Long Distance Relationship

[FrgnSwtc]

I was in a LDR for half a year before we moved it to a RLR. To repeat a bit what the other members have said, communication is extremely important. Every day, even if it's a quick word or if for some reason phones aren't available (in this day and age... it happens) emailing replaces it.

Settle a routine, fixed times of the day in which you absolutely talk. If for some reason one of you can't make it to the appointment, explain beforehand. Adding to that, a surprise text message or email always made my day.
For us, tasking was very important as well... Establishing the nature of the relationship from the start forms a recognizable pattern for yourself that, if you are both committed to the relationship, will make the initial adjustment easier when (if) meeting personally.

Another thing, and this might seem silly but I found it deeply important. If you have doubts, questions, a bone to pick with your partner speak up immediately. Forgetting that voice modulation doesn't translate to writing is easy and misunderstandings can be fatal when you're on a LDR.

[fetishdj]

I was in a LDR for half a year before we moved it to a RLR. To repeat a bit what the other members have said, communication is extremely important. Every day, even if it's a quick word or if for some reason phones aren't available (in this day and age... it happens) emailing replaces it.

Everyone seems to agree that 'communication every day' is important.. however, I would add to and modify that a little. Communication every day is not always possible and you should be aware of that. However, when you know that communication is not going to be possible (i.e. I am travelling abroad for a week, mobile costs are expensive and I am unlikely to be near a computer) you should communicate the reason for and the extent of the lack of communication. The worst thing in the world for an online sub is to wake up in the morning, expecting to find an e-mail that is always there every morning, only to find nothing. They start to worry... I know this because I break this rule all the time and, when I finally do get to log on, am met with many mails filled with concern.

So, known breaks in communication should be reported in advance and unexpected ones resolved as quickly as possible. This is another reason why many forms of communication is a good idea - when one fails, there is always a spare.