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Tips to Stay Connected With Long-Distance Friends and Family

By Ring on May 8, 2024

When your friends and family are scattered across different states, countries, and time zones, it’s easy to lose touch. But just because you can’t grab dinner together doesn’t mean you have to settle for once-a-month phone calls. With a little creativity (and technology), your relationships can stay just as strong as they were in person.

Here are some easy ways to bridge the distance in relationships with loved ones who are far away (but close to your heart).

Find Time for Each Other

When you’re busy with work, kids, and projects at home, it’s hard to squeeze in the time to call all your long-distance loved ones. To make sure you have plenty of (virtual) quality time with no distractions, carve out a dedicated time slot and clear your calendar.

Ask your loved ones which days and times they’re typically free, and adjust for their time zone to find a time when you’re both available. Then, schedule a recurring call for as often as you’d both prefer, such as weekly or monthly. Set a reminder or put it on your calendar so you don’t forget. With a formal scheduled call, you won’t have to play phone tag or rush off the phone after five minutes — which means better conversations that aren’t just spent catching up.

Share the Small Things

When you have limited time to chat with your loved one, you don’t want to spend the entire weekly call going through a play-by-play of each day that week. But only talking about the big moments — birthdays, promotions, and vacations — can make you feel disconnected from their day-to-day life. That’s why it’s important to share the little moments as they happen.

If you’re missing the everyday moments with your loved ones, your Ring doorbell and cameras can help. Just add your family members as Shared Users on the Ring App and have them do the same for you. Shared Users can access Live View from your cameras, use Two-Way Talk, and look back at past footage if you have a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately.¹

Here are some more easy ways to stay connected each day:

Create a family or friends group chat and send regular photos and texts about your days.

Invite loved ones to a shared digital album and add photos regularly. Ask them to do the same.

Save sweet clips from your Ring cameras with a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately. Add them to your shared album or send them via text.¹

Give a recap of the day’s agenda on the Ring doorbell as you leave for work or school drop off. Your Shared Users can watch on Live View or look at the footage later with a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately.¹

Have a daily chat with a family member using Two-Way Talk on their Ring cam, like this grandpa who gets a morning call from his son and grandson every day.

Find Shared Hobbies

You may not be able to visit the yoga studio or hike a local trail with your long-distance loved one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t share experiences. Having common interests can strengthen your bond — and give you more to talk about on your weekly phone calls.

If you don’t already have a hobby you both do separately, have a conversation about the things you’ve been wanting to try and pick one to do together. For example, maybe your friend has been wanting to try their hand at baking bread. You can find a recipe to tackle, knead together over a video call, and discuss the (delicious) results. Other ideas include:

Watching the same TV show as it airs (or picking episodes of older shows to stream together) and live-texting your reactions.

Making the same meal for dinner once a week and chatting about the process afterward.

Follow a workout video together and video chat during your cool-down.

Read the same book and hold a virtual book club with one or several loved ones each week.

Play a game together over video call and let your competitive spirits shine.

Pick a craft to attempt, like a knitted scarf or paint-by-numbers project, and text pictures of your progress.

Celebrate Big Moments

Special occasions can feel bittersweet when you’re not there to celebrate. But you can still get involved from a distance to make the day even more special.

No matter what your loved one is celebrating, commemorate the occasion with a gift, dinner delivery, or dessert. Plan ahead of time, if you can, to make sure the gift arrives before or on the special day. If you know your delivery is about to arrive, check in on your loved one’s Ring cam to see their reaction. You can also arrange a virtual party and give a champagne toast or sing happy birthday so it feels like you’re there, even if you can’t be.

Send Care Packages

Any gift you send to a loved one is a welcome surprise — but there’s nothing quite like a carefully curated box of their favorite things and a handwritten note to show how much you care.

You can fill your care packages with anything your friend or family member might enjoy, from little trinkets with inside jokes to a favorite food they can only get in your hometown. Or, if you moved to a place your loved one hasn’t been, send a care package that gives them a feel for your new city. Seeing a box with your return address is sure to make their day, and their excited reaction will make yours, too.

Plan a Visit

If it’s been too long since you’ve seen one of your favorite people, it’s time to start planning a reunion. Booking a flight gives you something to look forward to, and you and your loved one can spend your weekly calls chatting about everything you want to do together.

While hosting friends in your new city or traveling to your hometown are always go-to options, you can also get creative with your trips. Take a vacation somewhere you and your friend have always wanted to go, or meet at a spot between your two towns that neither of you has explored. No matter where you go, reuniting with someone you love will undoubtedly be the highlight of your trip.

¹ Your Ring videos in the cloud are stored temporarily, up to 180 days. Changing your video storage time will only affect videos that are recorded after you adjust your storage time setting. Check Ring Protect Subscription Plans for more information.