Boy meets girl, girl meets boy – the basic beginning of any typical love story. But what happens when you throw in the condition of boy and girl meeting abroad? Two people falling in love abroad is not an uncommon story. Maybe the girl is traveling in Europe and meets an endearing Spaniard. Or maybe both boy and girl are studying abroad and make a connection. A passionate romance develops but what happens when you both have to go back to the lives you came from. Is it worth it to try a long-distance relationship?
I’ve been in a long-distance relationship and luckily for me it has continued to work out beyond the distance factor. Now in the same place, we don’t have to deal with it anymore, but we did for one whole year and survived.
In honor of positivity and a firm belief that long-distance relationships can work, here’s my advice to keep the chemistry going.
1. Download Skype. 
Skype is the long-distance couple’s savior – you can video chat (buy a webcam if you don’t have one!) and send instant messages for FREE! Skype also offers great rates to call mobiles and phones. You would like to think that hearing your partner’s voice would be enough, but trust me it’s not. Being able to see them makes you feel like they’re in the same room.
2. Figure out time difference and set times to video chat.
Make sure to consider all your time obstacles – work, school, friends, homework – all of these should factor into figuring out when to chat. Once you have figured out times that work for both of you, you can look forward to talking to each other and will feel a lot less stress. I suggest chatting at least three times a week. You will likely start out chatting all the time, but don’t freak out if your individual lives get in the way. It’s bound to happen!
3. Figure out what constitutes cheating.
Set standards, people. I’m assuming you two know each other’s values but if you don’t lay them on the table, one of you may get hurt. People have very different ideas of what constitutes cheating so it’s good to set the boundaries.
4. Buy phone cards.
Usually phone cards are available at supermarkets or stores like Target and Big W. They are your emergency ticket if something happens – if you can’t make a video chat session, use that phone card! You should also check with your phone company to see how much extra it would cost to add international calling.
5. Be considerate.
Just because your person is hundreds or thousands of miles away doesn’t mean you don’t have to give them the consideration you would give if they were there. If your friends are egging you on to go drinking, but you scheduled a video chat, don’t ditch the video chat. Would you ditch a date with your boyfriend or girlfriend if they were physically there? I don’t think so. Plus, you can always meet your friends afterward.
Lastly, here’s a tip for you before the long-distance adventure begins – make sure your relationship is something that could last and make sure you won’t always be a long-distance couple. If you just started dating and already see potential problems, the long-distance may not be the issue.
