What are /r/LongDistance's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Long distance is tough and sometimes you run out of things to talk about. So I made a Notion page with over 40 things we can do together, each with a thumbnail, description (with little jokes and added bits about us) and links to anything that might be useful.

To make choosing easier and avoid always choosing the same ones and getting bored of them, we use random.org to choose a random number for which one to do.

I made a template with most of our personal parts taken out for you to use and build upon yourself https://www.notion.so/benwtks/4e17dfb474274cde84a477732f763f7f?v=dcb02713611b486498415aed849d06f6

I think that's great, and I'm sure my SO would agree with me!!

Instead of skyping have you thought about getting dropbox (link) and leaving videos for each other; even just little ones about how your day was?

Also my SO and I have a tumblr account where we can post images, songs or videos that we find for each other - it makes it more interesting than receiving an email with an attachment.

From both my SO and I, we wish you all the best and am glad that you are so happy!!!

Do give twoseven.xyz a try. Me and my wife were long distance for significant periods of our relationship and we built it for this very reason.

It's constantly under development and supports YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo, Crunchyroll. You can also stream and watch private videos together even if only one of the participants has the video file. Additionally, it has built-in video and text chat capabilities so you don't need to rely on Skype/Facetime/etc.

Let us know if you use any other websites and we will try our best to support it as well :)

We dont have a netflix issue with the VPN. I live close to Atlanta so she sets up the ExpressVPN location to Atlanta and we get all of the same movies instantly. We used to set it up in Seattle but the movies are different.

1. Where are you getting $/£5000 plane tickets from? Even if you flew out tomorrow the price is under $1500. Check out Google Flights, especially during January/February.

2. "More than I make in a month"--that's what saving up is for. It's going to take a long time given your situation, but that's the only reliable way you can do this.

3. If Lexie is a student you have the additional challenge of coordinating schedules (i.e. When does she have school breaks, when can you take off time from work, when is it cheapest to fly out, etc.) Flying out on weekdays, as well as travelling in the winter (January - March, sometimes April) is cheaper than flying out during the summer. Another tip when it comes to buying flights is to check the prices 3-6 months in advance.

Its a pillow that looks kinda like this mine is actually pretty old (I got in when I was a small child) so it’s pretty small and has lost lots of fluff. I just hold it sideways for snuggling. Helps me fall asleep.

Dear Kristina, I miss you so much its breaking me. Its probably the reason ive been sick all day and also why i haven't been able to stop crying. I love you so much and i promise i will do everything i can to be with you soon. P.s this is also my favorite picture of you. You look so happy and that smile always makes me feel better...

http://tinypic.com/r/oks95k/5

<3

It's so dependent on when you're going and where you're flying to/from. Playing around with Google Flights is my best recommendation. If you can be slightly flexible with your dates, don't mind long layovers or multiple stops, and have access to more than on airport, you'll have more luck than if you have to fly direct on one exact date from one smaller airport.

As for third party websites, while I wouldn't recommend against them, I prefer to book directly with the airline if something should go wrong, it tends to be much simpler to deal with the airline than with the third-party site.

For some reason it doesn't seem to be that well known but I'd definitely recommend Google Duo, the video quality is excellent, much better than anything else I've tried, and it handles a poor/spotty connection well.

if you have the new ipod touch, the ipad, or an iphone, there is an app called Viber, that lets you text message AND use regular style phone calls. As long as wifi or your phone's internet is available, it will work! http://www.viber.com/ I like this app the best because it consolidates both the phone and the texting into one app as opposed to having two separate ones.

aside from that, my SO and I do a lot of skype, because it's nice to see his facial expressions to the stories I tell : ]

Google Hangouts. Has iOS/Android/in-browser apps, and the ability to text/voice call/video call all on the same platform. If you have a Google/Gmail/Youtube account, you already have an Hangouts account. Cannot recommend it enough.

I've never had a security issue with Hangouts, unless you have an issue with our benevolent Google overlords. :)

edit: and the emojis are completely adorable

AAAAAAAAAAWWWW YYYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAH~!

:D

Grats! You sound like a great guy, the little package you send sounds lovely! Ooo I'm so hoping to get my SOs shirts, they'll smell like him <3

I'll love wearing them to bed :3

SUGGESTION Try learning Mandarin. Simple words, hellos, goodbyes, thank yous. Learn as much about the culture as you can too. (I'm sure you've thought of this). Despite it being a crazy asian mother, it' still her mother. No matter how controling she may be, remember that her mother loves her and only wants what (she knows to be) best for her.

Check your local library for language learning tools, some libraries have a great program called Mango, it's free (so long as it's used through the library systems)

If not there is a plethora of free language learning tools on the internet you can use.

