I'm an American in a long-distance relationship with a European for nearly 3 years. Here's how we make it work.

"When I struck up a conversation with a private pilot in an airline lounge at my home airport, I never imagined that we'd end up embarking on a long-distance relationship. But now, almost three years later, my Belgian boyfriend and I are more in love than ever. We're exploring scenarios for being together full-time when our young-adult children are a bit older. In the meantime, we have to be content with infrequent visits and technology to see us through the long stretches."

"We're able to text one another even when he's in the cockpit 40,000 feet above the ocean - which never ceases to amaze me. Eventually, we began sending each other voice messages. When he's not flying and home in Belgium (I'm based on the East Coast), it's a six-hour time change. Each evening, I record a voice message for him to listen to when he wakes up, and he can reciprocate with one for me."

A US-based traveler and a Belgian private pilot developed a three-year long-distance romantic relationship after meeting in an airport lounge. They maintain daily contact through WhatsApp texts, photos, voice messages and multiple video calls each day, coordinating across a six-hour time difference. Voice messages are exchanged nightly and played in the morning to recreate physical presence; video calls offer visual intimacy but can be frustrating. In-person visits occur infrequently due to travel schedules. They plan to explore living together full-time when their young-adult children are older, viewing the relationship as challenging but ultimately worthwhile.

Read at Business Insider