Hayley French is currently in her fourth and final year studying French, Spanish and Italian Triple Honours at Bangor University in Wales. She spent a semester in each country and managed to keep her long-distance relationship going through the eighteen months she spent abroad, and beyond! Here is her advice for other year abroaders considering the same commitment...

Leaving behind friends and family is one of the hardest parts of going on a year abroad, especially if that means saying goodbye to your boyfriend or girlfriend. When you’re in a relationship, the prospect of one of you taking a year abroad can lead to a difficult question. Will your relationship survive a year apart? It may not be the obvious option, but going abroad as a couple could be the solution. My boyfriend and I have spent the past nine months living in France together. Here’s how we did it and what we wish we’d known beforehand!