When it comes to long distance romance, it doesn’t matter if you are 5 hours away or 5 days away…The challenges are the same. How can you maintain your relationship without regular contact? The three keys to staying happy and in love with your long distance romance are below.

1. Communicate:

Like all traditional relationships, you need to have good communication with your partner. Every couple is different, but if you are the kind of person who would talk to your partner every day if they lived down the street, you probably need to talk to your long distance partner every day too. If your style would be to talk every other day, try the same frequency with your long distance love.

Aside from the phone there are lots of less in-expensive ways to communicate. If you use the internet there are several free messaging programs you can download and use to "talk" to your sweetie for free. Try looking for them on a search engine like “Google” or “Yahoo.” Search for “Online messaging” and several options will come up. Select the one you like and have your partner download the same. Then you can chat on line for free, and this allows you to have nonstop communication if you want.

2. Show your partner your life:

Couples who live close to each other have the intimacy of knowing each other’s world. They share experiences with friends and family members. They know what each other's houses look like, how their offices look, and share the intimate experience of knowing each other's personal space. Having this shared experience helps to deepen the connection between couples, and is a missing element for couples that live far away from each other.

Try to create this experience with your partner by exchanging pictures of your personal space. Send pictures of your pet, the computer from which you write to your partner, or of the office where you work. By inviting your partner into your personal space you are making them a part of your intimate world.

3. Travel:

Now that you have regular communication via telephone and internet, when are you going to see your partner? Sit down with your sweetie and talk about visiting each other. What are the obstacles, and who has the time and freedom to travel? To make a long distance romance work, you have to be honest with each other about your limitations. These may be work related, finance related, or obligation related. You may have children to contend with or other responsibilities in your life that make it challenging to get away. Talk to your partner openly and honestly about how you are going to make traveling possible. Then make the plans. For a couple in a long distance relationship, there is no cure for loneliness quite like a plan to end it. Give yourself something to look forward to…This will help to make the time pass more quickly.

You can save money on travel expenses by shopping on line for airfare and other travel specials. Companies like Travelocity and Orbitz offer fare-watching services that will look for your itinerary and cheaper flights. They also offer discount rates on car rental and other services you might need on your trip.

Some red flags to watch for:

One of the biggest pitfalls of long distance romance is unrealistic expectations. If it looks like you are not going to be able to see each other for several months, you may want to give some consideration to your decision to be in a committed relationship together. Perhaps you should date and see other people until you are both able to devote time and energy to the relationship.

Another red flag is when you become aware that you are willing to travel and give time, energy, and money to your romance and your partner isn’t. If this occurs, it may be a sign that this may not be the right relationship for you. This is not to suggest that if you have resources and your partner doesn’t that you should abandon the relationship. It’s only when you both have resources and one person is giving more than the other that the red flag goes up. Pay attention to the signs and signals and listen when your inner voice suggests that there may be a problem.

If you follow these guidelines, your long distance romance has a better chance of turning into a long lasting relationship. Then you will be prepared to deal with questions like, “Who should move?” Until you are ready to answer that question these suggestions can help you deepen your commitment with your long distance love.

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