A parent's approval is not necessary in all relationships. However, it's nice if you can get it. :3

Edit: You can easily learn it from you SO, but I think it would be really cute if you could tell her somethign without her expecting it. Something like "You are special to me" or "I love you" or "Your eyes are beautiful". BAM! INSTANT BROWNIE POINT BAG!

If you want in-built webcam & text-chat, do try out twoseven.xyz! Me and my wife built it when we were in an LDR and we still maintain it since we figured it'll be helpful for others.

In addition to Netflix, TwoSeven allows you to watch videos from YouTube/Amazon/HBO and random websites on the internet that may have the movie you wish to watch ;)

We're constantly working on making TwoSeven better, so if there are any other websites you use, do let us know and we'll try and support it as well!

I would respectfully disagree. Each time we are apart we make a countdown clock (here is our current clock). Our first separation was for nine months, it could have been unbearable if we hadn't been able to find something to look forward to. After that very long time, everything else has been easier, though it has now been about two months since I saw him and we still have nearly four months to go (16 weeks), so it helps us to be able to point to a day and say, "this is it, we will be together soon." This may not work for everyone, but it is such fun for us. We count the big milestones (under ten millions seconds!) and try to make a game of it.

Yup! My love Language is the same way.

My boyfriend shipped me his cologne (or just told me what it was so I could buy it at the store). I got a bodypillow, smacked a bit of the cologne on the pillowcase & it's like I fall asleep with the "physical" aspect of him. You can also ask him to ship him one of his old hoodies or jackets, so you can wear it when you go out or just have a sense of him, with you. That will also give him a sense of Acts of Service to you!

There are also these "touch" wrist bands & lamps or pillows online that you can buy, but they're kind of expensy. They worked for us, though! Bond Touch Wristbands

I'm not gunna lie, LDR is very, very hard. You will have to suffer a bit of missing physical touch until you two can be together irl if you're rly invested into the relationship. Hope it helps. Best of luck 💛

In order to dial another country, you need to tell your phone you're dialing internationally, which is "+" on most mobile phones, or you can enter it directly. Depending on where you are dialing from, it's different. If you're dialing from the US, the code is 011. Then, to dial the UK, you will use a 44, then dial the UK number. I call my friend in the UK often using Google Voice, so I know it works. If you give me a PM, I can try to help you call.

Cheers, let us know how you're doing.

Edit: You can use this site to help you build the number: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/dialing.html

• We call whenever he's driving for more than half an hour (at least 2-3 times a week),
• We have regular(ish) date nights where we'll watch a movie or Skype or play games together like GeoGuessr,
• We talk any time something less-than-good comes up. We've (so far) successfully avoided any big arguments by having potentially difficult conversations calmly before they become a big deal,
• We have a Trello board full of IRL date ideas so there's always something to look forward to,
• We send each other pictures of every dog and cat we see. This is the most important one for me.

This is amazing! It looks awesome! I wish I was as crafty as you.

But my SO and I are also huge fans of GoT, and I was thinking of getting him and I these rings. Since I'm not good with my hands, I'll probably end up ordering them and not hand making them because I'm definitely not as awesome as you.

If any one else is looking for GoT themed crafts, Etsy has a ton of them!

Can you afford to get a second opinion? I have no idea what your situation is, but you may have other treatment options, and if your doctors visits at least are covered by insurance, then seeing if there's another way might help.

If you don't have insurance and you live in the United States, ENROLL NOW. You may qualify for government assistance under the Affordable Health Care Act.

No one should have to go without health care, and no one should go broke getting it either.

Welcome to /r/LongDistance !

Trying out games on Steam is a great idea. From games like Portal (1 and 2), to Trine (1 and 2), to bigger ones like you mentioned TF2 and even DotA 2 (although that can get quite heated!).

I play Dota 2 with my girlfriend, and although timezones can be tricky, it's awesome to have something you both enjoy. My recommendation is looking for the 'co-operative' tag on Steam, it should give you a nice little list of games to look through.

As far as what your laptop can handle; you can always try to find a website that helps you out here, for example: can you run it

If you both haven't played Portal yet, that has my highest recommendation, it's a lot of fun and the puzzle solving element makes for a great coop starter.

I've also enjoyed Trine with my gf quite a bit, the story is both entertaining and well told.

The very best of luck to you two!

I really like ITA Matrix as you can select a calendar of lowest fares over a month at a time. Flying on a Tuesday is often very preferable, as compared to a Friday or Sunday. Mid-October is not a bad time to fly, but avoid Columbus Day weekend if possible, as fares are more likely to be higher with people off for the holiday.

I've heard numerous reports that say anywhere between 47-54 days is the best time to buy domestic air fare. It's in the middle between "people who planned an early vacation" and "last minute business travellers".

