The challenge of a long-distance relationship: how to make it work

Every eighth couple in Germany is in a long-distance relationship. Every second single person would accept a distance of 100 km or more, 57 percent would move for love. Luisa (36) and Markus (38) are in a relationship once across Germany and back. How do they master this challenge and what helps them?

Love comes when you least expect it. Just like Luisa and Markus:

Luisa, who was born in Bonn, had just moved from Hamburg to Cologne to be closer to family and close friends. She had also found a good job as a sales assistant at a kitchen outfitter. Markus was also venturing into a new career at the time: he had just set up his own bicycle store and workshop in Berlin with an acquaintance. There was no room for love in Luisa and Markus' lives.

Until that evening in September 2015, when they met at the wedding of a mutual friend in Berlin - and fell head over heels in love.

"There was an instant familiarity between us," says Luisa, "as if we had known each other for a long time."

Markus is also blown away by the encounter.

It has never felt like this before

He remembers them exchanging numbers, sending each other countless messages and photos every day. Two weeks later, Luisa went back to Berlin. "After that, it was clear to both of us: we belong together."

But it is also clear that a long-distance relationship is not easy. Markus has to be in the store every two weeks, even on Saturdays, and Luisa usually doesn't get out of the office until around 5.30 p.m. on Friday evenings. It's a five-hour journey by train, and when she arrives in Berlin-Spandau shortly after 11 pm, she is simply exhausted. They soon switch to a two-week cycle. Despite being in love and enjoying each other, the disadvantages weigh increasingly heavily. "We're exhausted on Saturday, and we're sad all day Sunday because we'll soon have to part again," says Luisa. Rituals - a few text messages during the lunch break, Skyping in the evening - help them get through the days when they are separated by 573 kilometers.

Of course, it's not always easy for the lovers when it comes to sex either. But Luisa and Markus have found erotic little things they can do to increase their desire for each other. For example, they send each other small tokens of affection during the week that hint at the weekend. What do they want to experience together in bed? What do they want to try out? Whether Luisa presents herself to her lover in sexy lingerie via Skype or gives him pleasure with a new sex toy - the two of them certainly show their creativity. Markus also sends his Luisa small messages by post from time to time, in which he sends her all kinds of erotic little things that can then be tested together at the weekend...

Are you also in a long-distance relationship and don't know how to keep up the erotic mood with your partner? Then these tips might help.

- Instead of skyping with each other, why not try dirty talk, it's certainly very captivating
- Why not give your loved one something erotic every month to make them want to spend even more time together
- If you have a visit from your partner, why not surprise them with chic lingerie?
- Make your sweetheart aware of how much you are looking forward to him/her
- To have more fun in bed, you can also use sex toys
- Don't put yourself under pressure - sex often happens spontaneously

You can also find more erotic inspiration in the picture gallery...