We all know how it goes: One way or another, maybe on vacation or through a dating site, you meet someone. This person is sweet, intelligent, hilarious, and has a smile that makes your knees tremble. This person is perfect, except for the fact that he or she does not live where you live. Or maybe you and your high school sweetheart are forced to attend different universities. No matter how the story begins, it inevitably ends in one of two ways. Either you break up or try to make a long distance relationship work. Committing to a long distance relationship, which I will refer to as an LDR, is difficult and making it last is even more of a challenge. That’s why Her Campus FSU would like to help out all those brave enough to give it a go by providing a few tips for how to make an LDR go the distance.
 1.     Use Technology!Having as many forms of technology as we do nowadays, it would be completely bonkers not to use it to our advantage. Many women in college dating someone long distance, mentioned Skype and texting as primary methods for keeping in touch. Personally, my boyfriend back home and I text constantly, essentially on and off all day from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed. However, constant contact isn’t for everyone. Regardless, simply texting your loved one about something that happened to you that day, or sending them a picture message of something funny you saw around campus can make them feel more involved in your daily life, while letting them know that you’re thinking of them.Skype is an amazing tool for keeping in touch with your significant other because it’s the next best thing to seeing them in person. One thing Stephanie B. and her boyfriend like to do is play games like Battleship and Guess Who via video chat. You can also get the same food, maybe from your favorite take out place, and have a conversation over dinner. “It sounds crazy,” she says, “but eating from the same place for the same meal does make you feel closer.” According to Allyson W., “Even something like doing homework at the same time while Skyping can make the distance less noticeable—it’s like being in the same room!” Setting aside at least one or two times a week to Skype, no matter what you do during the call, is a great way to deal with long distance.
2.     Work Visits into Your ScheduleMaking time to visit each other, even just once or twice a semester makes all the difference in an LDR. This suggestion is a little more difficult to keep up with, considering college students oftentimes don’t have the time and/or money to follow through on travel arrangements. It’s especially hard if the gap isn’t just a couple hours of a drive, but a flight across the country or even across the Atlantic Ocean! However, saving up the cash and looking ahead into your class schedules in order to find the best time for a trip is completely worth it. Arranging even a short weekend visit can really show how dedicated you are to your partner by bridging the literal gap between the two of you. Plus, it gives you both a specific time and date to look forward to.
 3.     Enjoy the Little ThingsThere are so many small things that can really make an LDR work. One thing is to keep or display mementos reminding you of your partner. Whether it’s a picture of the two of you on your desktop background, a favorite t-shirt, or a gift you were given for no particular reason, having something as a reminder of that person can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside even when they aren’t around. Bonding over mutual activities, like watching the same movie or reading the same book and then discussing it, is also a great thing to try out. Then there are small gestures like randomly sending your beau a postcard or mix CD. The surprise factor alone is enough of a pick-me-up, but knowing that you thought of them definitely adds to the joy of getting a gift in the mail. Loving from a Distance, (www.lovingfromadistance.com), created by an actual long distance couple, provides tons of other ideas for fun things to do to help make subtle the distance.
4.     Trust is Key.Finally, the most important factor in making an LDR work is to maintain trust. No matter how many girls you see comment on a Facebook status, don’t freak out. Naturally, if something legitimately troubling comes up, talk about it. Otherwise, don’t sweat the small stuff. No relationship thrives beneath a hood of insecurity and distrust. If your loved one was interested in dating anyone else, they could have easily used the distance as an excuse to pursue these desires… But they didn’t! They decided to commit to you despite the distance, so you should take that as a strong signal that they want this to work out just as much as you do. Not all relationships, long distance or not, last. It’s up to both parties to make an effort to foster communication and keep the romance alive, despite all the obstacles. If you can do all this and still get the proverbial butterflies in your stomach just thinking about that person, then according to Stephanie M., “You know it’s going to work.”