Fun Ways to Keep in Touch with Your Long-Distance BFFs

If you’re anything like me, you have girlfriends scattered all over the continent and maybe even the world. We all have very busy lives between family and work, and sometimes months can go by before we realize we’ve lost touch. There are some simple and super fun ways to keep in touch with your long-distance BFFs.

I’ve formed many friendships over the years. There are my close childhood friends, and then the wonderful friends that were made during the 6 years that I was a Navy wife. I worked for the same company for almost 15 years and forged some tremendous friendships with co-workers during that time. Now that I no longer work from home and live hundreds of miles from them, it takes a bit of effort to keep in touch. I’ve put together  some ways to keep in touch.

Ways to Keep in Touch with Long-Distance Friends

First I think it’s important to be organized and ensure that your friendship connections are not falling by the wayside. Create a Friendship Calendar where you can schedule conversations, keep track of birthdays, and make note of who you’ve been in touch with. This can be anything from a small desktop calendar to an online calendar complete with color coding.

1. Pick up the phone. I realize this is an obvious method of communication, but one we seem to do less and less of these days. It’s nice to hear each others voices. So even if your friend is not home, leave her a message.

2. Use social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Plus are all great ways to keep in touch with your besties. You can even hangout via a group video chat on Google Plus which is a feature a lot of people don’t utilize.

3. Video chat. Skype is a great way to see and talk to friends and is something I recently began using myself. The Skype Premium allows you the option to have a group chat with up to 10 people at once. It’s a really cool feature.

4. Be pen pals. Letter writing is a lost art, but is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your long distance friends. Be creative and include things like photographs and newspaper clippings. If you’re crafty, send a hand-made card. Postcards are another fun and quick way to keep in touch with just a few words.

5. Send round robin letters. This is particularly fun if you have a group a friends such as your college sorority sisters. Each friend adds on to the letter, writing an update on their life and then sends it on to the next friend on the list. You can even do this through email, if you like.

6. Have a long distance cookie exchange. Pick a weekend, choose a handful of long distance friends and each bake up a batch or two of your best holiday cookies. Then send a dozen to each friend and you’ll all have the same assortment. Another fun twist on this is an ornament exchange, which is something I have been doing with friends for years.

7. Plan a trip. There’s nothing more fun than a weekend trip with your best girlfriends. Keep costs down by choosing a centralized location, sharing accommodations, or take turns hosting the weekend getaway at your home. Can’t afford to visit a spa? Have your own spa party.

How do you keep in touch with your long-distance BFFs?