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The fast approaching three-month long summer holiday will be relished by some and dreaded by others. York university couples will be carefully planning when they will see each other over the break. Long-distance couples, on the other hand, can finally stop booking train tickets and planning week-ends away to see one another. But for those of you used to sneaking into your partner’s bed each night, simply when it takes your fancy, there really is no reason to find a three month break from this habit too daunting. Simply learn three valuable lessons from the long-distance couples: planning, communication, and common sense.
Planning:
Unless one of you is off to the other side of the world for the next three months, there really is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to see one another at all over the summer. You should already have a vague plan of what you’re getting up to over the next three months so it shouldn’t be too hard to work out when you’ll have a few days or a week free. Depending on how well your free time coincides, and how much you want to spend on travel costs, you can already agree on when to see each other. Remember to book your travel in advance though so it’s cheaper. It’s also a good idea to work out how long you’ll have to wait to see one another again between each visit. It’s all very well being together for two weeks straight, but if it then means being apart for two and a half months, it might be worth considering two week long visits a month apart. You can’t plan everything though (such as that ‘meeting the parents for the first time’ moment!), so just remember to go with the flow now and then.
Communication:
Even if you can barely see each other over the coming months, maintaining communication between the two of you will ensure you still feel involved in each other’s lives. Regular phonecalls, texts, e-mails and skype chats will prevent you drifting apart. This is another area where there’s no point planning too much though. Chances are you won’t be able to chat every day at 5 pm so why try and have it as a ‘schedule’? Whether you chat every day or once a week, just try and speak as often as you’d like. And if one of you feels as though there isn’t enough catching up happening… tell your partner! There’s nothing worse than listening to someone moan about their boyfriend/girlfriend not getting in touch if the former is only telling you how they feel, and not their partner. Finally, don’t worry too much if your boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t get back to you right away. 18 phonecalls in the space of an hour won’t make someone get back to you any quicker if they’re working and unavailable till the end of the day. This brings me to the final point, common sense.
Common sense:
It’s pretty straightforward really. Don’t think that just because you can’t see one another for a while, your boyfriend/girlfriend is going to forget about you. Booking train tickets for a visit several weeks away is a commitment in itself. And there’s no need to blow small issues up and out of proportion. A few days when you’re both too busy to talk when you’re used to talking every day? Look at it from the positive side, you’ll have even more to talk about when you do chat. Plenty of people manage happy, long-distance relationships their whole time at uni. Three months? Pff, you’ll be fine.
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