Unfortunately, most cheap ticket deals/tricks are really only applicable to domestic flights. International flights are another game, and a rigid one. My suggestion is to fly during off-seasons, not during holidays or common times people take vacation. Fly mid-week if possible, when costs are down. Is it cheaper to drive to a big city and fly from there? Sometimes, but think about parking costs as well. Maybe public transport would be cheaper, but as the other responder says, it's probably not a vast difference, all things considered. There will of course be a tradeoff with time spent getting to an airport that isn't near you, but it's worth it to look into alternate nearby airports. I usually take the same flight (Manchester/New York) now that I've done it often enough, but I have travelled extensively abroad and I like a combination of Kayak.com and ITA Matrix which was bought by Google:

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

That's a nice site for statistics on prices. Also, in general, for international flights, there's no magic window for finding the best price. The earlier you book, the better. Sometimes you'll see prices go down right after you book, this is typical; but if you wait until the last few weeks, you'll be paying the highest fare, guaranteed.

Multiplayer puzzle games are always great cuz you have to talk to each other, and it can be pretty funny. Don't play games like COD or Fortnite or something that just involve conversation like "yo cover me, shoot him, blah blah blah."

Me and my s/o played Human: Fall Flat for a while, but it's hard to run games on my laptop without it getting too hot or slowing down.. We really want to play Portal 2 together as well, but again - the laptop thing. If you have a desktop or a computer designed to run games, then it would be perfect. BTW these games aren't free but not too expensive.

Some free online games that can be played over FT/Skype are Cards Against Humanity, Draw My Thing, Slither.io or Agar.io, Scrabble, or iMessage games.

Playing games with your s/o can be really fun even if you're not a gamer :-)

I think it’s pretty hard to hack WhatsApp unless someone else has your phone on their hands. Not even the people from WhatsApp can read your convos or anything

Here is more info if you wanna know!

Find a cheap way of visiting him. Driving will be pretty expensive, trains are just silly. Book coaches in advance, stuff like that. Also, Skype.

Anyway 70 miles isn't too ridiculous. Presumably that's about 90 minutes in the car? I think you'll get used to it and it'll become normal after a while.

What a neat idea to have that as your homepage! I've copied you and made my own countdown timer as a homepage.

Unfortunately I only have it in the book that's published, not posted somewhere online. Just looked for it on Amazon and it's hidden behind like 500 poetry books. Thanks Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1983919535/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_5ox4EbWZNY9CS

Goofy pictures are the best. We're all gonna look ridiculous at one point, might as well make the best of it :) The funny filters on apps like SNOW are so good if you want goofy pics.

One thing I don't see mentioned is a good hands-free option for your cell phone. One of the things I always worry about on car trips is having to stop to talk on my cell phone (because I don't like holding it up to my ear when driving since it's unsafe). I got a nice, comfy Bose headset from Best Buy, and I can wear it indefinitely (so also a nice investment for LD couples who talk on the phone a lot).

I got that off of Ebay. It's actually one piece. Here

Having clear goals for getting to the end of the distance is the most important part to being able to handle the distance. It's also good to have some kind of guide to get started on how to approach the subject.

My Wife and I were LDR dating for 4 years over 2700 Miles. We used The Complete Guide and Advice for the Geographically Challenged to help us make it work.

Your goals and expectations need to be the same for an LDR to work. Small issues tend to turn into relationship ending problems when not dealt with early and often. If you want to make it work, you can, but it takes a lot of effort from both of you.

> Prices on https://www.google.com/flights are looking a lot cheaper than booking separately using your method

Are you sure? Google flights is currently showing the cheapest fare in December 2018 as £610 round trip.

>I've also booked tickets separately before and it was a nightmare

I haven't had this issue and I do this 10-12 times a year; just leave sufficient time (4-5 hours) between flights

I don't really think it would matter whether it's online or in person, I may be wrong. Two weeks could add up though, it may get expensive.

I would look into airbnb, you may be able to find a cheaper option.

you can play skribbl.io, uno, you could turn uno into strip uno if you have webcams lol....

idk what games you are into but my guy and I play a ton of call of duty, and watch netflix on the party app, we switch from kdramas to what he chooses lol and we have played Raft together.

If you're curious about what games your computer will be able to handle, check out this website for a general report on what you can, and cannot run on your system. Don't take its word as 100% accurate, though. In some cases, you might not know until you actually try and install it (or look up the game's actual requirements).

There are tons of games on Steam that you can play. Some great ones to start out with include Terraria, Portal 2, Trine 2, Sims (played Sim City and loved it), Aion, Tera, Diablo 3, or League of Legends/Dota 2. MMORPGs are probably the easiest to get into, but if your computer is below par, you won't be able to enjoy the scenery as much (I know this pain). It's really going to come down to what types of games you both enjoy the most. I tried Team Fortress 2 and hated it, because I hate first person games. They make me nauseous.

