3 Tips to Make a Long-Distance Relationship Work Over the Summer

By Alicia Geigel on June 12, 2018

The time has come! The highly anticipated summer break is here and you are now free from the confines of school responsibilities, yay! For many of us, this is an exciting and refreshing time to take a break from school obligations and enjoy a much-needed break to spend with friends, family and significant others. For others, the approach of summer can be dreadful, as this new break causes a split between their current boyfriend/girlfriend who happens to live hours away. The onset of summer break means being separated from your significant other for months before the start of the fall semester again. While for outsiders this extended time apart doesn’t seem unmanageable, for those in soon to be long-distance relationships or LDRs, it can be a big challenge.

I met my boyfriend through an online dating service while being on campus during an active fall semester. While he was only about 30 minutes from my house back home, he was almost 2 hours away from my campus in Philly. Having a busy school schedule made it hard to make plans to hang out face-to-face in the beginning, with us going on our first physical date about three months after we started talking. Though having a relationship with someone you met on campus is different than the one I described regarding my own situation, the long-distance element remains a common connection between these two specific situations. While it was definitely hard having a boyfriend who was hours away, there were still awesome ways we were able to connect, ways that worked for us, and you can do the same!

Are you currently in a relationship with someone you met on campus? Will you be temporarily separated during the summer break? Nervous and unsure of how to make the relationship work while you both are distanced from each other? Check out these few tips on how to keep your long-distance relationship going over the summer!

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1. Communicate Regularly, Not Obsessively. Once the summer hits, you will no longer be a short walk away from your partner’s dorm, making the ease and frequency of face-to-face communication more difficult. This tip may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but nonetheless, it is important! While being away from your partner, be sure to communicate regularly, but not obsessively. Meaning, establish a routine of being in touch with your boyfriend or girlfriend every few hours, morning and evening, once every day, whatever!

Figure out their schedule and try and find free space in both of your schedules to take the time and chat. Don’t blow up their phone with 30 texts when they don’t respond right away, or FaceTime them over and over until they pick up. Be considerate of their responsibilities, obligations, and free time. Doing so will only show your insecurities about the relationship and ultimately convey a controlling nature.

Before my boyfriend and I lived together, we would both text each other throughout the day whenever the other was free and would respond when each of us could. It worked out really well for us! Whatever form of communication you choose: texts, Facetime/Skype, email, Kik, etc. just be sure that it is healthy and for the benefit of your relationship!

2. Do Activities Together. Just because you and your partner are apart, doesn’t mean that you both can’t do things together! Instead of being caught up in the fact that you both aren’t physically together, use your distance to find new ways to do normal things together!

There are countless activities to do together, and Keay Nigel of LifeHack.org names a few, such as, “Play an online game together. Watch a documentary on YouTube or Vimeo at the same time. Sing to each other on Skype while one of you plays the guitar. “Take a walk together” outside while video-calling each other. Go online-shopping together — and buy each other gifts.” Doing so requires that you know each other’s schedules, but once you figure out moments when you both are free, you can have so much fun!

3. Plan a Visit. With the summer opening up a lot of your schedule, you have a lot of free time to do activities that you may not have been able to do during the semester. Many people take advantage of the summertime to travel, so why not reserve a few days or a week to visit your partner?! There are many cheap and effective ways to travel, such as driving, taking the bus, train or flying!

If you do plan a visit, don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to make it perfect, rather just focus on being in the presence of your partner! In an article by the Huffington Post, Allison Bowsher affirms this saying, “Some trips will be full of great memories and carefree times, and some will be full of fighting over big or small issues and that’s OK! ‘Real’ relationships are full of ups and downs and long-distance relationships are no exception.”

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Image via Pexels

Long-distance relationships can be difficult, especially after you’ve been spending practically every day together. Despite this reality, try to make the most out of it and allow your relationship to grow from this experience! You are more likely to value and cherish the time with your partner after spending some time apart. Just remember to do what works well for the both of you, and as always, good luck!

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