Long-distance relationships with friends can be tough. Differences in time zones, work schedules, and the demands of daily life can make a long-distance friendship even more difficult. Living far-away from a friend or having a friend move away can be a great strain on the relationship. Consider getting them one of these long distance friendship gifts to brighten their day.
No matter if it is a holiday, birthday, going away present or even an ordinary day, anytime is a great time to consider getting your friend a gift. Read on to get inspiration from our specially curated list of gift ideas for your dear friend!
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26 Best Long Distance Friendship Gifts
Long-distance friendships are hard, but one way to remind someone you care about that you are thinking of them is by sending them a gift. Of course, there are obvious reasons for sending a friend a gift: birthdays, holidays, significant life events. However, a random gift also makes for a touching gesture to a long-distance friend.
We’ve selected the unparalleled, best long-distance friendship gifts in multiple categories: items for around the home, small appliances and electronics, games, books, accessories, and more.
Home Items
These practical yet thoughtful gift ideas for around the home make great spontaneous or special occasion long-term friendship gifts.
Does your friend lose sleep talking to you in your respective time zones? This gift might just be the solution to this problem.
Weighted blankets are great for anyone who struggles with sleep at night. They’re also great for anyone of any age looking to improve their sleep! Once under these magical blankets, it feels as though you are receiving a big warm hug.
These blankets are available in a huge range of colors, textures, and dimensions. Its weighted technology is scientifically proven to help people instantly relax and sleep soundly through the night.
There are many different cups and glasses that come with a variety of hilarious and loving messages on Amazon, Etsy, and beyond. Some are even customizable with different sizes and colors.
Whether or not your friend drinks wine or any other alcoholic beverage, they’re sure to cherish this present.
If your friend is a wine lover, send them a hilarious printed wine glass that they’ll simply love. Your long-distance pal will think of you and laugh every time they take a sip out of it!
Essential oil diffusers are the perfect gift for anyone who is looking to relax and unwind at the end of the day. They’re also a great way to make any room smell beautiful and welcoming.
Moving to a new place can sometimes be really stressful, especially if it involves a new job with new responsibilities and stress. Diffusers are the perfect tool to destress.
Many essential oil diffusers also come with essential oils with the device. This way your friend can get to using and loving their new gift right away.
Friendship Lamps are a new and awesome technology that allows you to feel personally connected with your far-away friend. No matter how far apart the two of you are, you can use these lamps to communicate and connect with loved ones.
Every time you or your friend touches the lamp, you will be reminded of each other and feel as though you two aren’t so far apart after all.
Friendship lamps can light a huge variety of different colors. After connecting each lamp to wifi, you can touch your own lamp and have your long-distance friend’s lamp instantly light up with the same color. What a fun way to stay in touch with anyone around the world!
Homesick Scented Candles available on Amazon offer a huge range of scents to remind anyone of their home state, city, or country. No matter where a person is from, Homesick candles are sure to have a candle that your friend will cherish dearly.
This is a perfect and thoughtful gift for anyone who recently moved and is missing home. It is also the perfect gift for someone who is older and missing the town or country they grew up in.
Sometimes nothing warms the heart more than happily smelling scents of home and thinking of all the wonderful memories there.
High-tech pillows like the one from Oh, Susannah Store are another great gift to receive from a friend you miss dearly. This specific pillow is printed with the words, “Hug this pillow until you can hug me.”
This super-soft pillow is the perfect gift for any sentimental and affectionate friend who misses your hugs. By hugging this pillow, they will be reminded of you and the wonderful friendship you share.
Amazon offers a great way to have your friend remember you. If your friend grew up with you in Texas and recently moved to New Jersey, this is an unbeatable gift for them.
Cupology makes personalized mugs through Amazon that can have different states and countries connected by a heart. They can also custom quotes to add even more sentimental value.
Your friend will think of you and your wonderful friendship with every sip of coffee or tea!
Another great gift option for your long-distance friend is a custom ‘Soul Sister’ Pillow available on Etsy. This is a nice change from just a regular picture frame. For an affordable price, you can give your friend a super cute pillow with your favorite picture of the two of you pictured on it.