Try out a bunch of different types of games. MOBAs, MMORPGs, RPGs, puzzle, platform, sandbox, FPS, adventure, etc. See what you like the most, and go from there!

It works like a charm on Chrome OS.

Fun fact: I'm a technology journalist, and I (favorably) reviewed it a year or so ago.

It's a page on Notion. Notion is a very free-form note taking app that has lots of features and has your notes made up of blocks and links to nested pages.

Long story short, it's just a page in a note taking app that I put together. You can use the link to go through them or (what I'd recommend) you can sign up for notion and click the button to duplicate the page into your own account to have your own version! That way you can have a separate copy of it to customise and add to yourself

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getdailyagape

I'm on mobile so I can't format for the life of me. My partner and I just started using the app above, and I think it's helping with saying things when it feels like there's nothing else to say. Her love language is definitely communication, and mine isn't, so having a dedicated prompt helps me get her the attention she deserves.

Hope this helps, best of luck!

Castle Crashers and Portal 2 have already been mentioned.

One that hasn't so far that I can recommend is Borderlands, we've been doing co-op and just finished the main story/quests in 60 hours and still have most of the DLC to play through.

Other games that we haven't yet played but are meant to be good are Trine 2, L4D/L4D2.

If you're looking to buy games online check out http://isthereanydeal.com/ , it'll tell you where the cheapest price is online for a game

not many people realise you can also do a google search by image - if he has a generic profile picture, you can plug it in and search for any other sites he uses it on. It can be useful to see if catfishing is going on or anything like that. Simply right click on the image in question, click 'copy image location', head to https://images.google.com/ and click on that camera icon at the right of the search bar. Paste.

It can be quite useful...

I don't mean to be a shill for this game but take a look at https://www.superbetter.com. It's a game that is based on challenges and achievements in your own life. It has helped me work on some of my loneliness issues.

And it could distract you for a week

I'm currently using this matrix software that basically compiles and sort all the options and agency error from all the airlines offering your flight. It is truly amazing. Bought my last ticket at 900 instead of 1500, 3 weeks before my departure. Even the agent on the phone congratulated me on finding this deal. I'm currently at work and I bookmarked the site on my laptop at home therefore I'll update this comment with the link as soon as I can. This aside, flighthub website on incognito browser or through Tor was always pretty solid.

EDIT: Here it is. Customize and narrow down your preference as much as you want then let the software do the rest. Travel safely and have fun!

Try out /r/solotravel or /r/travel. They have great advice on this stuff.

For flights try https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ or www.skyscanner.com There are other websites like momondo.com and kyak.com

Or google flights is also very good!

You have to go to the particular pizza place's website. They often have an online order form (make sure you put the tip on the card!).

Check to see if there's any place near him on http://eat24.com/

or

https://www.grubhub.com/

The only place I know of is https://www.grubhub.com/ . You can pay online via paypal. I'm not sure if there are any of the traditional foods available (like egg tarts, ahh I love those), but they have a wide variety of chinese food. Good luck!

Unrelated but I see you are in Singapore, my boyfriend just moved there! If you know of any sites in Singapore that let me send food to my SO as well, PM me! <3

Thanks! It's probably so cheap because I'm flying out from NYC (it's $600 at the lowest from San Francisco), and because flights generally range around ~$400-800 where I am depending on when you want to go and how far you book in advance.

I used Google Flights (look through "flexible dates"). I think this is basically as cheap as you can get them, unfortunately.

Edit: I just realized I probably put the wrong airport as I'm not familiar with the airports in Colombia! Just switch it out with the right one :P

Currently saving up to visit my own SO, and I've just discovered Google flights. It shows the projected prices for tickets for any date. If you click on your departure date, you can view either flexible dates or a price graph for any month. I found the price graph to be amazing, personally! Hope this helps!

I drove from Boise, ID to Rochester, NY in 36 hours when I moved to grad school. Do not recommend. I had my parents with me and we basically only stopped for bathroom breaks, food, and gas.

Long drives are a lot better when you can take your time and find places to stop and explore. This isn't the exact site I used, but there are lots of sites that will help you find landmarks/attractions/etc along a route that you define.

No matter what you end up doing, plan out a tentative itinerary and leave it with someone before you leave! In case anything happens, it will help if people know where you're supposed to be.

Not limited if she has a copy of a Windows OS.

/u/LizzyComeBackToLife, if you do, use bootcamp and get on Windows like that. There's a bunch of MMO's that you can play together. My personal suggestions would be Aion, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy 14 or WoW.
You should both take a look at http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm and see what suits you guys, whether it's free to play, buy to play or requires a monthly subscription fee.

