Miles of land and sea don’t have to get in the way of your friendships any longer! With a wide range of apps and social media, today it’s easy to keep in touch with your amigos studying in a foreign land.

Because San Diego State IS a top school for studying abroad, too often Aztecs are faced with separation anxiety when their other halves fly halfway around the world.

Distance isn’t an issue when you use Viber or WhatsApp. Viber and WhatsApp are mobile apps that enable you to communicate through text and phone call for free with another friend who has the app. It’s free because uses Wi-Fi or 3G connections. This is the perfect solution to wanting to chat with a friend without running up a high phone bill. They both serve essentially the same purpose: connecting friends.

“WhatsApp is all I use to talk to my friends in Germany and France, besides Facetime,” senior Carleigh Roman said.

The two apps work on iPhone, Android, Windows and Blackberry devices. Viber even recently added an online option, connecting friends who both have Viber downloaded on their desktop.

“WhatsApp is what I use to talk to my family in Istanbul,” sophomore Koray Kayhan said. “It is very convenient.”

Facebook Messenger is also rapidly becoming more popular. Downloading it is as simple as clicking on the installation option in the chat window. It’s a free and easy way to keep in touch with friends and family no matter the location. Also, the familiarity of Facebook’s simple format makes it user-friendly.

If you’re more of the “seeing is believing” type, then Facetime and Skype are oldies but goodies when it comes to long distance communication. They have been around for years but with these video chat apps your friendship will be as strong as your Wi-Fi connection.

Make a quick trip to your app store and add each other before you part ways and avoid the dramatic farewell. Remember, it’s not goodbye, it’s until we Skype again.