10 Fun Things to Do with a Long Distance Best-Friend

“ I don’t cry because we’ve been separated by distance, and for a matter of years. Why? Because for as long as we share the same sky and breathe the same air, we’re still together.”
– Donna Lynn Hope

1.  Write Snail Mail Letters.

As a kid I used to write letters all the time.  The internet was a very new concept and it hadn't caught on yet.  Back then the post office was the only way to communicate, and since I was still a kid who didn't make money, I couldn't just hop on the telephone and utilize unlimited minutes.  We didn't have unlimited minutes, time on the phone could cost a lot of money.  This was only fifteen years ago, but still I feel like I lived in another era.

How times have changed.  Today I don't connect with anyone on the telephone unless I need to schedule an appointment or call about a product or service.  When the phone rings I don't answer it about 95% of the time because I can see that I'm being called from an unknown number.  I never answer the phone unless I already know who is calling.  Letter writing is an antique concept.  Even to me.  I write a letter maybe once a year.  If I send anything through the mail, it is usually a gift for someone.

This brings me to my point.  Write your best friend a real letter.  A letter like we used to do when we were kids.  It might not be long, and you might not feel like there's much to say, because you've already said it all in a text message.  So find other ways to make this letter special.  Send a drawing, some stickers, real printed photographs, a bookmark, a keychain a little piece of handmade jewelry.  Don't send something bought.  Send something made.

“ Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want to be with someone you love, aren’t you already there?”– Richard Bach

2. Start a Weekly Drawing Challenge.
Pick a time that works for you and works for your best friend.  Take turns picking something to draw.  It could be anything from the simplest to the most complex piece, just pick something you're both comfortable with.  When I first started these challenges, I was doing them with my little brothers so I would pick something very simple like a rainbow or a family of stick people.  Even to this day I don't draw anything really complex.  I usually grab ideas off Pinterest or google for simple cartoon characters and objects.  
To make it feel like you're doing the activity together, consider posting your drawings to a group album on your social media platform of choice.  I use Facebook currently.  I create a shared photo album where we post our drawings.  Another way is to post the inspirational picture on your wall and tag the other participant (s).  I invite all my friends to participate in the challenge this way and enjoy seeing what everyone comes up with.  
Another way to make this a group activity is to physically do it together via a video chat session.  Get a stand for your tablet or phone and position it so the camera points down at your paper.  My stand bends to the right angle but the phone tries to fall off when faced downward, so I just took a hair band and put it around the phone to secure it.  
Once you've finished your artwork, consider coloring or painting it.  Make sure it is dry.  If you're particularly proud of your work, save it.  Keep a collection of your best work and mail these pieces to each other.  That way you can get a selection of your best friend's best drawings and frame them for a collage on the wall if you like.  As new artwork is made, swap out pieces or add new ones.

“ True friendship doesn’t mean being inseparable; it means being separated and nothing changes.”– Unknown

3.  Cook Together.

Just because you're thousands of miles apart does not mean you can't share a good recipe.  What's your favorite?  Send it to your best friend so they can try it too.  Share the experience by starting a video conference call.  Pass on any handy tips you think of as they are decoding your chicken scratch.
No reason to stick with just the favorites.  Find an interesting recipe that you'd both like to try and go through the learning experience together.  Between the two of you, you've got two tries to get it right, so the first one can be practice.  The second friend is obviously getting the better deal, and the better meal.  

“ Love is the shortest distance between hearts.”– Anonymous

4.  Start a Blog.
A great way to share experiences is by journaling in a free online blog like this one.  Deciding on a name can be one of the funnest parts.  Brainstorm ideas together, check for blog name availability, and then choose the winner from whatever is available.  Once you've created your blog, one of you can add the other as an author and the fun can begin.  
There are a lot of things that can be shared with a friend through blogging.

• Write or Share a Favorite Short Story
• Learn Something Cool Today?  Post It
• Write a poem or post a favorite piece by someone else
• Doodles and Drawings
• Photos 
• Exercise challenges
• Recipes
• Bucket Lists
• Quizzes or Puzzles
• Favorite Quotes
• Personal Memories from Times Together
• Celebrate each other's small and big successes
• Set future goals together
• Write notes of encouragement when needed
• Keep a list of books you've read together or would like to
• Vent to each other
• Had a weird dream?  Share the moment
• Have a "Dislikes" Post and Keep it Up to Date
• Ask a Question, Post it, Don't Answer it Yourself - Wait for it
• Use a journal prompt and talk about it
• Accountability - Post a picture and explanation of something that you need to do by such and such a date, then post an after picture when you've followed through

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.
– Robert Southey

5.  Do Photo Challenges.

There are so many great ideas out there for photo challenges to do together.  A simple starter photo challenge is called the ABC Photo Challenge and it works like this:  Start at the beginning of the alphabet, each person photographs something that starts with A, then B, then C, etc.  Share what you took a photo of that day.