I actually like the portal'esque design myself, the robots themselves are a general purpose frame that FriXion has licensed to use.. since they arent "purpose built" the neutral design means they dont LOOK scandalous, you could leave the robot on a shelf and nobody would know what it was for, you only have to keep the attachments in a drawer. Also, the bot framework actually pre-dates portal, so really the portal turrets are based on sexbot technology if that makes it any different. ;)

In practice the robots are effectively invisible, you get your intimacy from your partner through headphones and webcam (or occulus rift if youre fancy). Our testers generally arent "looking at" the robots we find, women will close their eyes when it gets intense and men are fixated on the screen mesmerized by their new found "proxy penis."

Great that youre following, if you sign up to the beta let me know in PM what email address you use and I'll make sure you get an invite for the next round of beta testing that we hope to have up by the end of this month. Also, I encourage you to listen to this podcast I did a few weeks ago, some good questions explored and answered.

Not sure about Audio, but a if you want improved video quality when streaming your game footage over Skype, I highly recommend XSplit Broadcaster

You can create a profile on XSplit that records the game footage, then superimpose your camera over top, and then select Xsplit as the video source in Skype. It's much faster and higher quality than simply doing a screen-share on Skype.

These are two sites we use. Rabbit in particular is amazing for watching films and things together while using cam & mic together.

Mega has a great video call, and you can also share files with each other easily.

https://rabb.it/

https://mega.nz/

Better suggestion: Kast (formerly rabb.it). It's a streaming service that let's one party host a show via a remote web browser broadcast to everyone in the room with text, voice, & video chat built in. It's so much better than the hassle of trying to sync the start time of your shows via Skype, losing sync to buffer issues on one end, etc.

You might want to try Viber (it has a video call feature on PC and OSX). There was also a beta of Jabber somewhere that had pretty decent video. And https://www.gruveo.com/ lets you call from your browser (it was so so for us, but maybe it will work better for you?)

I have been where you are, and i understand her perfectly, but just keep trying and offer a solution that works (maybe try it out with a friend beforehand?).

Hope it helped a bit :)

https://andchill.tv/

Been using this for YouTube lately. I’m disappointed rabbit isn’t like it used to be. We can barely get through a movie without connection issues and having to restart the site over and over again.

Do give twoseven.xyz a try. Me and my wife were long distance for significant periods of our relationship and we built it for this very reason.

We're actively working on improving it. We currently support YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Vimeo, Crunchyroll. You can also stream and watch private videos together even if only one of the participants has the video file. Additionally, it has built-in video and text chat capabilities so you don't need to rely on Skype/Facetime/etc.

Let us know if you use any other streaming websites and we will try our best to support those as well :)

Unfortunately, that's a scenario that I'm unable to test out. I think Netflix will throw an error stating that the content is unavailable in the user's location.

We don't really do anything fancy on Netflix except handle the synchronization. You'll still need a valid Netflix account, two user profiles, etc. If you absolutely want to watch content that's only available in one of the two countries, I suggest you look into some VPN solution and use twoseven.xyz inside the VPN.

As simple as it sounds, try to find a business from the SO location that has delivery service.

Buying some flowers over the web (or by calling the business through Skype or Google Hangouts, whatever works for you and is cheaper) and having them delivered to your SO home or work is relatively cheap and less troublesome than sending a package across states or maybe countries.

Also, if you plan sending packages to Brazil, be careful. Since last year, most international packages are being taxed, which not only increases the delay, but the taxes sum up to +100% of the package value. Sure, sending a package as a gift might not be taxed, but there is still the risk of trouble.

I'm doing this right now. Works great.

Just something to keep in mind though - their 'unlimited' plan is subject to their fair usage policy. As per the fair usage policy, it's really only unlimited up to 6 hours, after which it'll start using up Skype credit.

We use Telegram and Skype. Other than that we don't use a lot of other apps.

I just want to say something really quick about Telegram, because it is probably one of the best things to ever happen to us. Telegram is mostly open source, has an open API and has been developed for basically any platform you can imagine. It's available in official releases for iOS and Android. There are several unofficial releases for OSX, Windows, Windows Phone, and Linux. There is even a Chrome app. It is super fast, it's encrypted, and you can send up to 2 gb files via it. Voice messages aren't supported yet as far as I know, but I think it's on the horizon.

Basically what I'm saying is, if you use WhatsApp, Kik, or even iMessage, then seriously consider changing, because Telegram is cross platform.

Also if you need to be extra super secret they have a special "secret chat" which means nothing is even stored on their cloud servers, but you can read more about that in the link I provided at the top :)

Lucky. Here's mine; I've been staring at it several times a day since I booked by flight with ~55 days to go at the time. It has literally not stopped being a tab in my browser since I first made it.

Once I'm there, though, I'm staying with him for Christmas and New Year's and I'll be there for almost a full month before I have to go back to school. :3

this is the one I use. It's not an "ohmygawd what a terrific and amazing" webcam, but it serves its purpose, and is rather cheap (compare to others I saw on amazon while looking for the one I have). I've had it for over two years I think, and I haven't had any problem with it so far. I've Windows 7, btw... I was reading in one of the reviews that it doesn't work so good on Windows 8.1 and 10, so keep that in mind as well.

