It’s coming to that time of year again...No, not Christmas, nor the end of exams, but rather a fun weekend involving your year abroad, your best mate/partner in crime/parents coming to visit and you’re not only looking forward to pretending to be a tourist in your new city (ahem, you’re now officially a local of course) but you’re also planning on doing loads of typical things with them. Going to cute little cafés, munching on local cuisine, visiting the [insert name of famous museum] together. Just one little hitch in the plan - they virtually do not speak any foreign tongue; yes and no are trying at the best of times, their pronunciation is totally off-key and regardless of how many times you have tried to teach them basic words, they can’t seem to muster them up on command. What to do? The weekend can’t just be you translating all the time, can it? That’s where these simple steps and hints come in...

For all you year abroad students preparing to enter into or continue a long-distance relationship, things are not as bad as they seem. With cheap (surprise) flights, quick international postage, mail order flowers, spontaneous romantic gestures and a healthy dose of trust and infatuation, you'll sail through. But, believe me, nothing makes a long-distance more manageable than Skype.

Here's an infographic to illustrate how developments in technology have made life a whole lot easier for long-distance couples...