Long distance birthday gift for your best friend in London when you are in Los Angeles

8 long distance gift ideas for your best friend in London

1. A pixel game you can play together over a call Our product

   oin turns your friendship into a small 2D pixel game with them as the main character, generated from an authorized photo, plus two custom NPCs made from authorized photos with consent. Two letters from you open and close it, a 5-question quiz about your life apart and together rewards flowers for correct answers, and the final level is set in Almaty, Kazakhstan; New York and Tokyo are coming soon. It plays in a browser with no install, is usually emailed within an hour and costs $29.90. See how it works →

2. A photo book sent by post

   A printed book of your photos together, posted to them. Order two weeks ahead if the parcel crosses a border. Around $25-70.

3. A subscription box

   A monthly box of tea, snacks or books sent to their door, so there is something to look forward to every month. Around $20-50.

4. A care package

   A parcel of snacks, a candle and a few small things from your city. Check customs rules and allow 1-3 weeks for an international parcel. Around $30-90.

5. A meal delivered to their door

   Order dinner to their door from a delivery app that works in their city, and eat it together on a video call. Around $25-70.

6. A series of voice notes

   Record a short message for each day of a week and send them in order. It costs nothing and sounds like you. It costs nothing.

7. “Open when” letters

   Ten envelopes for moments: open when you miss me, when you have a bad day, when you cannot sleep. Post them or photograph and send each one. Around $5-20.

8. A film night on a call

   Pick a film, press play at the same time and talk through it. Streaming services each have a watch-together option or you can use a screen share. It costs little.

Los Angeles to London: the time difference

London is about 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles, so 8 pm in London is roughly 12 pm in Los Angeles. The gap shifts by an hour for part of the year when the clocks change.

There is a real time difference to plan around. Pick a day when the earlier of you has finished work and the later is not yet asleep.

What a parcel across the border costs you

A parcel from Los Angeles to London crosses a border, so allow one to three weeks and check customs rules for food, liquids and anything with a battery. A digital gift has none of that.

Buying for your best friend

Friendship gifts are best when they are funny or nostalgic. Look back through photos and messages for the thing you always refer to.

Pair a silly gift with a sincere note.

If the birthday is tomorrow

Leaving it late is easy to fix: Gift cards, flowers and a personalized game arrive fast, and an oin game is usually emailed within an hour of payment. Add a cake or a card for the table.

Think of the day as a whole: a morning surprise, a gift at dinner and something for the evening. A single gift rarely feels like enough on its own.

Opening it together on a call

Send the link, agree a time that works in both cities and open the game on a video call. You can read the quiz questions aloud while they play, or share your screen and watch.

The final level you can play today is set in Almaty, Kazakhstan; New York and Tokyo are coming soon.