So the girl and I have been going out for a couple of months and all is well. She always initiates, she's really into me, cant' wait to see me, etc.

However, she's going on exchange in a few months and will be away for 6 months.

I haven't really thought about it much nor talked about it with her but there will come a time when this will have to go down.

Anyone have general advice about long distance relationships? Do they work? Should i break it off? Should i visit her every 2-3 months? Is that enough to keep up a relationship?

I have been in 2 long distance relationships and had both of them come to fruition.

The 1st one was due to my deployment to Iraq. My (now ex) wife and I communicated via email for 18 consecutive months and had a beautiful relationship with each other. Six months would have been a cakewalk for us lol. We later divorced a year or so after my return for reasons of indifferences.

A few years later, I began a relationship with a girl that lived in Alabama (I live in south Texas). For a few months, we would spend every other weekend together in Baton Rouge (roughly halfway). Eventually I got her to move here and we had a great relationship that lasted for a good part of the year.

In conclusion, yes it can work. It's going to take some elbow grease but then every relationship does. You'll have to communicate often, and play close attention to her emotional needs. How frequently you visit her is solely up to the two of you. If you can swing it, visit her as often as you can. If you can only manage to get there once during her absence, then you've done all you can. Women in long distance relationships just want to know that you're thinking of them and committed to the greater picture with them. Send her physical mail, letters, cards, flowers etc. Talk often and SPAM each other and you'll be fine (provided that's what you want).

Of course it can work man.

There are no rules to what will and won't.

If you both want it to work, it will work.

Long distance relationships CAN work, depending on a number of factors.

1. How loyal you and your girlfriend are to one another.
2. A known future point of stopping the long distance relationship, for example she is living on a 3 month job and will return.

If you are having a long distance relationship that will never become anything more then that, then it will not work. Otherwise yes it will work as long as both parties are respectful. Ive seen many many long distance relationships work.

Thanks guys for the advice.

I think the key is really going to be long term plans. I'm fairly sure she's wanting to come back and be here permanently so I suppose it should be ok.

I'm not normally the jealous type but the thought of having her in a foreign country for 6 months does sort of worry me. Do you think i'm being insecure about this or is this normal?

i think its only natural to worry. if your not worried you probably shouldn't be with her