How to Keep Your Marriage Healthy With a Traveling Spouse

Build trust. Trust is the foundation of any healthy personal relationship, but if you and your partner have to spend a lot of time apart, trust is especially important. If you have trust issues and insecurities, your spouse's traveling career will most likely exacerbate them and cause frequent fights that might eventually ruin your marriage.

Communicate. We mean both when your partner is away and when you're together. When your partner is traveling for work, make the most of modern technology to stay connected. You can call, text and Skype each other, use instant messaging apps and FaceTime, etc. We aren't saying that you absolutely have to talk every day (sometimes it is simply impossible, especially when there's a considerable time difference). But even a random text that doesn't require an answer is enough to remind your spouse that you're thinking about them.

Communicating when you're together has more to do with trust mentioned above. If there is something bothering you, if you're feeling unhappy, don't be afraid to talk to your partner. Sweeping your marital problems under the carpet won't make them go away, it will only make your resentment grow. Just keep in mind that you should find a safe time to talk about your frustrations and be as delicate as possible.

Keep busy when your spouse is away. When you're not spending every evening with your spouse, you have plenty of free time. Please, don't spend all this time moping and mindlessly watching Netflix in your sweatpants. Your life doesn't stop when your partner isn't around, so make the most of your free time. Hang out with friends, find a hobby or two, learn something new, hit the gym. The possibilities are endless!

Make the most of your time together. When your traveling spouse returns home, he or she might feel like they are a visitor in their own home. Try to make them feel comfortable and help them ease into a routine. Doing things together (for example, cooking dinner) will bring you closer and prevent your spouse from feeling useless. Make sure you spend enough time with the kids (if you have them), but you should also find time just for the two of you.

Try visiting your partner. When your spouse has to do frequent short trips and spends most weekends at home, visits are unnecessary. But if they have to spend weeks or even months away from home for business, you should consider visiting them. Even a short visit will help you reconnect and make both of you feel better. Obviously you probably won't be able to do many trips for a variety of reasons, but when you have an opportunity, don't throw it away.