Long distance relationships can be hard and lonely, but they certainly don’t have to be. I quite enjoy mine. As long as there is trust, loyalty, and faithfulness, you should be able to have a successful long distance relationship. Without those qualities, you might need to consider working on the relationship before distance separates you, or even consider ending the relationship regardless of the distance. For strong relationships, here are some things you can do to make being apart easier.
Know when and how often you will communicate
Maybe you are both very busy and will only get a short call before bed, or maybe you are in a different country and cant use the phone, so you each send an email per day. Make sure you are on the same page as soon as possible so that one partner does not expect more than the other gives. I like to know that I can expect to send and receive a good morning text when I wake up.
Plan the next visit
As soon as you can, make a date for the next visit. It will help the time apart seem more bearable if there is something concrete to look forward to in the future. Make sure both parties are sharing the cost of transportation; if one always visits the other, the other should still chip in for the cost of a drive or flight.
Work together to plan some things to do when you see each other and pick out some games and puzzles to do together on lazy days in.
Methods of communication
Although the best method of communication, face-to-face, is not possible, some fun doors do open up to long distance couples. Sending a handwritten letter or postcard is still a romantic gesture and is something you should consider doing every now and then. Of course you can talk on Skype, as most long distance couples do. If you are unlucky enough to be in an area where there is no cell coverage, both parties can download an app like Kakao talk, which allows you to send free text messages to one another when you are connected to WiFi. It is a great thing to have if you are abroad and served me very well in Norway.
What to do when there is no cell coverage and no WiFi
In the event that you know you really wont be able to talk to your loved one for a few days to a few weeks, do what I am doing now in preparation for my trip to Africa: send each other hand-written notes in advance. I will be gone for 14 days, so each of us will send the other 14 notes to read, one for each day. Some will be hand written, while some will be audio files or videos on an iPod. I’m actually very excited to try this out because I think it will be a lot of fun and very special, especially since we can keep the notes and messages to enjoy again in the future.
Give gifts
Another nice thing to do is send each other gifts every now and then. They don’t have to be expensive or bulky gifts to be special. You can send a photo of the two of you together, a stick-figure drawing, a pressed flower, a few packets of the others favorite tea, coffee, cocoa, or candy, some small pocket-sized good luck charms, a few exotic seeds to grow, or anything else that will make your special guy or girl happy. You could even keep an eye out for coupons to stores or online marketplaces that your significant other frequents.
If you have a unique talent you can put it to good use. If you sing or play an instrument you can send an mp3 file, if you are a writer you can write a short story dedicated to your partner, etc.
Play a game online
One of my personal favorite things to do with my boyfriend when we are apart is play online games. Quadradius battle checkers is our all-time favorite, but there are tons of other games to choose from and even ones you can play on your phone, like the popular Words With Friends.
Every long distance relationship is different and needs different things to help it stay strong. I hope these tips from my own life provide some ideas that you might not otherwise have thought of and help you to enjoy your own long distance relationship.
If you would like advice on how to be more trustworthy and develop habits that keep you strong if you are not quite certain about the relationship, you can read this nice article, Survival Tips to a Long Distance Relationship.
What do you do?
What are some of the things you do with your significant other to keep long distance relationships fun and interesting, or something you have tried that has failed?
