1. What, to you, constitutes "long-distance" anyway? If they live about 4 hours away, that's a Long Distance Relationship. If they live only an hour away, it's not, as most places you drive to is about an hour away.
2. How many times a week/month/year do you feel you'd need to see someone in order to keep up the relationship? It depends on the person and distance. Eventually, one of us would have to move to the other person's area, and we would see each other regularly, if the relationship were to become serious.
3. I realize this is a subject that is going to have different answers that work for everyone. How important are things money and transportation when considering an LDR? I don't believe either one of us should be forced to pay for the other person's expenses. If I go to visit him, I should be able to pay for hotels, travel, etc. And the same for him. However, I also don't believe people should be forced to go all out expense wise, to entertain others. A simple walk in the park, a small picnic, things like that, can be just as fun and special, as say renting a yacht. (Having never been on a yacht, I'm just assuming that it's fun.)
4. What if one person has no way of contributing towards the costs and the other one will take on the brunt of the expenses? Once again, different things work for different people. I'm not a millionaire. And while I probably already answered this question in number 3, I will say, that there are some extenuating circumstances where I would considered someone who could not contribute financially. More then likely, this is someone who's disabled, and therefore on a limited income or who had just recently lost a job and was actively looking for employment. They would have to be someone that was closer, say a city a couple of hours away, as expenses in traveling does add up. I wouldn't be so willing if that person lived in another state, and certainly not in another country.