Relationships are difficult enough to navigate when you have your significant other living just across town. Imagine having your loved one hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Imagine not being able to run right over with chicken soup when they are feeling ill. Or not being able to simply give them a hug when you're feeling a little upset. Or not being able to pop in for a surprise picnic lunch when they're having a rough day at work. With the success of the Internet, long distance relationships are becoming more and more common. Yes, it is much harder that can't be denied. There are obstacles that you must overcome in order to make your love last, obstacles that most couples simply do not have. But, it can be done. You can be the happily married couple that met one day on vacation, or met when you found yourselves on the same side of some petty argument in a chat room.
Most importantly, you must establish the rules and boundaries of the relationship. Since you're so far away, it's hard to know what's going on with the other person. Trust is essential to a successful relationship, so some rules and agreements can go a long way. This can be things like, exclusivity. If you are not ready to date this person exclusively, be honest about it. If you are, make sure they are on the same page. Or at the very least that you know what page the other is on. Maybe you are uncomfortable discussing certain things until you get to know one another better. Make that clear, so that you are not cause off guard if it comes up too quickly.
Make it a point and a goal to speak every day. Any relationship takes commitment, and this is especially true of long distance relationships. Part of building trust and commitment is communicating. Even if you can only talk for five minutes, it's better than nothing. Your relationship has to be made a top priority. Luckily, communicating with your far away sweetie has never been easier. From text messages, to instant messaging, to email, to the phone, to the webcam; all are designed to make communicating easy. And with lovely inventions like Skype, you don't even have to worry about high phone bills anymore. During these communications, it's vital that you express your feelings. A lot of the time you won't have the luxury of reading your sweetie's body language and knowing what they're feeling. You only have the words, so it's important that any feelings get expressed. Now is not the time to be shy. It's very easy to misinterpret something someone doesn't say. By expressing all those intimate, loving feelings to your partner it gives them the reassurance of knowing you are willing to make the relationship work.
Every now and then it's a good item to send your loved one a care package. This can be anything, as long as it's personal. Something romantic like a personalized poem that you wrote just for them. Maybe a long letter telling them all the little things you love about them, or all the reasons you miss them. If they've been talking about a new book they want to read, get that for them. And of course, sweets and chocolate can never go wrong, especially if you're sending that package to a special woman.
Make regular plans to see each other. As well as you may get along via the Internet, eventually your goal is to be together in person right? It's important to get to know each other on that level as well. It's important to the future of a relationship to be able to hold hands or just sit on the sofa quietly and cuddle. These things build trust, love, and commitment. Once you set a time to see each other, don't let anything interfere with that barring severe personal injury or a death in the family. Using the excuse of "Well, I got invited to this thing for my friend, and I didn't realize it was that weekend..." or "I really want to come see you but, my car needs the oil changed...". You should be rearranging and cancelling other plans to see your partner. Or it might be worth evaluating why you're in the relationship to begin with.
Finally, you must trust one another. It is very easy to become insecure when you're in a long distance relationship. It's very easy to read double meanings into what they say, or get nervous about why they haven't signed on IM five minutes after they said they'd be there. This can be understandable, especially if your partner is especially quiet about their feelings, but it can ruin a relationship if you let it. Live by the philosophy that you will trust someone until they give you a reason not to. And never, ever make assumptions. If something your loved one said or did made no sense to you, ask them to clarify. It's nearly impossible not to occasionally misinterpret an email, text or IM. But the important part is that you don't assume that you know what they meant. Ask.
By putting each other first and making the building of your relationship a priority, it can and will last. You can climb the mountains, swim the oceans, and slay the dragons. You merely have to try and put in the effort on a daily basis.