All friendships are special and unique. But what do you do when you and your best friend live far apart, such as between several states (or countries!)? Unfortunately, it sometimes can be challenging to find long-distance friendship gifts that are as unique as they are.
But we’ve got you covered!
It is great to stay connected on special occasions such as birthdays and promotions. However, to keep your connection alive, it is necessary, at random times throughout the year, to let your pal know you are thinking of them and they are important.
Here are some unique friend date ideas and DIY gifts that show your long-distance pals how much their friendship, time, and effort mean to you!
DIY Gifts for Your Long-Distance Friend
Sometimes the best gifts for a long-distance friendship are handmade DIY gifts. Putting in the extra time and effort is a great way to show your bestie that no matter how many miles are between you two, their friendship is special! However, it can be overwhelming trying to come up with ideas for your DIY gift, so we’ve put together a few DIY gifts that are stress-free and doable.
1. Create a Friendship Scrapbook
Create a scrapbook of all of your memories together with your favorite pictures and memorabilia from your trips and get-togethers. It could be from year to year or from one memorable trip you took. A scrapbook shows them how much time you’re willing to spend to show them they are essential to you.
2. Grow a Houseplant from Your Plant Clippings
Sharing a clipping from your houseplants truly is the gift that keeps on giving! Clip a piece of your favorite houseplants and start growing one for your long-distance pal is a great way to let them know how special they are to you.
As the plant matures enough to send them, you could wait until your next meetup and give it to them in a fun pot, or you could mail it to them. Be sure to check the best way to send plants through the mail so they are safe and secure.
3. Cook Something Special
Just because there’s the distance between you doesn’t mean you still can’t send your famous homemade granola or cookie mix! So, mix your favorite foods in a jar and ship them to your long-distance pal no matter where they live.
A few great food options for mailing are items such as brownie or cookie mix, spiced tea mix, granola, or soup mixes. Always check the recommended way to mail food items and then send them on their way!
4. Books of ‘Letters To Open When’
Write 12 letters to open during certain life circumstances throughout the years, such as, “When you feel lonely,” “When you had a great day!” or “When you are sad.” You could order custom stationery or make your own and add stickers and maybe even snapshots over the years.
The options are endless for what you can write. All that matters is that your friend knows how much they mean to you. ‘Letters to Open When’ truly lets them know that you want to be there with them in the good times and in the difficult times. Even if you feel you are not a writer, just sharing how much you miss them in your letters will suffice.
5. Friendship Picture Frame
Get out your glue gun and scissors! It’s time to get creative!
Making a friendship picture frame with one of your favorite pics of you and your long-distance pals shows them how much you cherish your time together, no matter how few and far between those times maybe. Another option is to make a collage as a long-distance friendship gift so they can look back over the years and remember the good times you’ve had together.
6. Time To Get Crafty!
Finding gifts that are as special and unique as your long-distance friend might be as simple as brushing up on your sewing, crocheting, or knitting skills! A handmade blanket or scarf was extra special when your favorite long-distance pal took time to pick out your favorite colors and patterns. Whatever you make is sure to be a gift they will never forget.
7. Send an “I Miss You” Journal
An “I miss you” journal is a perfect gift to stay connected and share your innermost thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it is difficult to convey the more intimate details of what you are going through over text or phone calls. You could pick a fun, creative journal and start writing on the first couple of pages, then mail it to your long-distance pal and have them write the next couple of pages.
Keep sending the journal back and forth and share how much you miss them, what you are most thankful for in their friendship, and other feelings you find might be easier to communicate through the written word.
It will be a special time to get the journal out and look over the sweet messages and stories you sent to each other over the year when the journal is complete!
8. Create a Custom Friendship Calendar
Creating a custom friendship calendar with important pictures and dates in your friendship is a great way to remember each other daily in the middle of your busy days. A simple glance can remind you of fun trips you have taken or the day your friendship started, and you can easily send a quick message or text.
Long-Distance Friend Date Ideas
Even if you and your long-distance best friend aren’t in the same place, you two can still have fun hangout sessions! You just have to be a little more creative and purposeful in planning.
