Are you and your other half about to leave home for that longed-for holiday? If you have the germ of an idea for a getaway, just the two of you, here are 10 tips to make your travel as a couple more enjoyable, safe, and smooth! From planning your itinerary to navigating the cash to the hugs—and everything in between, read on for tips on the best ways to travel as a couple.
When it comes to planning your trip, you can choose places that you both want to visit and/or alternate in going along with each other´s wishes. It might be that you want to visit the pyramids, but your partner is less keen, but together you´d like to ride a camel in a desert, so both of you can enjoy an experience that one of you is more motivated to book.
Couples sometimes take their holidays in turns—one time her destination wish, the next time his. Be as considerate and sensitive with each other about planning your well-earned holiday as you are about the rest of your relationship. That way, every day you travel will be enjoyed equally, and there will be no hidden resentments about the time and money spent in one place or another.
And another thing about money, when you are booking and actually on the trip, if both of you are as open and transparent about your spending, there will be no lurking surprises on your accounts down the line. Many couples may not hold joint accounts for whatever reason, so they may decide to create a travel account with shared funds. In the planning stage, talk about the budget and what you are happy to spend on the trip.
If you have separate accounts, you can draw up a list of real and foreseen expenses, and each decides to cover a portion, whether it´s 50/50 or another ratio, depending on your unique circumstances. To make for a happy trip, each of you decide on this budget and try to stick to it. If you end up spending more on those cocktails in the jazz bar in New York, make sure you both know about it and have a roughness in your budget for impulse spending!
Packing suitcases—some people are good at it, others just throw clothes and other things in willy-nilly! If you happen to share a suitcase(s) let the neater one of you do the actual packing. It is recommended you each take your own bag, so you can be sure that your gear, and any medications you might need, are all in one place. Talk about it, or one of you can make a list of definite inclusions in the bags so that you don’t double up on gear, especially on toiletries that you may both use. On the days of travel, it is best if you carry your own passport and tickets, wallets, cards, and currency, so if you get separated in transit, you each have what you need to continue.
Often couples are not 100% matched in their travel styles (recognize the organized one, the laid-back one?) So being flexible and offering some compromises when necessary is a very good idea to keep moving and keep the peace. The organized one should get their own way, though! I have found those who know the address of the hotel are invaluable!
Even if you are traveling on your fabulously romantic honeymoon, you can still enjoy some time alone amongst the tender togetherness and loved-up moments. Time to reflect and perhaps be silent in the spa or pool, or time to walk and sit in a cafe with your book, in your own space. Respect each other´s need for some alone time.
Maybe you are simply not enjoying some part of your travel adventure, remember to look for signs with each other and change plans if the crowd/company/experience is worrying one of you. Make a getaway and get back into your comfort zone if the fire-eater is too close or if your pockets feel like they might be picked!
Traveling in close proximity with your partner for a weekend, or even a year, will mean conflict at some point. Speak your mind, blow off some steam, and then forgive and move on! None of us is perfect, and travel can have its own kind of tension, so be kind to each other, and your life as a couple will be even more fulfilling, facing new situations together!
You might discover things about your other half that you didn’t know before while on safari! Have an open mind. If he or she is fascinated with a particular gallery, a foreign music style, a local chatty character, or a view from on high, learn about your lover and join them in their unique experience of your travel adventure together!
If you come to grief on your travels with illness or misadventure, or you are moving at a really fast sightseeing pace, resist the urge to be each other’s best mate—you are romantic partners in your life back home, and also on the road…Your intimate bond needs nourishment, and the fire of your passion needs stoking, so take time inside your travels to be especially close and not just traveling companions.
Following on from the last tip is this: nurture your physical closeness, hugs are good before your day, during your day, and after your day as you and your other half move timezones, latitudes, and longitudes!
Your love life will move into exciting new realms when you travel together, it is an adventure for both of you that will bring you closer. These tips are good to read before and during your trip, and if your partner does not read them, you can still relay these important messages to them! Make some lifetime memories, and remember to take some pics while you travel. And don’t forget your passport!
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