A couple who lived 7,000 miles apart for four years after meeting on Myspace say they spent £30k to make the relationship work - but don't regret a penny. Megan and Whitney Bacon-Evans are now happily married, live together in Windsor, Berkshire and are trying for a baby.
But they spent years in a long-distance relationship after connecting on Myspace in December 2006. Megan, now 35, was at university in Cardiff while Whitney, now 34, was at university in Hawaii.
They pair finally met in person in 2008 and spent the next four years travelling back and forth - at an estimated cost of £30,000. They say they spent £20,000 on flights and another £10,000 on visas and other costs.
But love won out and in 2012 Whitney moved to the UK to be with Megan. And the pair are now married and trying for a baby.
Whitney, an influencer, said: "It wasn't easy, but when you love someone, you make it work. Long distance is about trust and keeping the love alive - and that's what we've had to do for a large chunk of our relationship."
The two met online when Whitney came across Megan's profile on Myspace. She says she'd always been interested in British culture, so she sent a message in the hope she'd receive a response.
Megan, also an influencer, got straight back and the pair became friends, exchanging Facebook messages on a daily basis. Around 18 months later, in September 2008, Whitney secured a place on a communications programme at Roehampton University, London.
They then organised to meet up, despite having only spoken on the phone for the first time the day before. They immediately hit it off and spent the entire day walking around the capital.
The pair met up every weekend for the remainder of Whitney's placement and became official after just a few weeks. They even enjoyed a romantic getaway to Paris before they were forced to part ways, and Whitney flew home to Kentucky.
Whitney then returned to the University of Hawaii after Christmas 2008 to complete the remainder of her degree, and Megan stayed in Cardiff. It marked the start of a four-year period where the couple managed their relationship - while on separate sides of the globe.
Megan said: "When I heard Whitney was coming to England, I was really nervous. I think we were both worried that it could have been a catfish scenario, but in the end, when we met up, it was perfect.
"From that day on, our feelings grew stronger and we'd meet up every weekend for the rest of her placement. A few weeks after meeting we made it official, and by the time Whitney had to go home, we were closer than ever.
"It was daunting, because we knew that you couldn't really get much more long distance than Hawaii and the UK - but we were determined to make it work."
Megan flew out to Hawaii for the first time in March 2009. They enjoyed three weeks together, before it was time to part ways again.
An 11-hour time difference meant keeping in communication was a struggle, and platforms like Skype and FaceTime had barely got off the ground. Often, they'd post handwritten letters and send each other diary style entries about their daily activities.
The couple say waking up to a 'good morning' message every day was vital, and Megan would get in trouble at work in the morning making sure she'd said goodnight. Whitney then spent that summer living with Megan in Cardiff, and Megan returned to Hawaii multiples times over the next few years.
She even sought permission from her university to write her master's dissertation from Hawaii in 2011. And, during that particular stay, Megan proposed to Whitney on Waimanalo Beach.
Whitney said: "One of the hardest things about being so far apart was that the technology just wasn't there. There was no FaceTime yet and Skype was still very new, so it made it difficult for us.
"We used Viber to chat face to face and sometimes WhatsApp video. Before then, we texted every day and I remember my mum raging at me for racking up a $2,000 bill."
Eventually Whitney secured a visa and moved to the UK in June 2012. The couple had a civil partnership ceremony six months later and upgraded to marriage in 2017. And, in 2020, they embarked on a journey to become parents and are currently preparing for their third intrauterine insemination (IUI) attempt.
Megan said: "Keeping in consistent contact and making sure your partner feels involved is imperative for a healthy long-distance relationship. Also making sure you're both on the exact same page and are equally committed to each other.
"It helps to have a date in mind for when you next see each other because it gives you both something to look forward to. A date reminds yourselves about what it's all about, otherwise separation can just seem endless.
"Gestures and keeping the love alive was a massive thing for us. But we feel the most important thing is trust - you must trust each other and your relationship.
"You'd think it would be a given, but you really have to trust that your partner is acting the way they should be. University is some people's wildest times, but we were able to focus on the bigger picture, which ultimately was a bright future together."
