Keepin' it together: you and the gals will be apart for some of the summer? There are lots of ways to ease the separation anxiety.

In the new flick The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, best buds Bridget, Carmen, Lena and Tibby stay tight even while apart for the summer. The key to their connection? A pair of thrift shop jeans that magically fits all four pals perfectly. The gals mail the denim back and forth to each other all season. Together again at summer's end, the friends scribble their coolest adventures on the pants legs. OK, so magic pants are hard to come by. But hot weather is no excuse to slack on sisterhood.

WRITE ON!

A lot can happen over a summer. Even if you're hangin' at home, you might have family drama or a crush on the new cutie across the street. So your BFF's aren't around to gab, but if you neglect the gossip until Labor Day, the catch-up convo might go something like this: Them: "How was your summer?" You: "It was cool." That reveals nada and makes it hard to reconnect.

Make a pact to keep journals. Then, spill about your mortifying belly-flop or that rockin' music lest. Write where you want, when you want. Entries can be essay-long or one-liners. When the girls are back in town, have a journal jam session to share your written words.

MAKING THE VID 

If you have a videocam, star in your own reality show. Film the museum you visited or the Ferris wheel you rode. If you're home and they're away, walk them through your day. (And, duh, don't forget text-messaging and camera phones.)

More of a low-tech gal? Make audiotapes. Blab about the hottie at Hollister or your cranky ceramics instructor. You can even have someone interview you. Then, drop your message in a padded envelope to go postal. Your pals will be totally amped to get your greeting.

BOSS SWAP

Let your lave hair clip take a trip. Trade it (temporarily!) for your friend's barrette. Or swap bracelets, tees, backpacks, flip-flops. Pledge to treasure the item and return it at the end of the summer. Have someone snap photos of you with it, bumming at the beach or picnicking in the park. Know that your clip is trekking to places you've never been.

SCRAP IT

The scorecard from your mini-golf game, a pic of that too-cute panda at the zoo, your recital program. Put the souvenirs in a scrapbook to piece together the story of your vacay. Ask your pals to do the same. When you share your book, your buds will get a true feeling for what your summer was about. Plus, you'll have a permanent record of your slammin' summer. Aaah, sweet memories!