Good luck on your webcam-hunt!

I got it from amazon!

SHARK Best Friends Style/Boyfriend&Girlfriend Compass/ STAY BY MY SIDE Matching Couple Cases for (Two cases for iphone 7) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M241G64/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_vZuzapb9WWGNS

Omg i just saw the reply :c but i wanna get him this one: https://www.amazon.com/Shiatsu-Back-Neck-Shoulder-Massager/dp/B074S9BJ6B/ref=sr_1_9_a_it?s=amazon-devices&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1542163163&amp;sr=8-9&amp;keywords=self+massager

Looks something similar to these pimple patches I use.

https://www.amazon.com/Attached-Science-Adult-Attachment-YouFind/dp/1585429139

This book can help with how anxiety manifests in relationships. I read it when the pandemic started because I already knew I had an anxious attachment style and me and my boo were going through a communication transition with our drastic schedule changes.

I also found a class on Buddhism and Psychology that I think Princeton has (had?) up for free that really helped with staying mindful and having conversation with my anxiety.

This is also after LOTS of therapy. I’ve never been diagnosed with anything but I knew that if I wanted this relationship to last I needed to get myself together so I didn’t self sabotage.

Meditation can also help, but that’s a level you have to get to where you have the tools to talk yourself through your anxiety attacks.

I would suggest you to go for a reliable VPN first which is not based in any of the 14 eyes country. For suggestion I personally use PureVPN. Anyways, you and your girlfriend both need to be connected to VPN and it is better if you two can choose a server in kind of same location which might help you in speed. Also keep the encryption of the VPN on to make it fool proof. Lastly, be in senses cause a VPN can't safe you from phishing! Goodluck!

I live in China and use a VPN; they're common here to get around internet restrictions. Tell him to sign up for one (Astrill or ExpressVPN are both pretty good), and that way he can continue to use Netflix as well as other blocked sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google, blocked news sites, etc. It's well worth the money.

Another thing that's popular in China is an instant messenger app called Wechat. You can use it to record spoken messages to each other (as well as GIFs) and free calls. I find sending messages throughout the day can help to keep connected with each other's lives.

Hope that helps!

I do modeling, and sometimes we are allowed to keep what we model, but not too often. I sent my boyfriend pictures of a really cute but really expensive outfit I modeled, and he apparently loved it, because on our first-meeting visit, he surprised me by buying it for me before he left! Best gift ever! He’s also gotten me really pretty shoes and jewelry. But nothing beats that first gift because it was an amazingly sweet gesture.

I have gotten him a nice watch and some cool sneakers, and a few other things here and there. He isn’t really into having a lot of stuff. Christmas is fast approaching though, and his birthday is pretty soon after that, so I’m thinking about a nice wallet, a FanChest for the Minnesota Vikings (his favorite team), and maybe another nice accessory. Time will tell what I settle on...

On the other hand, if you both live in the US and in different states, these candles seems like a really cute idea, I’ve been considering those!

Congratulations! In terms of down-sizing your stuff, I recommend checking out /r/declutter and/or the KonMari method. I'm halfway through Marie Kondo's book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and I just got rid of over half my clothes last weekend. She just had an AMA yesterday!

Like hunt says, you should definitely check out PODS. When I requested a quote earlier this week, I was told it would be ~1500-2000 for a 700 mile move that required less than a month of storage time using their smaller pod size.

Fucking hell mate, you got dealt with some shitty cards there. I still can't get over the fact that she has the gall to ask for forgiveness after all your ex has done.

I have nothing to offer you other than my words, if you were here in Brisbane I'd gladly buy you a drink.

I suppose a takeaway you can get from me is that you could start reading a book that has gotten me out of my depression and carried me through all these years. It's called Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and the stuff in there has recently been adapted for use as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) by mental health professionals in use for depression, even after all these centuries.

That's all I have to say about that. I know I'm just some random internet stranger but you just can't give up mate, it's against human nature to just give up - your nature.

Take it easy brother.

YES! Texas is pretty good. Those processing time charts are moot, try not to take them into consideration/worry about them too much.

There's a really good app I've been using to track my case called USCIS Case Status or USCIS APP. You can enter your case number and it will alert you whenever you get a status change. You can also choose to receive alerts whenever a case similar to yours gets updated as well. It won't say exactly whose it is but you'll be able to see which country they're from and when they applied/which service center handled their case.

It might take a while until your receipt number gets entered into their system, ours took 2 weeks until we were able to start tracking our case.

Yep, there are some really good apps out there that make it simple.
I use My Calendar for most of the work, and then just set custom reminders as needed.
Requires just a little bit of teamwork, but everyone wins.

