The Lost Girls > Departments > Extras > Surviving The Long Distance Break-Up

Surviving The Long Distance Break-Up

Extras, Love on the Road — By on June 12, 2012 at 12:00 pm

by Lauren Watt

Special to The Lost Girls

Discover current boyfriend cheated was not on my pre-departure to-do list. As I headed down the Lufthansa aisle in tears, dumping him via phone wasn’t either.

Tossing long distance relationship plans adds heartbreak to any travel itinerary. Unsure how to survive my move to romantic Italy without any romance, I discovered tips to conquering the split without sacrificing my travels, or pelting my gelato at happy lip-locking couples. Whether you’ve just ended your long distance love or broke it off before hitting the road, following these tips can help mend the hearthache.

Get Off The Internet

Before spending another minute groveling your ex’s freshly tagged photos, think. Filling your brain with your cyberspace ex will not make moving on easier. Log off facebook, put your tweets on hold, and focus on you. You’re traveling- there is something more interesting to view than his Facebook status.

Have Patience

Face it: You’re not getting over him in one day. When business involves your heart, it takes time to mend. Don’t foil every time he crosses your mind- he will. And unfortunately you will probably see more reminders of him in a remote Ghanaian village than you did in his own living room. Take deep breaths, think of him, shine light his way, and let him go. Remember: Emotions are temporary. Keep forward, and accept moving on as a dawdling cruise, not the overnight red-eye.

Hit the Town

Nighttime is no time to be twiddling your fingers or tossing in bed with free wifi. The computer (particularly Skype) is dangerous territory when conquering the long distance break-up. He’s online, maybe I should message him? No. Don’t give yourself the option. Go out at night and exploring during the day. Stay busy. Enjoy guilt-free flirting and being single!

Pick Up Hobbies

When I arrived in Italy a newly single gal, I made a list of things I wanted to do: read the classics, write poetry, learn Italian, study an artist and see all his work, cook. These travel-specific hobbies were easy to focus on without a boyfriend to Skype. This list kept my mind on Italy and off the boy.  Bonus: I learned alot!

Start Fresh

Lose the memory triggers. Send his old t-shirt to the bottom of your suitcase, take his playlist off your iPod. Depressing? Yes. But it’s time to focus on you. Replace his photo with a map, reinvent your style, buy a funky shirt, download new music. View the break-up as a way to get to know yourself, totally unleashed from the ties of your ex. You’re already in a new location, why not embrace a new you?

Keep a Journal

Log your progress and emotions. Be honest. No relationship is failure if you learn from it. Bullet confidence boosters to re-read in weak moments. Remind yourself he’s not the one for you and don’t be afraid to write why. Use the journal to move on from your relationship, while also learning to be thankful for it. Just because the relationship didn’t work, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a necessary part of your life journey.

Lauren fuels her chronic wanderlust living in Bergamo, Italy.  She’s camped in the Sahara, meditated in India, and snowboarded in Switzerland. Read her scribbles from the road at www.nutell-it.com 

Twitter: @wattupfern 

Photo credit: JOPHIELsmiles,thepinkpeppercorn/flickr

Check out these related posts:

  1. LG Spring Break: Outer Banks on a Budget
  2. Meet, Plan, Go!’s Career Break Basic Training
  3. The Un-Spring Break Spring Break: Sayulita, Mexico
  4. Tips for surviving as a freelancer abroad
  5. Last Minute Trips: Spring Break in Spain
Tags: , , ,