Long-distance relationships come in all forms these days. Whether your mate lives in a different province or your career requires you to spend weekdays apart from your husband, it's easy for your relationship to slide when you don't see your loved one every day. If you have a long-distance lover, check out our relationship advice on how to keep things spicy from afar.

1. Send each other surprise gifts
Nothing will bring a smile to your faraway love's face more than getting a surprise delivery. Play nice by sending a batch of their fave homemade treat or a copy of your usual date-night movie. Want to spice it up a bit? Try sending a piece of lingerie that you promise to wear next time you meet up – it will keep your mate's imagination on overdrive until your next physical encounter.

2. Make technology your new best friend
Text messages, email, MSN, Skype – make these a part of your everyday vocabulary. When you can't physically be together, you have to get creative with how you and your partner communicate. Sending sexy text messages midday will keep your love's mind racing with thoughts of you. If you're feeling confident, email your partner some risqué photos (but never to work email accounts!). And, of course, with Skype enabling you to have conversations through video, it's easy to feel like you're together in the same room – and it's a great way to heat things up in private.

3. Play games – in a good way
No one likes mind games when it comes to love, but who says you can't enjoy being playful with your partner? When you're miles apart, you have to get crafty with ways to have fun, so use your webcam and online games to heat things up. Are you a competitive Scrabble buff? Or maybe an intense poker player? Spend a night playing online games with your mate and keep the webcam on – that way you can get a little saucy (strip poker, anyone?) and have some fun with rewards for the winner.


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4. Schedule time to see each other and stick to it
When you're in a long-distance relationship, every second you do get to spend together is vital and keeps things hot, so don't let your work or home life take the reins. Try scheduling as many weekends away together as you can – it will keep things romantic, and putting money down for a hotel will make you less likely to break plans. Plus, everyone knows that nothing beats vacation sex!

5. Get personal
Getting hot-and-heavy during phone chats is definitely a way to keep your relationship spicy, but getting to know your mate through deep conversation heightens the intensity as well. Long-distance relationships require much more conversation than regular ones, so use it to your advantage and get to know your partner on a more emotional level. Sharing yourselves like this will connect you in a deeper way, making your intimate moments together feel much more special.

6. Don't let yourself fall into a style slump
Just because your partner doesn't see you on a daily basis it doesn't mean you should ditch the make-up and stop shaving your legs. To avoid falling into a style slump, look at your time apart as a period for you to work on wowing your partner the next time you see them. Whether it's toning up at the gym or buying a stunning new dress, when you feel good about the way you look, your partner will feel that confidence too, no matter how far away they are. And nothing is sexier than a confident woman!

7. See your time apart as a positive thing
As they say, "distance makes the heart grow fonder." Although you want to stay on your mate's mind, avoid swarming them with reminders of you (so a text every 10 minutes whining about how much you miss them is a bit much). Keep yourself occupied by taking up new activities when you're not together so that when you do talk on the phone and see each other on weekends, you'll have plenty to talk about.


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