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No doubt long-distance relationships are tricky, but what happens when they're LONG distance (as in international in flavor)? Can love last when there's an ocean (or maybe even several continents) between you and your main squeeze? Lemondrop recently went on a matchmaking flight to New Zealand, and met singles from around the country who were ready and willing to make a love connection across the world. And that got us thinking: What does it take to make long-distance love work? Five women tell us how they fared in the transcontinental relationship game.

A May/December & U.K./U.S. Romance -- Amra and Heinrich
"How DO you make a long-distance relationship work? I think the answer lies in the fact that you are always working toward the time when you will be together. For us, we are constantly planning that dream life, and maybe it's that dream that keeps our marriage so exciting and fresh. But it's definitely not all roses!

"I am an actor on Broadway and my husband is a musician in a band based in London. We met in South Africa, and it couldn't have been steamier! We have been through some very rough times but hasn't everybody? We have broken up and made up more times than I care to remember, and we may have parted ways if it weren't for the fact that we adore each other.

"So now we see each other every three months for about 10 days, and it's always the same. We fight for three days and are blissfully happy for seven. In the times apart, the computer keeps us connected. But there are other factors which enable us to keep up this lifestyle: We have no small children, we are both ambitious and completely accept and understand the nature of the business we chose. And perhaps we're a little addicted to the drama? Maybe?"

Leap of Faith -- Georges and Christy
"Georges and I were set up by a mutual friend when he was visiting the United States from France. We were both musicians so we had a ton in common but beyond that it became clear to me pretty quickly that he had all the qualities I was looking for in a mate. Within two weeks of our introduction, I decided I would be an idiot to let him go.

"Since I was a freelance musician who could travel anywhere for work, I decided I could take the risk. I moved to Europe with a man I barely knew! I would certainly never advise anyone to do it -- it's a hugely personal decision. And believe me, it wasn't always easy. About two weeks after I got there, I started wondering WHAT in the world I must have been thinking.

"After the six months, I went home and spent a month soul searching. In the end, I decided that I loved him enough to not want to lose him. That was in 2001. We're now married and have a son."

A Complicated Geography Lesson -- Sara and Jan
"I met Jan when we were both on business in Dubai. We had a one-night stand and kept in touch. Eventually he came to visit. We grew closer, then I visited about 6 weeks later.

"This went on for about a year before I finally made the move to Europe. After seven months, I got a job taking me back to America for two-and-a-half months, which caused many problems in our relationship ... and we broke up.

"But that's not the end of the story. Recently we've been talking about whether we want to revisit the situation. We've both learned a great deal after being in an international long-distance relationship that now might allow us to actually make it work."

Love Study Abroad -- Katy and Jared
"When we met in 2005, Jared and I were 22 and 21, respectively. It was the summer before our senior year of college at the University of Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music. He was to spend his summer in Edinburgh, Scotland, while I would be performing in a play in Pittsburgh.

"We tried calling each other but rarely got a hold of each other. So we emailed as often as we could. He didn't have a video camera on his computer, so no Skype! Just the emails. It was romantic, though, our little e-love letters.

"We just had to keep encouraging each other that soon we'd be back in Cincinnati starting our senior year together. It was only a summer, right? And we made it through. Then we broke up not even a month after being back at school. It was heartbreaking and complicated but ultimately the best decision. The funny thing was that the long-distance part worked out with a little effort and it was something else that ultimately broke us up!"

Down Under the Covers – Penelope and Aaron
"My husband Aaron and I met while working together in Sydney, Australia, about seven years ago. We were together about a year before we ended up being sent to different continents for our work. Both loving what we do, we took the jobs and decided to work through a long-distance relationship. It worked out and now we lived together in New York.

"It was tricky in terms of the time difference and working out when to call each other, but we did speak every day. I think touching base -- even if it was for five minutes -- was important. Not every conversation had to be an hour of deep and meaningful chat. Sometimes a call to say "I had a great sleep" or "Hope you're having a good day today" is even more important.

"I think what also made it work was complete trust in the other person. I was never worried about Aaron chasing other girls or having an affair. He never made me feel like I should worry. We also tried to communicate as clearly as possible with each other. If one of us was tired and not really up for a long chat we would say so up front so there wasn't any miscommunication. Sometimes you just don't feel like spending half-an-hour with the phone stuck to your ear no matter how much you're missing the person."

Tell Us: Have you ever been in a long-distance relationship? How did you make it work?