Are you missing your long-distance family? Do you wish there was some way to be closer to them?
It’s too easy to feel disconnected from your family when you’re thousands of miles away from one another across the globe or even across the country. But, there are some ways to stay connected that can provide just as much meaning as physically hugging them
If you’re struggling with ways to bridge the distance in your long-distance relationships, we have some tips for you! Keep reading to learn how you can ascribe to new and fulfilling ways to connect with your most beloved.
Social Media
When the founders of Facebook and other social media platforms were inventing these now notorious avenues of communication, they were thinking about how to stay in touch with family long distance. Nowadays, you can even video chat with your friends and family which is almost the same as hanging out with them in your own living room. You can set the camera up while you cook or even just watch TV and share those moments together.
While not as engaging as social media, email is a great way to keep your loved ones updated on your daily or weekly life. It only takes a few minutes to drop a few lines and let them know what you’re up to and ask a few quick questions. Don’t forget to send pictures and videos of the kids and the pets or images from your recent nature walk when you saw that sweet deer or interesting bug.
Snail Mail
It may seem silly to send an actual letter in the mail in 2020, but, your family will be delighted to find your note in the mailbox among the rest of the bills and junk mail. Your grandparents will especially appreciate the gesture. Seal it with a kiss and make a trip to the post office to find the perfect stamp that shows you put some extra thought into it.
Photo Books
There are a variety of websites online that allow you to upload your favorite images and create photo books.
You can grab a paperback Google Photo Book for just $10 with up to 20 7×7 images. Add up to 100 images/pages for just $0.35 per page! The images are excellent quality and it will be a wonderful keepsake for your favorite person to keep on their coffee table to show you off to their friends that visit.
Send Them a Camera
While you’re sending pictures, why not send a way for family to send you pictures back?! You can invest in a few disposable cameras and ship them off for your family to take pictures of their daily interactions.
Have them send the camera back to you when the pictures have been taken so you can develop them and add them to your photo albums. Now, you can see them every day.
Scrapbooks
Take it a step further and use those pictures along with some of your own to create scrapbooks. You don’t need a special occasion to create a scrapbook. Just compile various images from the kids’ soccer games, backyard barbecues, even snap a pic of yourself at your desk at work and compile them in a creative way to showcase your life in snapshots that your family can enjoy.
Storybooks
If you don’t have time for frequent video calls but you still want your family to hear your voice, create a customizable storybook for them! You can purchase Storybooks at Hallmark that allow you to record your voice within a story. It’s a neat little keepsake that they can open anytime they are missing you.
Book Clubbing
If you love to read as much as your sister, consider picking up the same books and discussing them together. It’s a great way to maintain a relationship when there’s nothing else to report or talk about. Besides, you may learn something about your favorite book that you never knew before.
Family Newsletters
Another way to stay in touch with family is to create monthly or quarterly newsletters. Many families send newsletters around the holiday seasons, but you can send them more frequently so your family doesn’t miss out on all the fun things you’re getting into throughout the year.
Care Packages
The best long-distance family gifts are sometimes not really gifts at all. It’s the thought that counts after all.
Consider sending care packages with items your family can use like funky socks that will make them think of you when they wear them or cooking gloves. You can also send fun treats like candies and their other favorite (non-perishable) foods.
Of course, if you prefer to be more traditional, check out this article by AbcFlora for tips on sending flowers.
Postcards
Even if you haven’t gone anywhere special, your family would love a note in the mail from someplace close to your home. Most grocery stores sell postcards for as little as pennies. Just add a quick note, slap a stamp on it, and send it away.
If you travel a lot, make sure to pick postcards up wherever you go and send those along, too.
Traveling Together
Speaking of traveling, another great way to stay connected with your long-distance family is to travel together. If you live halfway around the world from each other, pick places in the middle once every other year or so to meet up and share some memories together.
Phone Calls
A good ole fashion phone call goes a long way. Surprise your loved ones with a chat on the weekend just to tell them you love them and provide little updates about your activities.
Keeping in Touch With Your Long-Distance Family Is Easier Than You Think!
We all have long-distance family somewhere in the world, whether it be close friends or relatives that we want to stay in close touch with. Keeping these tips in mind, reach out and touch them to let them know you care.
We hope you found some insight in this post. Check out our website for more tips and tricks about caring best for your family.
