Being apart—be it one mile or a million—while staying together can be challenging for some couples, and a pleasure to others. YourTango’s got you covered! Check out the stories below for everything you need to know about long-distance relationships.
Last year we reported that tough economic times make long-distance relationships more difficult. As people struggle to make ends meet, finding cash for phone bills and plane fare has become more difficult. Well, ironically, in addition to making LDRs harder to sustain, the financial collapse has also made them more common. According to this weekend's New York Times, "commuter marriages," in which married couples live apart, are trending up, as the tough economy forces people to take jobs in far-flung locales, away from their spouses and in some instances, children.
Katie Holmes seems to have taken to her lifestyle as a Broadway success; in fact, she may be considering permanent relocation to New York City. According to "In Touch", a friend revealed that Katie met with a Manhattan real estate agent to look at properties in the $10 million range. With Tom, 46, and kids Suri, 2, Isabelle, 15, and Connor, 13, happily settled in the family's $35 million mansion in Beverly Hills (purchased just last May), does Katie's home-hunting indicate a split? Or is Katie simply seeking a new bachelorette pad to crash at during Broadway stints? Tom already owns real estate in NYC and the couple was reportedly looking to rent an apartment in Donald Trump's building on Park Avenue, last July.
Studies at University of Leeds, Oxford and the New York Times, have led this social phenomenon to acquire its own nomenclature, "Living Alone Together" or LAT for short. And it's gaining steam in Europe, too: In the International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, Swedish researcher Dr. Jan Trost reported an increased incidence of Scandinavian LATs. Exact numbers are hard to come by—though the 2007 U.S. Census reported that 30 million Americans live alone, it's tough to determine how many have a steady date a few doors down.