You can even customize what drink your avatars hold on the pillow! This is the perfect gift for your friend to always remember the margaritas or Starbucks you enjoyed together.
A tray table offers your friend an easier way to work on their laptop or read a book in the comfort of their bed or sofa. Some models are even adjustable and come with widgets to hold your devices on the table at different angles.
With virtual work and learning increasingly becoming more important in everyone’s day to day lives, this gift is sure to come in handy. Show your friend you care about their comfort and work life with this super useful tool!
Small Appliances and Electronics
Some of the best long-distance friendship gifts are also the most practical ones. Why not give someone you care about something they will actually be able to use? Here are some of our recommendations in this category.
A George Foreman Grill is the perfect gift for a beginner or expert cook. They come in a variety of sizes, serving sizes, colors, and non-stick surfaces.
With this awesome device, your friend can grill and panini press anything their heart desires, inside or outside! The heating plates are also detachable for easy cleanup. It’s even safe to throw in the dishwasher!
This portable device makes it so easy for anyone to quickly heat up using an outlet, then grill a quick and tasty meal. The George Foreman’s Grill is compact, easy to use, and lots of fun.
Lots of sites like Amazon offer some great deals on a mini portable projector that also makes a wonderful and useful gift. These fun gadgets are a great way to transform a living room, backyard, or any large flat surface into your very own movie theater.
These compact projectors come in many different sizes and colors, and even pretty affordable price points. You and your friend could enjoy watching a long-distance Netflix Party movie together on the big screen.
Although there are plenty of countdown clocks and timers on the internet to use, a physical, digital Countdown Clock from Amazon is another wonderful gift to receive from a far-away friend.
You can countdown to the second the next time you and your dear friend will be reunited. It will help build the anticipation and excitement for the next time you get together, making time together even more wonderful.
If your friend moves away, they may miss those relaxing wine nights to chill out with a friend. A neck and shoulder massager is a great way to provide that relaxation for your friend no matter how far away the two of you are.
There are tons of massagers out there on the market, whether that be Amazon, Best Buy, or elsewhere. They also come in a range of sizes and prices, so no matter there is bound to be a perfect model that your friend will love!
Show your friend how much you care about their mental health and stress levels with this relaxing tool!
Games
Looking for a fun long-distance friendship gift that can be enjoyed by many for years? We’ve got you covered with these gift ideas.
This raunchy and hilarious card game is a great gift for any friend who likes to laugh. Cards Against Humanity is available in its original adult form on Amazon. If both of you have the game, you could play together via video chat or facetime and laugh along together!
It is also available in a kids version called Kids Against Maturity. If your friend has children, this is a great gift their whole family can enjoy.
What Do You Meme? is another hilarious and fun card game to give any friend far-away. Perhaps if your friend is hoping to make new friends of their own in their new city, this game is a great way to break the ice and get everyone laughing.
Consider also getting your own set of the game as well. This way you and your long-distance friend can enjoy the game and laugh along together by playing virtually.
The cards are all inspired by pop culture memes or internet jokes that most younger people are sure to enjoy.
Books
There are endless varieties of books out there, and some of them make for great long-distance friendship gifts. We’ve picked a few that are particularly thoughtful.
Collections such as Reese’s Book Club are available on Amazon and are typically marked with a specific logo. This particular selection has a great selection of books.
Start a mini book club with your friend from a collection of Reese Witherspoon’s favorite books! Reading books at the same time is a great way to stay in touch and have lots to talk about when you get on the phone or video call with each other.
Especially if it’s a great book you both enjoy, you both benefit from a good read and having a lively discussion analyzing the book!
“Why I Miss You” Book is a wonderful way to personalize a gift to your long-distance friend. Instead of just sending them a generic gift, this book has you write all the things you miss about them.
Each page to fill out is a new prompt that is often hilarious and heartfelt. Amazon also has this kind of Book available in forms such as ‘Why I Love You’ and ‘What I Love About You.’
