How to Keep in Touch With Friends

Plan How to Keep in Touch with Friends Before You Move

It might seem natural to you that you’ll keep in touch in a certain way – for example, through social media, email or telephone calls. Don’t just assume that this will align with how your friend feels too. Make sure to discuss the issue with everyone you want to stay close to before you even start packing to move and looking for international moving services. You might be able to come up with a good strategy that works for your whole social circles, like group chats or video calls.

Ways to Keep in Touch

There are many options for you and your circle of people when it comes to communicating once you move abroad. Here are some of our suggestions to make this happen.

If You’re Wondering How To Keep in Touch with Friends, Talk Over the Phone

Naturally, talking over the phone is something you should consider. However, since you’re going abroad, you will be using a foreign telephone service provider, which means that phone calls will add up to cost quite a bit. Luckily, there are apps such as WhatsApp or Viber that you can use to call a person you need to hear for free over the internet.

Video Calls Are Another Great Method to Keep in Touch

Another great thing about apps such as WhatsApp and Viber is that they offer you the option of making video calls, much like FaceTime. This way, you will not only be able to hear your friend’s voice, but you can also see them, show them around your new place and the city, send some interesting photos, introduce them to your gained acquaintances, share new interests and so on. The possibilities are endless.

Set an Exact Time to Talk to Your Friends

Given that you’re moving abroad and far away, you will likely be in a different time zone from everyone else. To avoid waking them up at 3 in the morning (or being woken up), we suggest setting a time that works for everyone and sticking to it every time.

The Old-Fashioned Way

If you’d like to keep things interesting, why not send an email telling them about your recent experiences, new people you’ve met, and expressing your best wishes? Think about it – when did you last receive an email that wasn’t just spam, marketing, or your monthly bank account overview? It would surely be a refreshing change to receive an email you actually want to read. And if you want to be even more old-school, write and send a letter and ask them about everything you want to know.

Stay Up-to-Date with Your Friends’ Life Events Via Social Media

Let’s face it, you probably already communicate with the people in your life mostly through social media, such as Facebook. So if this communication is good, why change it? You can not only text each other, but also send photos, videos, and share memories, which is a good way to share beautiful moments and know what’s going on in their lives. It is almost as good as being physically together.

Have a Friend Over or Pay Them a Visit

Just because you’re moving across the world, that doesn’t mean you can’t still see each other from time to time. Once you’ve settled down and gotten accustomed to your new life, ask your old friend to come for a visit. Alternatively, you could always work out to go back to your hometown to see a person you miss a lot and spend some time with your family.

Both Sides Need to Put in Additional Effort

No matter which method you choose to talk to your loved ones, it is important that both sides put in extra effort to maintain contact. If only one of you keeps trying to talk to the other one and schedule phone calls, it can quickly turn into a toxic relationship. Make sure you’ve clearly differentiated the people who want you around from those who are simply keeping in touch to be polite.

It Is Important to Be Genuine

No friendship can last if it’s not completely genuine. Don’t try to maintain contact with your loved ones just because you feel like it is something you need to work out properly. Do it because you want your relationship to be better over the years and due to genuinely caring about them.

Live Your Life

Your phone calls will quickly become dull if you have nothing to talk about with the person on the other side. For this reason, it is important that you also focus on yourself and improving your life in the new country. Go out and experience new things, learn about the culture, other people’s lives and start learning the language after moving. In other words, learn how to live in another country. By having things going on in your life, you will always have something to talk about and keep your conversations interesting.

Expand Your Social Circle

Yes, you have your old friends back home, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make new ones in your new country. Don’t hesitate to bond with the people you meet and start friendships. New people in your life won’t endanger your existing relationships with your loved ones. In fact, introducing your old and new friends with each other could turn out to be one of the best decisions you’ve made in your social life.

Some Things Aren’t Meant to Last and You Shouldn’t Ask Why

You should know that some friendships simply aren’t strong enough to survive the distance – and that’s okay. If you feel that your relationship with a friend is slowly dying despite all efforts to keep it alive, it’s better to let it die before things turn bitter. If you ask for reasons, know that you might not get any reasonable answer. Some people are simply meant to remain a fond memory in our lives, rather than life-long companions.