The more the economy tanks, the more relevant becomes the term “geographically undesirable.” According to the Washington Post, the rising cost of fuel is making long-distance couples reconsider the number of times they see each other, adding some ick to an often already tricky arrangement. Reducing the number of visits, avoiding holiday weekend travel, and flying at off-peak times are just some approaches long-distance loves are taking to cope with the surge in travel-related expenses. “From just talking with people who have been in long-distance relationships…as the prices for flights and gasoline start going up, it makes them all much more stressed,” Greg Guldner, director of the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships (they have one of those?!), told CNN.

The good news: when Guldner compared 200 long-distance couples with 200, um, short-distance couples, he found no link between the frequency of visits and the likelihood of breakups. The bad news: the myth — yep, myth, apparently — about how often couples need to see each other in order to survive remains pervasive. “People who buy into those myths who now can’t afford to [travel] are now facing quite the dilemma. Because if they believe that the relationship won’t work if they don’t see each other once a month, they may be making decisions about either ending the relationship or ending whatever it is that’s keeping them apart.” Just as many commuters have altered how they get to work — opting for carpooling or public transportation — so too, Guldner says, can committed long-distance couples make adjustments in order to navigate a costly bump in a road that can surely still lead to a thriving relationship.

What about you guys? Have any of you in LDRs had to make such adjustments, like meeting — literally — halfway? Any other ways in which the rising price of gas has affected your chance for romance?