I've had my fair share of experience with trying to make a long distance relationship work and so, I know that it can be tough from first hand dealings with this situation. When I was younger, a girlfriend of mine went to an out of state college, all the way across the country and we tried to make it work. We called each other on the phone just about every single day and we talked for hours at times. Still, there was something about all of that distance between the two of us that just made things harder than they would have been had she stayed close by or had I moved out there with her.

Needless to say, that relationship did not stand the test of time, and that was something that I had a hard time with back then. Looking back, I can say that there were a bunch of things that we should have considered, but did not and that is something that we probably should have done. I mean, it would have been less hurtful had we broken things off before she went out there than doing it the way that we did. We broke up by phone, thousands of miles apart from one another and that left a bad taste in my mouth.

I would like to share with you some of the things that you should consider about a long distance relationship by looking back on my own personal experience with this:

1. You don't get to plan things out with one another, which means that you lose a bonding experience.

One of the things that typically bonds a couple is when they make plans to do things with one another on a regular basis. You don't really get to do that when you are trying to maintain a long distance relationship. Sure, there might be those few occasions when you get to see one another and plan things out as a couple, but most of the time, you are kind of living like you are still single. Without that bonding experience, it can be hard to really think as if you are in a real relationship.

2. You have to spend many, many nights alone and that can grow tiring after a while.

You don't really take into account just how much it is going to feel weird that you end up alone night after night, even though you are in a relationship with someone. And I am not just referring to the sexual aspect of the relationship, though that is also something to take into account. I am referring to those times when you would normally snuggle up on the couch together or go out to a movie or something like that.

3. Last but not least, it can be really hard not to cheat in a long distance relationship.

I know, the holier than thou crowd will mock me for saying this. But you know what? It is true. Combine the loneliness that you may feel when you know that your girlfriend is hundreds or thousands of miles away with the opportunity to connect with someone face to face and you have a situation where it seems easy to cheat and almost seems like the right thing to do. That's because of the fact that it is hard to really feel like you are in a relationship when the other person is never around and the only way that you can connect with them is through the phone or on the computer.

Just because there are these hindrances in a long distance relationship, it does not mean that you can't make things work out well for you. It's just that it is good to see the bad side as well as the good side so that you can make the best decision possible. After all, you don't wan to end up in a situation that you can't handle or go into it without knowing what you are really going to be up against, right?