I have been in several long distance relationships and I am yet to make one of them work. Now, don't take my experience as the end all be all of LDRs, but you there are some things you want to ask yourself when you are about to enter or you are in a long distance relationship.

How strong is your relationship when you are together? Do you fight a lot? Do you find yourself becoming quickly jealous? Do they get jealous frequently? Do you talk often even when you are close by? Do you have things to talk about?

Long distance relationships are all about communication. Both sides of the relationship have to be in it 100% and want to make it work.

How long is your separation? If you are thinking of a permanent long distance relationship, I would suggest not. If we are talking a couple months, you should have no problem working things out. If you are talking years, you might want to rethink it.

In my experience with LDR I have always found the way that it started off was great. You miss them all the time (that part is painful), but you talk to them often so you feel a little bit better. The more time that passes the harder that it gets to manage so much phone time in your hectic life. Before you know it, you talk once a week, and it's usually short, or a fight. Long distance relationships are painful and sometimes heart breaking, can you handle it?

One of my very dear friends has been in a long distance relationship for three years now. We are not talking hours away we are talking thousands of miles, and two different time zones away. While I want to tell you that she is a LDR success story. I don't think she is. She is unhappy most of time, on the phone with her boyfriend fighting. He sometimes calls her in the middle of the night very drunk (this of course doesn't help). He gets very jealous of guys that she hangs out with, questions every thing that she does.

I'm sure it's not like this for everyone, but it's like this for her, and I hate to see her go through this prolonged pain.

• Communication is key! Make sure you let them know how you are feeling
• Be in it 100%, be sure that this is what you want, and who you want to be with
• Have a plan for your future reuniting...days, months, years, know how long you will have to wait
• Be clear about your expectations up front, will you be monogamous, will you see other people?
• Enjoy your independence
• Establish relationship rules and parameters
• Send care packages, show that you are thinking of them
• Spend time together while apart: plan a date to watch the same movie on the same night, call and discuss it afterwards
• Never make assumptions
• Trust one another
• Plan regular meetings
• Share passions