We consider avoidance of permutation patterns with designated gap sizes between pairs of consecutive letters. We call the patterns having such constraints distant patterns (DPs) and we show their relation to other pattern notions investigated in the past. New results on DPs with 2 and 3 letters are obtained. Furthermore, we show how one can use DPs to prove two former conjectures of Kuszmaul without a computer. In addition, we deduce a surprising relation between the sets of permutations avoiding the classical patterns $123$ and $132$ by looking at a class of DPs with tight gap constraints. Some interesting analogues of the Stanley-Wilf former conjecture for DPs are also discussed.