Keep up with each other’s lives and interact with your friends. Add and follow your friends on any social media platforms you share, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Check their profiles to see what’s going on with them, and comment on posts to say hello. You can also tag them in posts and send them direct messages to talk to them.^{[3]
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- Social media is a great way to see your friend’s family and the things they’re into. For instance, you can comment on pictures of their children or congratulate them if they get a job promotion.

9

Mail a letter or postcard for fun.

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Sending someone snail mail is a creative and lovely gesture. Go old school with it and write out a letter by hand (or type and print it out). Stick it in an envelope and mail it to your friend as a nice surprise. You can also pick up a fun postcard and send that to them to brighten up their day.^{[4]
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- If you’re traveling somewhere, you can pick up a cute (or cheesy) postcard that features local landmarks and send that as a fun note.

10

Send a care package.

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Lift your friend’s spirits with a surprise gift. A great way to stay in touch with a long-distance pal is to simply know when they need a sweet surprise. If your friend is struggling, don’t hesitate to send them a care package full of memories or their favorite things. This is a great way to be there without physically being by their side.^{[5]
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- Fill the care package with their favorite cookies, photos of you together from years past, self-care items, or something that made you think of them.

11

Get together to catch up in person.

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Meet up somewhere new or visit a familiar place to spend time together. If you’re from the same town, try visiting and getting together with your friends. You can also plan to meet up somewhere fun, like a new city or the beach, and hang out together. Try to meet up at least once a year if you can.^{[6]
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- For instance, you could both rent rooms in a hotel near a beach to have a vacation or make plans to meet up in New York City for a fun trip.

12

Set a standing date to contact each other.

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Find a time that works for everyone. It may seem simple enough to just call your friends or send them a message to stay in touch, but life can get crazy sometimes. It’s easy to lose track of time, and suddenly, you haven’t spoken to your friends in weeks or even months! Ask your friends when they’re most available to talk or send messages and make a commitment to get in touch with each other then.^{[7]
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- For instance, if you’re free on Wednesday nights and your friend has a break from work at the same time, you can set it as a standing date to contact each other.
- Things can come up at the last minute, so it’s also important to be flexible. Just try to let your friend know if you can’t call or talk to them if you’re busy when you’re supposed to connect.

13

Set reminders to reach out.

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Keep note of your friends’s birthdays, milestones, and events. Sometimes, a simple text can help you reconnect and stay in touch with a long-distance friend!^{[8]
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Research source} Log birthdays, anniversaries, and special events in your calendar or phone reminders. This way, when the special day comes, you won’t forget and can send a sweet message to your friend.^{[9]
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- The dates don’t have to be anything too serious! Try setting a reminder for National Ice Cream Day if your long-distance bestie adores ice cream or a new movie release if you hope to see a movie with someone when it comes out.

14

Don’t feel bad if you fail to follow through.

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Apologize, and explain what’s going on. It’s totally normal for things to fall through or for life to get in the way of your plans. As licensed psychologist Adam Dorsay advises, “Don’t overthink it.”^{[10]
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Expert Source

Adam Dorsay, PsyD
Licensed Psychologist & TEDx Speaker

Expert Interview} The best policy? Honesty. Things happen—you can’t control everything! And if your friends are true friends, they’ll understand. Be open about conflicts and what’s going on in your life. Remember, your friends are here for you.^{[11]
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- Even so, try not to bail during every scheduled meetup or activity, as this could give a bad impression, and you don’t want your friends to feel abandoned.

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Question

How do I avoid the "elephant" in the room as much as possible?

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You could hangout with other friends around the room. Just act as if that "elephant" isn't even there. Don't let that person ruin your day or night.

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How should I start a note when trying to catch up with old friends?

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You could start by saying something like "I was just thinking about..." and then bring up a fun memory the two of you shared.

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What if they are in a different country?

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You could write letters, text, email, or use social media. Just because your friend is in another country doesn't mean you can't stay connected!

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Don’t feel offended if your friends aren’t super available. They may just be busy, but you can try catching up with them some other time.

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