Customizable scrapbooks or photo albums are a great way to cherish your memories with your long-distance friend. Even though you may be far apart, your friend can simply look at and enjoy the photos of you two together when they miss you.
Shutterfly Photo Books are a great affordable option to create your very own book of memories to gift to your far-away friend. There are tons of other options out there as well.
Write jokes, stories, and memories alongside the photographs to make the book extra special for your far-away friend to enjoy.
Accessories
Find the perfect long-distance friendship gift with this selection of cozy, customizable, and practical accessories.
The Comfy Original shirt/blanket is a wearable sherpa blanket that is super oversized and ridiculously cozy. It is also so large that it is sure to make any wearer super warm and relaxed.
Long-distance friends are sure to enjoy this around the home, especially if they move to regions with colder weather and climates. Coupled with a nice hot cup of hot chocolate, this gift would be the perfect thing to wear while having a nice phone call or video chat with your long-distance pal.
Jewelry made in pairs to be worn in pairs is a super sentimental gift to any friend near and dear to your heart. They can be customized, but there are also tons of variations in size, style, and price on the market.
Friendship jewelry is a super heart-warming way to stay connected even when you and your friend are far apart. Every time they look down at their hands or look in the mirror they will be reminded of your friendship!
Another great present to gift your friends could be bath salt aromatherapy products and accessories. There are tons of scents to choose from that are great for the body and soul. You can’t go wrong with the basic lavender and eucalyptus scents.
Perhaps your friend has moved to a new city to start a stressful job. Or perhaps your friend needs some relaxation to take their mind off missing you and their home. Bath salts are the perfect gift to unwind and relax with.
MISCELLANEOUS Gifts for long distance best friend
If you’re still looking for the ideal gift for any occasion, check out our last few long-distance friendship gift recommendations.
A simple gift card with any amount of gifted points is a great option for your long-distance friend. The prices offered on gift cards for sites like Amazon and Etsy range anywhere from a few dollars to a few thousand dollars!
If you’re unsure what your friend would like, a gift card is perfect. It’s basically free money for your friend. Plus, there’s no going wrong since they’re sure to pick out something they know they will love!
If your friend has a furry friend, they’d absolutely love a custom portrait of them to hang in their home. Custom portraits of pets are available in a whole range of patterns, materials, and backgrounds.
Using a simple photo of their pet from social media, you can help create a piece of art they will cherish forever.
Crown and Paw allow you to customize paintings of dukes, generals, queens and so much more using your friends’ pet’s likeness. This site even offers to transform their pet into a Game of Thrones character! There is no better gift than a custom portrait of your pet sitting on the iron throne, dressed as John Snow for a Game of Thrones fan!
Tons of Etsy shops and artists like Jen Milot Designs also offer wonderful custom watercolor paintings of pets and beyond.
CraveBox Care Packages are another great option to gift your far-away pal available on Amazon. They come with all different kinds of snacks and candies anyone with a sweet tooth is sure to enjoy.
Show your friend how much you miss and care for them through treats for their tummies!
‘Letters to Open When…’ is another great personalized gift to give your long-distance pal. They offer prompts to write your own personal, handwritten messages that your friend opens on specific dates or after special events in their life.
These letters are available on Amazon. Who doesn’t love receiving personal mail from a friend these days? Your long-distance friend would absolutely love such a thoughtful gift.
Finally, consider giving your friend a homemade and handmade present they will cherish. Some ideas to give you some inspiration make be a hand-painted picture or a knitted blanket.
Who cares if you’re not so talented at crafting? Your friend is certain to love anything you make for them.
And if you really don’t have any knowledge or skill in crafting most anything, you can cheat a bit and give them a custom embroidered blanket from Etsy. Just tell them you picked up knitting since they’ve been gone!
Final Thoughts on Best Gifts For Your Long Distance BFF
Whether you’re in a long distance relationship or you have best friends who aren’t living in the same town as you, we hope you were able to find a fun gift for that special person in your life.
