Make Trips to Visit Out of Town Friends

Adult Friend Challenge – Prudence

#21: Foresight

Schedule a weekend trip every year or two, when able, to reconnect and maintain friendships with those who don’t live in the same town. Choose a time, location, and cost structure that will work for everyone who will attend.

Odds are, if you’re visiting this friend, you’ve kept in touch with her since they moved away. You’ve listed to their stories on the phone, followed them on Facebook/Twitter and killed time at work by perusing her online photo galleries. But do you really have a sense of what her new life is like? By visiting a friend, you’ll have a new appreciation for their anecdotes and everything that they’ve shared with you will have more context. You’ll meet their friends, see where they live and party where she parties. Your friend may have a new life away from you, but there’s no reason that you can’t get to know it (and her) better by paying a visit.

Visiting a friend is so much more than just a vacation. It’s a chance to learn about a new place, reconnect with someone special and experience life as a local. Visits to friends often generate the fondest memories of travel, as those trips tend to strengthen old bonds, create new inside jokes and foster a comfort level that is often hard to achieve when traveling to a place that is completely unknown to you.

So, the next time you are desperate to get away and think that it’s just too difficult to plan a trip, consider those friends who have relocated to a place that you never would have imagined going. Write one of them an email or, better yet, give him a call. He’ll be thrilled to hear from you and beyond excited that you want to visit. Before you know it, you’ll be together again. Just be sure to thank him and to pack that gift from home.

Resource: 8 Reasons To Visit a Friend

Today’s Saint: Ven. Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII was pope during the Second World War, when the Nazi powers were brutally persecuting Christian and Jewish people throughout Europe. Many people tried to tell the Holy Father how to handle the terrible situation, but Pius XII relied primarily on prayer to discern the best way he could help those in need. He was heroic in his courage and charity, directing the Church to provide refuge, food, and money to the suffering in various countries. His efforts, although quiet, saved the lives of thousands of people.

Resource: OneParishApp