It’s not uncommon to move away from your home country and explore the world these days. Many young people are doing it, and even some well into their 40s and 50s occasionally decide to get a fresh start. And while this brings a lot to the table in terms of new prospects and enriching your perspective, it also comes with a major problem for most people.
Maintaining friendships over a long distance can become challenging at some point. This is especially true if you have a habit of constantly making new friends as you travel around, and as a result, have multiple contacts all around the world. Worry not though – it’s far from impossible to stay in touch with people thanks to some modern solutions.
Major Time Zone Differences
One of the biggest problems you’ll need to deal with in most cases is a difference in time zones that’s significant enough to disrupt your communications. Living on the other end of the world can make this a reality, and unfortunately, there’s no easy way out other than to try making the most out of the mornings and evenings. In most cases, that should be an overlapping period in your daily schedules which should allow you to at least get some regular words in.
A Special Regular Event
Speaking of regular things, it’s also not a bad idea to set up something that you both enjoy and can participate in remotely. Watching your favorite TV show while talking over Skype or Discord is a popular example. Playing an online game is another. As long as it’s something that happens regularly and in a scheduled manner, it will give you something nice to look forward to.
This will make those moments with your buddies much more special. Of course, from time to time one of you will not be able to participate, but that’s okay. As long as you maintain it in the long run as a whole, it should add a lot to your friendship.
Common Interests
You can also look for something beyond online games that you both enjoy and can sink some time into. If you’re both sports fans, you should check out a baseball legends game or something along those lines. Watching both your teams grow and progress through their respective leagues, while you’re both competing with each other in a friendly manner, is one of the best ways to keep things active between the two of you.
This is even somewhat immune to schedule differences, as you will often be able to make your moves in an asynchronous manner, checking back from time to time to see how things are progressing.
The internet has made it much easier to stay in touch with the people we care about. It’s only a matter of reaching out and taking advantage of what’s available – and unfortunately, some people don’t seem to have the willpower for even that. But if you’re dedicated to your friendship, you’ll always find a way to spend some extra time with your buddies, whether online or in person.
