It can be hard to imagine not seeing your best friend or a close relative all the time, especially if you have grown up or spent a significant time living in the same area. However, life moves forward and presents people with different opportunities, some of which can lead people to move to new places. Sometimes these new places are located overseas, which makes visiting each other every few months a lot harder than if they moved across the country. As exciting as this can be, it can also be sad to think that you won’t get to see each other as often as you do now. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still stay connected, though, and here are some tips on how to help you do that.
Video Calls
The most obvious way to keep in touch when a loved one moves abroad is by scheduling regular video calls. This might be tricky to navigate at first while you’re adjusting to the time difference, but it’s a great way for you to catch up with each other. Make some coffee or pour a glass of wine to make it feel like you’re together at home or in a café/bar and spend a couple of hours chatting away. Be flexible with each other, however, as it won’t always be possible for either of you to do the same time each week. As long as you’re doing this once a month, that’s a good way to stay in the loop while still allowing yourself to fit these catch-ups around your schedules.
Send Each Other Care Packages
It’s always exciting to receive something through the post that isn’t the usual bills or junk mail. While catching up on video chats is great, to show your loved on how much you miss them, sending them a care package full of their favorite things from home is a lovely treat. They can also send you goodies from where they are currently living as a nice surprise as well. If you are going to send packages abroad, look at using Shiply who specializes in international shipping at good rates to make it more affordable.
Write Each Other Letters
This might seem old-fashioned when it’s much faster to send a message or email in the digital age, but just like it’s nice to get packages in the mail, letters can also be a welcome surprise. If you are feeling nostalgic for days gone by, see if your friend is up for becoming pen pals as a fun project that you can share. You could even make a scrapbook of your letters one day when they return to cherish the memory.
Budget for Visits
While you might not get to see each other in person very often, it is important to make an effort to do this when you can. Try to put away some savings each month for an online flight booking to see them, or they can come and visit you. You could even use some of your vacation days to take a week or two off of work to spend time quality time with them when they do come to stay, and visa-versa.
If someone special to you is moving abroad and you’re worried that you’ll lose touch, use the suggestions above to make sure that doesn’t happen and keep your relationship close even when they are far away.
