Being in a long distance relationship ( or LDR) can suck. Living far away from the person you really care about will always have its downsides since all you want to do is be around them. However, despite all the negative things that you hear about long distance relationships, here are reasons why being in an LDR is actually pretty great. If you have fallen for someone who just happens to live in another state or another country, here are four reasons why it can be the best relationship to have in your 20s.
1. You Have An Excuse to Travel
Let’s face it—you have no choice if you want to see your SO. Downloading the Skyscanner app and turning on your Google Flights tracker notification will become a life skill. Because you’ll be traveling anyways to meet your SO, whether that be 500 miles away or +5,000 miles away, you have an excuse to travel more than you would normally do. Traveling is an investment in yourself that you should make, especially in your twenties! Meeting halfway to meet your SO to a new destination is always exciting, and you get to share new unique experiences that you might not take full advantage of if the person you’re dating lived next door. Time to rack up those #travelmiles.
2. More Free Time!!
Being in a long distance relationship is the perfect balance between freedom and being loved. While being away from you SO is never easy, one of the biggest benefits that you have when being in a long distance relationship is that you have wayyy more time to do things that you would normally do when you’re not hanging out with your boyfriend or girlfriend all the time. Busy with school and extracurricular activities? Want to pick up a new hobby? It’s easier to make the time to work on yourself when you do have those extra hours in the day to do so. You’ll learn that continuing to diversify yourself keeps you interesting and makes you a better partner, even when the “long distance” part of the relationship is over.
3. You Have More Meaningful Conversations
If you’re in a healthy LDR, you have your *top notch* communication skills to thank for it. Communication is key to any healthy relationship, but especially in a long distance relationship because that’s really all you have when you’re not physically together. Trying out a long distance relationship is already a big deal in itself, so you tend to talk more about deep stuff that some couples who live in the same city don’t talk about. Some couples who live close to each other don’t even know that much about the other person if their communication is off. The excellent communication skills that you and your SO learn from being in an LDR makes for a solid relationship.
4. You Don’t Take Each Other For Granted.
This is going to sound a little harsh (but it’s true) – when you’re not around your SO all the time, you never get sick of the other person. Not to say that people in more geographically convenient relationships get sick of each other, but it’s common for people to take their partner for granted over time, or take the little mundane activities that you do together for granted. When you’re in a long distance relationship you become more appreciative of hugs, trips to the grocery store, eating breakfast together, being able to look at their beautiful face in person – all the stuff that will feel like sparkles and unicorns and fireworks when you finally get to hold your SO after weeks or months of only seeing their face on your phone. You know that your partner isn’t just dating you out of convenience, but is willing to bear the distance to try to be with the wonderful person that you are. Or else they would be dating that chick in their biology class or whatever. That s*%t’s boring.
All in all, consider yourself lucky to have found someone that chooses to love you in an LDR. Don’t let anyone undermine the relationship that you have. It is definitely a “real relationship” and they make for the most solid relationships when they work out. You should never have to settle for who you want to spend your life with, and if that person who you feel strongly for lives somewhere far away, then enjoy the exciting experience, despite its up and downs. Life is too short, the world is smaller than you think it is, and no matter what happens, you’ll learn so much about yourself. So enjoy the ride!