Wei Li is studying medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) while Diane has just completed her degree in Chemistry at Imperial College in London, Britain.

For students Eliza Soo and Heng Fu Xian, both 22, their relationship spans a shorter distance - between Singapore and Melbourne, Australia.

Predictably, the three couples ranked the lack of physical contact as the number one challenge facing them, but saying that tech bridges the gap across the miles.

Said Jian-En: 'Communication is very important in a relationship, but it's hard when we are so far apart from each other.'

He chats with Xiao En often through online messaging but does not use the webcam function much despite having one. 'The visual aspect is just a bonus,' he said.

Digital Life looks at some of the tech methods long-distance couples use.

1 Call each other PC-to-PC

PC-to-PC calls are free and, with webcams, both parties will be able to see each other in real time.

Several instant messaging programs, such as Skype and Windows Live Messenger, provide free PC-to-PC calls and webcam service.

Skype is the program of choice for Eliza, who chats with Jian-En daily on it.

She said: 'Spending quality time with your partner is important, even if it means talking to your laptop.'

She also noted that 'webcam resolution makes a difference', after recently buying a new tablet computer with a built-in high-resolution webcam.

One potential problem, however, is that it requires both parties to be at their computers, which may be tough for couples living in different time zones.

2 Chat cheap on VoIP

For couples in vastly different time zones, chatting through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls may be a better option.

VoIP calls are routed over the Internet (which explains the dirt-cheap rates). It could be as cheap as three cents a minute, depending on the provider.

Wei Li goes for Jajah (jajah.com) and VoipStunt (voipstunt.com).

That's a lot of money saved considering he chats with Diane for one to two hours on weekends.

3 Blog your photos

Eliza feels that keeping each other up-to-date is vital, so that 'you still feel like you are part of each other's life'. She does it by blogging or by uploading photos onto social networking sites such as Facebook.

Jian-En finds the second option 'faster and more convenient' than sending photos to each other.

4 Move out of tech

For all its perks, there's one thing that tech cannot do - and that's replacing the personal touch.

Wei Li still sends postcards and gifts through the mail, and flowers on special occasions. By using Googles' flower delivery service in Britain, his bouquets are delivered to Diane's doorstep.