I have never been able to make a long distance relationship move beyond email.  Does anybody have suggestions on how to sustain a long distance relationship?

They do not work at all.  There is a spanish saying that says: "Amor de lejos es de pendejos". Can't fully translate it, but it certainly nails it.

how to make it work?
well,it takes two to tango.everything is possible if two are ready to give their best to make it  work.
there are also normal relationships in which happens that one of the partners has to leave the country  for  lets say a year or a two,still they remain together without any problem. So,as I said earlier, its all up to you. and him/her.

Where there is a will, there is a way, as they say. I moved around the globe a lot, for work, for studies and most of my relationships were at least for some time - long distance. I even tend to like it that way. Before i used to be too busy with my career to really focus on a relatioship, but even nowadays - i write, mine is a monastic work, so i still need times just for myself and away from anyone else.

Vanina, its personal choice, for some  people people matter more than other stuff like $, stuff, job, which can be changed btw. take care :) I hope all of us find what we are looking for :)

HI there!
Well... having long distance relationships is, indeed, very hard. I personally had two, and I must admit none were easy.
Distance is a tricky factor, because one starts thinking, moving and managing a non-real registry, moves from "reality" to "virtuality". Then, idealization kicks, and one starts projecting one own´s wishes and desires of this other being as if they were real, but in fact, those might not be there. 
Not having the real touch and not being able to be there when the other one needs us, is also another difficult step to overpass. I spent so many nights talking on the phone at ANY time, cause of the time difference, emailing, chatting, sending txtx, bbms... but those were still not enough when I was feeling poorly...
Still, there are lots of lovely things in such types of relationships, at least for me, diverse cultures, language learning, travelling, experiences exchange... and yea, sometimes there might be love and passion as well!!
I would say don´t give up easily. If you feel a real connection, just take the chance and fly, meet, spend time together. There´s nothing to regreat. That´s what life is about, isn´t it?
Take care and best luck!

If you are that intrigued by the person you will move beyond emails. You have skype, telephone conversations, making trips to each others country to share in their experiences and life. At some point somebody has to make a decision to move.

HI Orlando!
                I've got a really experience about long distance romance... I must confess I like more  foreign men than argentinian men.
                Once met a dane and we had great chemistry between us. He lives in Miami. Were nights of endless telephone conversations! and chat. Once a month one of the two we travel to meet (it was an expensive romance!! haha!)
                 Then he moved to Argentina, but I had known the man who who would be the father of my children. But the dane was happy to be in my country. He found a wife and has a kid actually.
                 That experience left me many unforgettable memories. To meet someone and not have the opportunity to be around whenever you want make things more romantic! But if you're looking for a wife I don't recommended because one of the two should leave their current life to start living in the country / city of the other one.
                 (I'm sorry for my poor english! I hope you understood)
Vanina
 
                
                
               

Hi Orlando:  First move from email to phone conversations, then it's simple, invite them to your city for a weekend ( staying in a hotel of course)  If there's a connection, you will find a way to make it happen!
Good Luck!
Blanca~