It's called Minimalistic Text.

I linked it with a Tasker task that calculated the 'days left'.

All the other info (time, date & weather) can be pulled by the Minimalist Text app itself. I just manually set my location to Boulder (so it picks up the local weather) and timezone to Mountain Time GMT-7 (to get the correct date and time).

Is it the hat with the vintage ford on it or an older ford hat?

Here's an ebay search

It can take a while to adjust to a home in a new place. Like 6 months to 5 years. That's quite normal.

I suggest you read At Home Anywhere by Rachael Lynn it will help you navigate the transition and come to embrace and feel at home in your new city after being uprooted. It has stories and practical advice.

Maybe something like this ? Would be pretty nice

https://www.amazon.de/Whiskey-Stones-Glasses-Gift-Set/dp/B085Q4PZXT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=747Q2AZ1N16J&amp;keywords=scotch+brille&amp;qid=1667911729&amp;sprefix=scotch+glasse%2Caps%2C147&amp;sr=8-1-spons&amp;psc=1

I feel that. I didn't get anything so I treated myself to some make up 🤷
Like how hard is it to show SOME effort? It doesn't have to be anything expensive or cost money at all, draw me a heart on a piece of paper and that'd be sweet. But everyone is so ''above these things'' nowadays.
Anyway, even if it doesn't matter to him it matters to you and that should be important. Giving you something over delivery is better than not doing it at all... because flowers die? What? They won't die if you plan it accordingly 😅

Hmm I found this with a quick search but you might just have to black out some of those lines with a sharpie. Like a US government document!

Hi r/longdistance! I hope you are doing well 🥰
Earlier this year, I made an app for me and my LDR gf to make our LDR feel less “long.” The app is kind of like if Discord and Locket had a baby! It’s an audio room like a Discord where you and your bf/gf can go in and talk(with more intimate features :)), but lives right on your home screen!
This app is designed for those 2+ hour calls where you are not talking all the time but rather just *chilling* in the presence of the other person. Me and my gf hop in our room every evening, and after a while, we just end up sending each other memes/tiktoks as we scroll our phones! It makes us feel like we are next to each other while going about our own things and we often go to bed while still in the room!
I showed you guys a prototype of the app a few months ago and was really overwhelmed by the support! :) There were downloads from Japan, Korea, Philippines, Australia, NZL, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, US, Canada, and so many other countries! The biggest complaint was that there was no Android, so after many hours of coding, Android is finally done!
The app is free and you can download it here if you have an iPhone or here if you have an Android!

I’d love some of your feedback to make the app better! I also made a subreddit r/HomeroomWidget where I’ll be posting bi-weekly updates! (spoilers: we are adding in some quick video functionalities next week!) Let me know what you think!

Mayday, Tech n9ne - Know it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMpqpD3NDw http://genius.com/Mayday-know-it-lyrics "It feels like we are light years away With all these rows in between I want you right next to me I hope you know it I hope that you know it Every time i leave you i'm broken I hope that you know it"

I am in the thick of my depression too, this book has really helped me, https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Inspirational-Readings-Encouragement-Meditations/dp/B0B68381KQ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1658105562&amp;sr=8-2 Maybe it can encourage you too.

https://www.amazon.fr/Capsules-Message-Capsule-Demi-Pilule-Al%C3%A9atoire/dp/B08LPY38K1/ref=asc_df_B08LPY38K1/?tag=googshopfr-21&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=454754106422&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=10196916123101673205&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptw... the ones my bf got me look like this! I love them so much. I'm happy you like the idea!!

So I don't have many suggestions on things to do... But

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012AUCJ8I/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_PK59598T7ZRK558ZSYGK

Less than £90 and you guys sound handy when it comes to PC builds so possibly a good shell to upgrade etc

But at the very least should be capable of keeping you guys in touch!

Good luck

When my boyfriend met me, people asked him if he was sure I was not catfishing him. So for christmas last year, after we met up.. I got him this mug :D

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FM914HZ/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o05\_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

He laughed so hard.

You probably have an “avoidant” type of attachement. It’s very commun. I’m reading this book about adult attachments and it really helps me understand my attachment style and my partner’s.

They give advices to people with avoidant style to help them improve their relationship. I’m putting the link to the book here if you want to read more about it I think it could help : https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/Amir-Levine/dp/1585429139.

I hope it’ll help you ❤️

Something that helped me a lot was the Men Are From Mars book- some men withdraw when they are struggling or trying to solve a problem. He may not feel he has the emotional energy to communicate with you.

Sometimes you have to leave them alone for a little while. Try sending 1 text a day, saying you love him and are thinking of him, and are here when he’s ready. It may be too much pressure to have to provide for your emotional needs when he is feeling down and overwhelmed.

