Good news: Your friend landed that amazing job in a different country!

Bad news: Your friend now lives hundreds of miles away and is in a time zone 6 hours behind you.

But don’t fear! You live in the 21st century, where there are apps and tools to help you get together with friends at your fingertips! With a little effort on both sides and some advice from us, you can keep up with your friends, no matter where they are on the planet.

1. Get a shared calendar

Getting a shared calendar together not only means you can see exactly when the other person is free, but you can find time to book in those much-needed catch-ups !

Whether that's spending hours on FaceTime binge-watching a new series, or having a quick 10-minute call during your lunch breaks, making the time to keep in the loop with your friend's life and putting in the effort to stay connected can be the difference between staying close and losing touch.

Our tip: Howbout is the best shared calendar for friends trying to keep up with each other and staying in touch. With Howbout, you can easily see what your friends have got going on, share calendars together, make plans to catch-up, and spend more time together - no matter how much distance is between you.

2. Keep up with weekly FaceTime calls

Life can get busy and suddenly all your conversations consist of is “are you free tonight?” messages.

Set up a recurring time for video calls or phone chats. From a weekly video call or a monthly phone check-in, having that scheduled time to catch-up is not only great to keep up with their lives, but also a time where you can get any problems you’ve faced over the last week off your chest. With a shared calendar like Howbout, it’s even easier to see exactly what plans they’ve been up to and start a conversation from there. How was their gym class at the start of the week? How was movie they watched over the weekend? Why were they on a date with that ex last night? It’s all in the shared calendar.

Our tip: Schedule in weekly or monthly plans for you and your bestie to catch-up! Whether it’s for an all-night FaceTime or a quick phone call, coordinate it all on your Howbout shared calendar and set recurring events so you never miss a chat.

3. Have your next meet-up set in stone (in the calendar)

When possible, get a date in the diary for when you’re finally reunited! Whether that’s going to each other’s cities or meeting somewhere in the middle, having a day to look forward to when you know you’ll be seeing each other in person can make the days that you’re apart easier 🫶

Use Howbout to coordinate your availability and get it booked in. On your shared calendar, you can easily see when you're both free and keep all your travel plans organised in one place via the plan page.

Our tip: Pin your IRL reunion plan to your Howbout home page so you can countdown how many days and hours until you’re back together again.

4. Share daily moments together

Staying connected isn't just about deep meaningful conversations, it's also about sharing the little moments. Text, use social media, or even Howbout, to share snippets of your day.

Sending a photo of the dog you saw on the bus, or a screenshot of the not-funny-haha-funny-weird message you got from a Tinder date could be enough to brighten up your besties day.

With your shared calendar on Howbout, you can see what your friend has planned for that day, meaning you can start the conversation with them! Did they have fun on their work social, were they good at mini golf, how was their coffee with that ex…

Our tip: Reminding your friend of a past memory you had together can be a great way to start a conversation and get nostalgic together. You can find all your favourite past events in the Memories section on Howbout.

5. Plan virtual friend dates instead

Who says you need to be in the same place for a friend date? Host virtual movie nights, game sessions, or even cook the same recipe while on a video call.

Share your calendar so your friend can see exactly when you’re free to hang out (virtually, obvs). Create an event, check your friends availability on Howbout’s shared calendar feature and get that virtual plan booked in!

Our tip: Keep track of all your virtual date ideas in one place so you don’t run out of fun things to do together! Howbout’s Bucket List feature is perfect for this - and you can easily turn your bucket list ideas into plans!

6. Keep celebrating the good things together!

Distance makes the heart grow fonder: birthdays, anniversaries, or even the day you became friends – celebrate them all! Remembering these milestones in your friendship will bring you closer together no matter how much physical distance is between you.

Our tip: Use Howbout to remember the big days together, or to check their calendar to see when they’re available for a surprise call or special delivery. These thoughtful gestures show your friends that distance doesn’t dampen your care and appreciation for them. Don’t forget to check their calendar for any special events you might be missing, too!

Elly’s a Howbout user, and she owes it to the app for keeping her and her long distance bestie closer than ever:

“My best friend and I were inseparable before she moved to a different city on the other side of the country. The thing I found most surprising was even trying to arrange a phone call at the right time felt like an impossible task, let alone finding when we’d next meet up!

We tried so many different apps to sync our schedules but none of them worked for us. Then, a mutual friend introduced us to Howbout and we were hooked straight away.

Being able to not only have our phone calls locked in, but also see side-by-side when we’re both free for a few days to see each other in real life, has been the best for our long distance friendship!”

Long-distance friendships require effort, but with a little creativity and the right tools, they can be just as amazing as when they were living down the street. So, your final step to staying connected with your bestie? Downloading Howbout!

Howbout is your perfect companion in keeping those connections alive, making it easy to see what your friends are up to, share when you’re free, and celebrate every moment together. It’s available on iOS and Android and is 100% free, so any of your friends can get on and start sharing time together!