Whether you\u2019re traveling the world, working at summer camp or hanging out in your hometown, being separated from your best friends for three months gets old fast. Facebook and Snapchat are great for keeping up with each other\u2019s shenanigans from a distance, but that can get stale after a while.<\/p>\n
Mix it up with these five methods of communication.<\/p>\n
Send a postcard<\/strong> Build a shared playlist<\/strong> Share an online activity<\/strong> Set a goal<\/strong> The summer holiday will be over before you know it, and the gang will be back together complaining about homework and longing for freedom. Enjoy the break with your friends, whether they\u2019re down the hall or across the globe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you\u2019re traveling the world, working at summer camp or hanging out in your hometown, being separated from your best friends for three months gets old fast. Facebook and Snapchat are great for keeping up with each other\u2019s shenanigans from a distance, but that can get stale after a while. Mix it up with these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,14,9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advice","8":"category-general-post","9":"category-life-of-a-grad-student","10":"category-tips"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/04\/HCstayintouch.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":498,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions\/498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhether you buy it at a destination gift shop or the gas station on the corner, your friends will be pleasantly surprised to receive snail mail from you. You can also make your own cards out of cardstock and print or draw pictures on them. Best of all, postcard stamps are only 34 cents!
\n
\nSend other random objects<\/strong>
\nSpeaking of snail mail, it\u2019s good for more than postcards and envelopes. You can mail just about any self-contained item under\u00a013 ounces<\/a>\u00a0with postage stamps! That includes pillows, potatoes, flip flops, coconuts, packaged treats, random hats and spatulas. Go crazy and surprise your friends!<\/p>\n
\nSome of the catchiest music of the year comes out during summer, which stinks if you usually listen to the latest tunes with your music-loving pals. During the summer, create a playlist with your friends of your favorite old and new songs so that you can jam together even from different places.<\/p>\n
\nThe internet is a nearly-infinite source of bonding and entertainment; all you have to do is find something you like doing together. You can binge-watch the same Netflix series while Snapchatting back and forth, have a book club over Google Hangouts, play video games together, share a secret Pinterest board full of Ryan Gosling memes or test out new recipes while listening to the same indie playlists or stand up comedians on Youtube. It will give you something to talk about when school starts back up and might be the foundation for your new favorite hobby.<\/p>\n
\nSummer break is a great time to build a new habit and try the things you\u2019ve been putting off. Just because your friends are far away doesn\u2019t mean that you have to go it alone! Whether you\u2019re trying to improve your mile time, learn to crochet or lose weight, invite your friends to strive for success with you. They\u2019ll make great accountability partners, and it will give you an excuse to\u00a0pester them<\/del>\u00a0keep in touch!<\/p>\n