You feel like you’ve met the one. They’re cute, they’re funny, and you feel like you can both talk for days straight. You finish each other’s sentences and you love the same books and movies. You both have similar goals in life. If things look rosy, you might even see a future with this person. 

There’s just one thing–you’ve never met them face to face. 

There might be several reasons why you haven’t met them yet. It could be an issue of cost, timing, or travel limitations. 

So, even though everything is wonderful now, you may be worried if what you’re experiencing with this person is real, and if it’ll last. 

Short answer? I think a “never met” situation will work…but you’ll probably find more happiness if you plan to see each other at some point. So this begs the question, can you find your soulmate and fall in love online? I think so and will explain why. 

How many long distance relationship couples have never met?

A recent survey found that there are up to 14 million long distance relationships in the US, and 6% of their respondents have never met face to face. 

So, “never met” relationships are out there, but they’re definitely in the minority. 

The article doesn’t offer any reasons why, but the obvious one is that physically bonding with your partner is a really important part of your relationship. If you really do feel a solid connection with the other person, odds are you’ll both make an effort to meet face to face. 

I know, you’re reading a blog about long distance relationships. But the end goal of a long distance relationship should be to be physically with your partner for good! 

There’s nothing wrong with starting out as a couple that has never met before in person. That’s the whole basis of online dating, after all. And when you feel ready and the time is right, you can take that next step of paying them a visit in person. 

Online dating makes things easier, but be careful 

It’s easier than ever to connect with strangers online. Whether it’s via online forums, social media, video games, or dedicated dating sites, you can instantly reach out and say hi to someone with the press of a button. 

It can be really exciting to learn more about this mysterious person on the other end of the chat window. You might both become comfortable enough to gradually share more and more details about yourselves. You may find yourself chatting in private sessions. Perhaps you’ll even progress to a video call… and then (gasp) you might share a real-life photo of yourself!

Do what works for the both of you

If you happened to meet someone online, but realized that you’re both thousands of miles apart from each other, you can’t just meet each other straight away for obvious reasons. It’ll take some careful planning and real motivation to get some plane tickets and visit someone in a foriegn place. 

Go at your own speed and don’t feel pressured to see each other immediately. If you both want to meet, that time will come. 

And apart from all that…maybe whatever you’re doing just works. I said earlier that physical touch is important in a relationship. However, what if you and your partner are perfectly happy having never met each other in real life and would rather keep your relationship virtual? You might be perfectly fine connecting and doing activities 100% virtually…and that’s okay. 

As long as you’re both genuinely fine with that, then pursue your own happiness and live your best life. 

Prepare for change afterwards

If you do decide to meet someone IRL, you may find the dynamic of the whole relationship changes. Hearing their voice in person, seeing their mannerisms, touching them, and kissing them will immediately change how you see them and the way you interact with them. 

The transition from being an online-only couple to having met each other is a big one. You may find that whatever image you had of them in your mind doesn’t align with reality. Or you might discover something new about them that was never revealed when you were both chatting online. 

Give yourself the time and patience to process all this new information that you’re getting. Reconcile that with what you do know, and the feelings you had for them before meeting them in person. Do they still make you happy? Can you see yourself continuing this relationship? Does this change your plans and your outlook on life? 

Closing thoughts 

Being in an online relationship without having met your partner in real life may seem uncommon, but we’re living in an ever connected world that maintains an online presence, and being in a “never met” situation is becoming more common than ever. 

As long as you both are honest and are genuine with each other, you too can have a happy and fulfilling relationship.