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50+ Gifts For Long-Distance Friends

Are you looking for gifts for long-distance friends? We’ve rounded up over 50 super cute and thoughtful options!

Friendships change as you venture further into your twenties. You change. The circumstances around you change.

Your bestie may move for work or love or any other reason. Or maybe you’re the one who moved. Or maybe you met your bestie in college and you’re both from different places, now going back home.

Whatever the reason may be, you’ll see during your twenties that some of your best friends may not live near you anymore. A long distance relationship isn’t always romantic, they’re for friendships, too.

There are so many ways to keep a long-distance best friendship strong. Scheduling phone calls, whether it be a phone date on the drive home from work or a FaceTime happy hour. Sending each other fun memes or pics through social media. Texting each other life updates.

And do you know what’s super sweet? Sending each other gifts to let your bestie know that you’re thinking of them. The best gifts don’t have to be for special occasions, either.

Whether it be for a birthday, a holiday, or just a simple “saw this and thought you’d like it,” the gesture will go a long way. It’ll remind your bestie that even though you are not physically with them as much as you’d like to me, they’re still you’re best friend, you’re always there for them, and they’re always on your mind.

Now, what type of gifts would work for a long-distance situation like this? Yes, it’s true, any gift will be appreciated. But especially if you want that gift to have special meaning, here are gifts for long-distance best friends.

A meaningful gift is a great way to stay connected and to send love. Think of it like a care package for your friendship with a heartfelt message.

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50+ Gifts For Long-Distance Friends

Wine

If you and your bestie are both wine lovers, then wine is a great gift choice for your bestie. It’s also super easy to send wine now too, as compared to how it used to be. Send your bestie a bottle or two and add a note that you want to have a wine catch-up FaceTime date soon.

This way you’ll both be sipping on your wine together, just separated by a screen. If you want to take this to the next level you can sign up for a wine subscription and sign your bestie up for the same one. This way you’ll both get the same wines delivered to your homes around the same time!

When your bestie drinks the wine, they’ll think of you. Or again, you can schedule a FaceTime to unbox your goodies together and then drink them together! Some companies even let you personalize bottles of wine if you want to make it even more special.

The only catch is that your friend may not want to drink it then! But remind them, they can always drink the wine, use the empty bottle, add some fairy lights to it, and have a new piece of decor. A beautiful gift that keeps on giving!

Friendship Jewelry

You likely had some sort of friendship jewelry when you were a child, whether that was in the form of the same friendship bracelets, two necklaces that were puzzle-like and completed each other, rings that said “best” and “friends” on it, and so on.

Why does this have to stop in your 20s? Beaded bracelets, whether handmade or bought, have come back and are super cute ways for you and your bestie to show your love for one another.

There’s so many options for jewelry gift ideas, too! If you don’t want one to say “best” and the other say “friends” you can just get the same bracelet and match that way. Many couples do the same thing when choosing mens wedding rings, the men’s ring can say “forever” and the women’s ring can say something like “my love” which symbolizes the loving relationship that the couple has with each other.

Or you could each get a piece of jewelry with the coordinates on it of a place that’s special to you. Maybe you want to go old school and make a bracelet with different colors that symbolize different memories. There’s no wrong way when it comes to best friend gifts especially when they come from the heart.

Whatever is your style, there are so many different options of friendship jewelry for you to choose from that you and your long-distance bff will be wanting to wear every day.

Send Pictures

No one prints pictures anymore, but there is something about having a printed picture in a picture frame in your home, isn’t there? What better way to create a time capsule of your friendship with your long-distance bestie with photos from your friendship.

Use an app like Snapfish or Shutterfly to print pics of you and your bestie and send the pics directly to them. They’ll be so surprised and happy when they open the mail to find a trip down memory lane!

These website even give you framing options for photos you upload if you want to frame it for your best friend and all they need to do is hang it. Plus, there’s even plenty of book options where you can put all the photos into a nice coffee table book that’s totally professionally done.

Capturing the good times you’ve had making memories together is a perfect way to remind your best friend how much you love them. Photos printed are such a special gift because people don’t print them anymore.

Matching Drinkware

Whether you’re coffee/tea drinkers, wine drinkers, juice drinkers, etc. there are so many companies out there where you can create personalized drinkware. Get matching ones for you and your best friend!

They can either have fun sayings on them that mean a lot to you both (like a quote from Friends), caricature images of you and your bestie, or even a photo of you guys — pick whichever one is your style. Wine tumblers, coffee mugs, giant water bottles for your hydration goals. Anything works as long distance friendship gifts as long as it works for you!

Drinkware is something we always use, so this is a sure way for you and your bestie to be thinking of each other, and remind you of all the memories you’ve had together. Plus, like I mentioned above, if you do set up virtual happy hours or catch-up calls, this drinkware is perfect for you to use together!

Candles

Who doesn’t love candles?! This is a perfect gift for a long-distance best friend gift because there are so many options. We all know that smell is one of the strongest forms of nostalgia.

If you and your bestie were beach bums growing up, send them a candle that smells like the beach. If there’s a certain scent you both wore when you were in college, send a candle that smells like that.

These is also the “Homesick” candle collection which is a great reminder of home if your bestie is the one who moved away. Or of the town the college you went to. There are Homesick Candles for everything!

There may even be one for that great vacation you may have taken together! Also, some companies even let you personalize the outside of the candle, which is a great option, too for a very thoughtful gift.

Long Distance Friendship Lamp

Friendship lamps are a popular way to say “thinking of you” in the moment. They come in many different styles and colors. The idea is that when you are missing your friend, you touch your lamp, and theirs lights up! How sweet is that!


In Summary: Gifts For Long Distance Friends

A sentimental gift is so special but remember, one of the best ways to keep in touch with your long distance best friend is by being there for them. True friendship shows up for a difficult time or a new job or just to have quality time. The random times you chat can be more meaningful than a Christmas gift.

Real life long-distance BFFs! Our Editor-in-chief, Nicole, and Managing Editor, Marina, spend time at Disneyland in 2019.

What else have you sent as long-distance friendship gifts? Let us know!

About the Author

Michelle Ioannou

Michelle graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelors of Arts '13 and a Master of Arts '14. She's currently working in corporate America with a side of freelance writing. She wants you to learn from her experiences and mistakes so your 20s can be your best decade. When she's not working, she's likely planning her escape to a tropical island.