How to Have an International Relationship

You just finished up a month long seminar in Paris, and you find yourself with a very troubling question. What do you do about the beautiful girl that you've just met? Is it even possible for you to stay together with her? This question has faced many young travelers and is bound to face many more as our world becomes more interconnected and increasingly global. In order for the relationship to work, one basic rule needs to be followed: you need to keep it realistic.

In order to keep things realistic you need to ask yourself how important the other person is to you, and what you have to sacrifice in order to keep him or her. Distance relationships are generally only a good idea if a very long term relationship, in most cases, marriage is the goal. In most cases, the sacrifice you must make is not dating for a number of months and a constant feeling of separation from your significant other. If you feel that this is the life for you, then an international distance relationship is probably the right choice.

In this day and age communications can be very easy across continents. The internet offers services VOIP services such as Skype that allow you to call your loved one internationally at a rate of 2 cents per minute. It is also strongly recommended that you purchase a webcam if you are both avid computer users, because then you will be able to talk with your loved one almost every day. Talking with your loved one every day is great, but you also have to decide if you trust them. If you do not trust them, then you will constantly be worried about what they are doing, and it will seem like the end of the world if they miss a scheduled calling time.

It can often be fun to surprise your loved one by sending them things. Sometimes handwritten letters accompanied with locally delivered flowers is just what the doctor ordered for a bad case of heartache. Sending gifts every once and a while requires a great deal of creativity, and in some cases a little bit of time, but in the long run they will pay off with a happy relationship.

If you choose to visit each other it is best to look at the countries visa laws before you leave, instead of after. Visa laws can lead to the dreaded overstay stamp that would probably bar your long term plans by making it much harder for you or your loved one to live in a foreign land (they can also cost a few thousand dollars).

After deciding that you want to be with you loved one forever, then make arrangements for some type of trial period to see if you or her can become accustomed to another culture. If this becomes a problem, then no matter how much you love each other the relationship could be very difficult in the long run.

These tips should help any couple in making the decisions of staying together, or breaking up. I strongly encourage that you strongly consider your actions and goals before taking the path to an international relationship.