15 Meaningful Ways to Catch Up With a Friend (That Aren't Just Going for Coffee)

Friendship Happens Best When You're Doing Something Together. Here are some ways to catch up with friends. 

Life gets busy. It’s one of the few statements that you can boldly say will apply to everyone who reads it. It is true for you, its is true for me and it is true for our friends.

In fact, friendships don't normally end with an argument or fireworks, the slowly and quietly fade away because everyone is busy.

Children, work, life, they always have a way of sucking up all your time like a surprisingly efficient vacuum. (Must be a fancy one like a Dyson). But the truth is, we need friends. You don't need hundreds, just a few good people you can turn to when life is hard and who can turn to you for the same reason.

The inspiration for this post is that the day of writing it is International Friendship Day. So we wanted to give you some suggestions of ways you can check in on a friend.

It is also true that not all catch ups are created equal.

Here are 15 (I know, good job me, it took me ages to think of these so I hope you like them). The last 5 are specifically designed for parents but are a great day even if you don't have kids.

A catch-up is a little like a first date. You're not meeting someone new, but you are getting to know the version of them sitting in front of you today. Life changes people, sometimes in wonderful ways and sometimes in difficult ones. The best catch-ups leave enough space to discover both.

So as with a date, we want to encourage ways for you to get in depth with the person you are meeting with. Cinema trips for example, not the best way to learn what your person of choice has been up to.

Instead we want to encourage a situation where we can really talk and understand each other. Something with some other additional purpose or prompt is great too, for the natural dips in conversation.

1) Go for a walk:

Starting it simple. Walking side-by-side often makes conversation easier than sitting opposite each other, in addition things you find, see or stumble over on a walk can reengage chatting and lead to new topics of conversation.

2) Visit a Garden Centre:

Feel like I am showing my age a little here, I promise I am not anyone's grandma. They are quite, you can wander, they have pretty flowers and plants, nearly always a little aisle of things you didn't know you needed but defiantly do, and even a little coffee shop for when you are done.

3) Cook Together:

It doesn't need to be big or fancy, some slightly burnt Pizza's, little outdoor BBQ or some chokies with too many chocolate chips (as if there could be such a thing). Its very natural to chat while cooking and if you get stuck of something to say you will soon enough find something. Plus you get something delicious to eat at the end (provided one of you can cook).

4) Visit a Local Market:

Nice and slow, low pressure, lots of things to see and try and engage with. Opportunity to grab food, drinks and some sitting areas. Fruits and flower sellers offer a bright and colourful backdrop.

5) Volunteer Together:

Volunteering together is a great place for a catch-up because it provides shared purpose, natural breaks, and reduced pressure. It lets you talk while doing a task, making the time feel useful and fun at the same time. Good feelings: Helping others releases happy brain chemicals, which puts both of you in a great mood.

6) Art Gallery or museum visit:

Walk through a local art gallery or history museum, especially on free admission days. These are packed with things to observe and discuss. The only downside is coffee can be expensive.

7) The "Erran-date":

We all have a never-ending list of boring chores to do. Turn a target run, a trip to the plant nursery, or the weekly grocery shop into quality time by doing them together. Crossing items off a to-do list is infinitely more fun when you have your best friend there to mock your impulse purchases.

8) Start a Tiny Tradition:

Tiny means tiny, does not need to be a big deal. A walk every first Sunday for the month, breakfast one Saturday a month, habits and consistency make things easier to follow.

9) Board Game or Jigsaw Night:

If you want a low-pressure evening at home, dust off a cooperative board game or open a fresh jigsaw puzzle. Working toward a silly, low-stakes goal gives you a perfect focal point. When the conversation naturally lulls, you can just stare intensely at the pieces and pretend you are strategising.

10) Local Scavenger Hunt or Photo Walk:

Pick a nearby historic town or a trendy neighborhood and head out with a specific theme in mind—like finding the best street art, the oldest building, or the most ridiculous lawn ornament. It gets you moving, gives you endless prompts to talk about, and leaves you with a phone full of funny photos.

A Little Harder When You Have Kids?

Friendships can become a little more complicated once children arrive. It's not because you care about your friends any less, it's simply because life suddenly revolves around nap times, school runs, football practice and trying to remember whose turn it is to bring the snacks.

The good news is that catching up doesn't have to stop. Sometimes it just looks a little different. The trick is finding places where the children are happy exploring while the adults finally get the chance to finish a conversation.

11) Soft Play (When They're Old Enough!)

I'm putting a little disclaimer on this one. If your children are toddlers, you'll probably spend more time crawling through tunnels retrieving a missing shoe than actually speaking to your friend.

Once they're a little older, though, soft play becomes a fantastic place to catch up. The children disappear off on adventures, occasionally returning to ask for a drink or proudly announce they've reached the top of something enormous, while the grown-ups get the rare luxury of finishing a hot cup of coffee and an uninterrupted conversation.

12) Picnic in the Park

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones. Pack a few sandwiches, a blanket and something for the children to kick around, and you've got the recipe for a wonderfully relaxed afternoon.

The children can burn off some energy while you and your friend enjoy the kind of conversation that's almost impossible to have when you're constantly rushing between places.

13) Nature Walk or Woodland Adventure

Children have an incredible ability to turn a short walk into an expedition. Every stick is a sword, every puddle is irresistible and every bug deserves a full investigation.

That slower pace is exactly what makes it such a lovely catch-up for adults too. There's no pressure to be anywhere in a hurry, and nature has a wonderful way of making everyone slow down just a little.

14) Zoo or Wildlife Park

Zoos are one of those rare places where everyone seems to find something they enjoy. The children are busy spotting their favourite animals, while the adults can wander together without feeling like they have to provide constant entertainment.

There's always something happening to spark conversation too, whether it's watching the penguins argue over a fish or trying to convince everyone that the red panda is, in fact, the cutest animal there.

15) Visit a Farm Park

This last one is a little closer to home for me.

My girlfriend and I recently spent the day at Cotswold Farm Park. We don't even have children (well... unless you count me), but even as two adults in our twenties (well, she's in her mid-twenties, I'm in my late twenties with the back of someone pushing seventy) we had an absolutely brilliant day.

The farm park actually sprang to mind the moment we started talking about this article. We spent the afternoon wandering around in the sunshine, petting sheep and goats, and, of course, admiring the Highland cows.

If you can't tell already, we're rather fond of Highland cows.

What struck me most, though, wasn't just how much we enjoyed it. It was watching families and groups of friends spending time together. There were play areas for the children, a café for a well-earned coffee, plenty of open space to explore and enough going on that nobody seemed bored.

It felt like one of those rare places where the children could happily entertain themselves while the adults still had the chance to finish a conversation. You're obviously still keeping an eye on them, but you're supervising rather than constantly leading the entertainment.

(And as a completely unrelated bonus fact, the sunflower fields were taller than my vertically challenged girlfriend. She insisted I mention that she was smiling in the photos... mostly because nobody could actually see her.)

Friendship Doesn't Need to Be Complicated

Friendship doesn't need grand gestures or months of planning. Most of the time, all it takes is making the decision to spend time together. Whether that's a walk around the block, a board game over a cup of tea, or a day out watching children chase goats around a farm, the activity is rarely what you'll remember most. You'll remember the conversations, the laughter and the feeling that, for a couple of hours, life wasn't quite so busy.