Statistics show that couples who travel together are more likely to report that they communicate better than couples who do not travel together. Do you take long or short vacations with your significant other? How do these trips usually go? Do both of you enjoy the experience or is it a course of stress within your relationship? The ability to travel together can allow you to explore new places and have new experiences together. Keep reading for a few tips on how to travel with your significant other.
Choose Together
Do you really want to go to the mountains, but your partner just wants to spend a week on the beach? Choosing where to go together is important as you plan your trip. Hearing the desires of both sides and arriving at a decision that benefits both of you is important. Only doing what one person in the relationship wants can lead to resentment and a very unhappy vacation for the one that didn’t get to go where they wanted. You could plan two trips, each to a place that you would like to go. Another strategy is to make a list of places you are interested in visiting and see which ones match and begin there.
Expect the Unexpected
Travel delays are to be expected. Rarely do any trips go exactly as planned. Getting both of you in a mindset that is ready for unexpected events to come your way can make navigating them much less stressful. For example, if you bring extra food or pack an extra change of clothes in your carry-on, you will be less frustrated if your checked bags are delayed in reaching your final destination. Being prepared for the possibility of your flight being delayed due to weather or mechanical issues and having a backup plan can help you respond positively if and when that does happen.
Know Your Patterns
Does your partner become irritable and grumpy when they are tired from traveling all day? Do they prefer to drive or fly? Knowing each other’s patterns and planning these can be extremely beneficial to the overall mood and happiness of your trip. Not trying to drive 24 hours in one day knowing that your partner sleeps best in a bed at night can save you from several fights and a bumpy start to the trip. Bringing along the medication that they may need, or gaining knowledge on how to travel together in bipolar relationships, is a way that you can prepare for these patterns of behavior that may come up.
Do Things Separately
While you have chosen to take the vacation together, it doesn’t mean that you have to spend every second together. Think about your life back home. Are you together 24 hours a day? If this is not the case, being together for the entire day on vacation may cause you two to drive each other crazy purely because you are not accustomed to being together for that length of time. Working out separately or taking a walk on your own can be a way that you can separate yourselves in a productive manner that doesn’t feel divisive.
Decide the Budget
How much are you going to spend on the trip? First, you have your pre-planned expenses of the travel cost and lodging cost. After that, you need to plan how much you will spend on food, activities, rideshares, and other expenses you may encounter on your trip. Deciding on the budget together will allow you both to be on the same page about whether or not you should eat two seafood dinners in a row or not.
Remember the Purpose Of the Trip
The purpose of the vacation is likely to get away from your daily work and home responsibilities to relax in a new place and reconnect with your loved one. Keeping this in mind can help you focus on the other person during the trip and not get super frustrated if the weather is not perfect or you don’t get to do every activity that you had planned for the day.
Get Away
Book the trip. This is the sign that you have been looking for to book those flights and get out of town. Traveling with your partner can be stressful at times, but it can also be a rewarding way for the two of you to spend quality time together reconnecting. Your busy work, family, and social lives may not always leave a lot of quality time for just the two of you, but by making travel with each other a priority, your love for each other will continue to flourish.