If you feel comfortable with the people he lives with, and the communication is open, you may ask them how he’s doing or if there’s anything they perceive that may indicate suicidal thoughts. Depression is a difficult illness.

Another thing- send him the suicide hotline information. He may not want to burden you with his thoughts, but there are people who can help. 1-800-273-8255 or text “Jason” to 741741 (Jason Foundation), or use the Lifeline Chat.

As others have mentioned already, RUN. He is abuser and is very unlikely to change. The reason you're reluctant and find it hard to leave is because of trauma bonding. Please look up what that means. And once you've ended things and have taken some time to process what you've been through, I highly recommend picking up this book about abusive men and the processes by which they manipulate and break down their partners in order to control them. All the best to you.

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft

Wireless earbuds are the way! The iLuv TB100 on Amazon are super affordable & good sound quality, plus built in mic.

On sale for $24.99 rn here !

(hashtag Not Sponsored lmao)

There's Scener if you want to watch shows together while video chatting. You can also opt for Discord if one of you can screenshare for the other.

There's also Hyperbeam where you can both voice and video call.

Try Google Flights. When that fails, try the other discount flights. I just scored a (near) last minute flight myself (I wanted to surprise the SO but couldn’t book it until now).

Also, if he can come in March, it’s not as bad as you think. February is the shortest month of the year. It sucks that it’s not happening now though. Good luck!

I’m not sure where you’re based in the US, but if you can find your way to NYC, flights between there and Paris are usually around $300-400.

Google Flights - I did it the furthest you can book right now - mid November.

It is already possible* - check Documents for Sweden entry - Sweden has recently expanded exemptions to "partners", and pictures & previous flight tickets are examples of documents used to prove.

*up to airline discretion

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getpaired.app

It's called "Paired" and it's actually pretty fun and helps with opening lines of communication. It's only as good as you put the effort into it tho.

Paint Kit

Hi! Coming from a country that caps out internet usage at only 45GB a month, 300 is huge! I know it's BS but if it helps, maybe you can try using a bandwidth usage monitor to keep track of your consumption on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Under the Application tab, you can also see how much you use on Skype so you can manage it effectively.

I use Networx and just remember to reset usage data every month.

Cheer up, everything will work out fine. ♥

You could look into opening account with Wise (transferwise) and send her money that way, of course setting everything up will take days but if it'll be recurring it'll be better. I believe they have the Philippine peso so transactions would be "local" and instantaneous, at least from what I experience sending money to my family in Mexico. I highly recommend it and the link is here so you can learn more https://wise.com/

Of course this only works if she has a bank account where you can send her money. If she doesn't, Western Union works as well.

Thanks for your input :)

I've flown long haul numerous time with BA and if there's another airline I can fly with over them then I will. I'm always on an old plane, or the service is bad, or something else goes wrong. Every time I fly with VA however it's wonderful, so I tend to choose them instead.

Prices on https://www.google.com/flights are looking a lot cheaper than booking separately using your method, at least for now. I'm sure the longer I leave it your way will probably be better!

I've also booked tickets separately before and it was a nightmare, almost didn't get a flight home after another airline made me miss it and the airline customer service rep told me that she wouldn't re-book me for free as the tickets weren't bought together. Luckily she was very understanding and I managed to wing my way to getting on the next flight home :)

The risk depends on (1) where you are, (2) how you intend to travel, and (3) the kind of exposure you had 5-10 days ago. Driving from Idaho to Iowa? Bring some gloves to pump gas with and you have basically no risk. Flying Houston to Miami? Hope you've got a place to quarantine after and an N95.

Similarly, if you've both been in quarantine for ~14 days, the probability that one of you has it is negligible. On the other hand, if you both work at a grocery store daily, your risk is much higher.

I felt 100% comfortable driving to visit my girlfriend a while back because we both had been in quarantine for weeks. Risk of spreading anything was nil.

Check the numbers yourself here.

I feel for you. You are in a really difficult position.

There is a lot of stuff that you can do in an LDR, but obviously, both parties need to really want to do it for it to be fun. Like, literally going for a virtual walk together can be fun if you guys are able to talk about interesting things and share your ideas with each other. I can suggest to you some ideas which are really fun for my GF and me, but you both need to be into it/able to do it/ have free time... If you are unable to do this stuff with her, maybe focus on yourself until December since it will at least make the time pass faster and you will get something out of it. But if you are feeling in your gut that this is not something you enjoy atm, I would consider thinking deeply about what actually makes you in a relationship and if this is being fulfilled (LDR or not). Honestly, if you guys are not connecting by just chatting and sharing things with each other, you might not be too compatible. Again, I have no idea. Only you know this.

Ideas:
- video games (some stupid ones as well, like agar.io)
- plan the future together
- talk about your day
- do a cook-along
- go to the movies/dinners/walks (while in a different location)