There are a few ways to share these photos.  I like using a social media platform where I can create a photo album around the challenge image and then add photos to it as the days go by.  Another way to share would be through Instagram or a blog, either shared or separate.  

For more photo challenge ideas, browse Pinterest or search on google.

We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.
– Tim McGraw

6.  Create a Silly Poem.

Sometimes it's fun to just be dumb, for a minute, and maybe a little inspired if luck would have it.  This is a great game to play over text message or chat.  The rules are pretty simple.  Just take turns writing the lines like so:

Start with a word

you can rhyme with bird

take turns writing

it could be exciting

Keep on adding

'Til you're what.... mad hatting?

You'll run out of space

before you run out of plates

Sometimes your choices

won't be many voices

So don't be lame

Just play the game

Or you'll run out of luck

oh, duck.

If you're feeling particularly satisfied with your joint-words, post to a social media platform or blog.  Tape to a wall.  Frame it even.  Who knows, maybe it'll take off for ya and it'll get crazy enough you'll have to write an ebook.  Yikes.

Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there.
– Henri Nouwen

7.  Write a Story Together.

Wait!  It's not as hard as it sounds.  Remember, this is for fun and the social connection, it isn't meant to be serious.  So don't ruin it by making a fuss when it doesn't sound perfect.  

To start, pick a subject to get the game going.  For example, a carrier pigeon or a grumpy green troll.  This is the subject upon which your story begins.  Next, create your first sentence.  It can be anything.  

The carrier pigeon kept flying around, while the other pigeons ate seed on the ground, because who can trust a squinting clown who plays mean tricks on the kids in town.

After making your first sentence, end your turn.  Now it's time for your friend to make a sentence.  Play along with the story, no matter how ridiculous it gets.  You don't have to rhyme of course, I just love rhyming so I did in the sentence above.

Whenever I'm lonely on this side of the abyss, I remind myself I'm lucky that I have someone to miss.
– Samantha Jayne Frost

8.  Read a Favorite Book.

This activity can be taken easy or as seriously as you see fit.  For some of us, this means just keeping tabs on what our friends are reading and sharing ideas for good reads.  

To take it to the next level, choose two books that neither of you have read.  You pick one that you have, and your friend picks the other that they have.  Now begins the fun.  Read the books to each other.  This can be done either by making voice recordings and sharing them over the internet, or by doing a video conference call and reading a chapter live.  Break the readings up a bit so that you don't get burnt out.  If a book is boring, don't push it.  Best to keep this fun and interesting.

Mix up the game.  Swap ebooks.  Read your friend a book they have chosen while they read to you a book of your choice.  To add interest, try making sound effects or goofy voices.

I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.
– Robert Breault

9.  Play a Multiplayer Online Game.

This is a great way to get social time.  There are various platforms available for serious gamers such as Nintendo, Wii and Xbox.  Add a headset and the social aspect just doubled.

Not everyone loves video games though.  Personally, I like money-making games or arcades.  I play a multiplayer online web-browser based game called Subeta.  Buy and sell items and get rich!  The best part is you can do it with your friend and help them get rich too.  Share clothes, buy each other gifts, even put presents under each other's trees during the holiday season.  Plenty of good times await.

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
– Bernard Meltzer

10.  Do a Craft.

There are so many how-to guides on Pinterest and across the web for home made crafts.  Find something that both you and your friend are interested in, have the tools and materials for and then do it together.  It might not be possible to do the craft together in person, but you can still be together through the eye of the camera.  Use your phone to make a video connection when possible.  Do the craft at the same time, so you can talk about it and visit.

Crafts that you might consider:  Rubber stamping and card making, collaging, painting, various needlework activities, bullet journaling, etc.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. – Helen Keller

BONUS IDEAS THAT MIGHT COST MONEY

Take an Online Course Together 

If money isn't tight, take an online course that interests both of you.  Study together on Skype or other live camera platform.  Post your notes online to a blog or social media platform so that both of you can benefit from them.