Thankfully, modern technology allows you to have some serious BFF time and make it feel like you’re in the same room together. Lovebox has put together a list of cute best friend dates when you don’t live in the same zip code (or time zone!) as your long-distance best friend!
9. Have Wine Night and Watch Your Favorite Show
Maybe you both like binging Friends, and perhaps you both like keeping up with the latest episodes of The Bachelor. So, you could FaceTime during the show and sip wine. Or just text during the show and FaceTime after to chat about all the details of what happened! Either way, watching a show and sipping wine with your best friend is still possible no matter the distance.
Get your favorite blanket and open a bottle of wine!
10. Cook Dinner Together
The miles may have separated you and your long-distance bestie, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy preparing a home-cooked dinner together! Share your favorite recipes through email or a recipe app, and then plan an evening of cooking together.
You could send them some of your favorite ingredients ahead of time and then set up your laptop and FaceTime or just chat on speakerphone as you prepare a meal. After the dinner is ready, set up your computer in front of you and enjoy your freshly prepared meal together.
11. Book Club Night With Your Long-Distance Pal
Hosting a long-distance book club through Skype or Zoom with you is a great way to get to spend time together and check off books from your current reading list!
Discuss what books you would like to read, such as classics, childhood favorites, or recently released. Mail them the book you chose together and then plan a week or bi-weekly night to discuss the chapter you just read.
12. Get Your Game Face On
Whether you are both into video games or maybe you both prefer online word games or charades, there’s a long-distance gaming option for everyone! Gifting your time and energy in playing with your friend lets them know that no matter how many miles are between you, their long-distance friendship is a priority and that you want to spend time with them.
You could plan a night of the week that works for both of you or a weekend afternoon and get ready. It’s time to play!
Heartfelt Gifts of Time and Effort
Sometimes gifting your time and effort is the best long-distance friendship gift you could give. By spending time and things that are important to both of you, such as volunteering for your favorite charity or creating something that you both can enjoy for years to come, you are reaffirming their friendship and letting them know they matter a great deal to you.
Keep reading for a few of our favorite gifts of time and effort to give your long-distance bestie!
13. Create a Custom Playlist
Creating a custom playlist for you and your long-distance pals can remind each of you of all of the good times you have had together over the years. It could be your favorite songs from high school or just tunes you’ve played during long car rides together.
14. Create a Time-Capsule
A creative way to always remember your friendship is for you to put together a time capsule filled with pictures of you two throughout the years, mementos from your favorite trips together, and maybe newspaper articles showing what was going on in the world at the time. Set a date in the future for you to open your time capsule and reminisce together!
A fun option would also be to send each other the unique location of your time capsules, and on the specified date you chose to open it, you could go to the other friend’s time capsule and see what they saved!
15. Donate or Volunteer in Their Name
Donating and volunteering in your friend’s name shows how much you value and cherish their friendship. For example, you could volunteer to clean up a local park or buy a tree in the Amazon rainforest. Whatever says to them, they matter!
16. Lovebox Love Note Messenger
Sure, you could just shoot your long-distance pal a text, but why do that when you could send them an extra special message, stickers, drawing, or pictures in a connected messaging device that you both can enjoy?
Our Lovebox messengers are unique, cute, and colorful. Simply add your message to the Lovebox free messaging app. The heart on their Lovebox will spin when the message is received, and then your pal can spin the heart to let you know they received it!
Long Distance Made Easy
Finding the perfect long-distance friendship gift can be easy and simple with DIY gifts, special friendship dates, and heartfelt gifts of time and effort! It could be making a picture frame or scheduling a long-distance game night! Take some time to think about what would mean the most to your favorite long-distance pal, and that says, “I am thinking of you.”
Sources:
Long-Distance Relationship Gifts That Will Only Improve Your Connection | Vogue
14 Gifts To Send Your Long-Distance Best Friend | HuffPost
23 Free Gift Ideas: How to Give Great Gifts That Are Free | RealSimple
