Traveling solo can be a great, eye-opening experience. But traveling as a couple I think is always more fun. You get to experience new adventures, cultures, food and more with each other. But most of all, you get to make new memories together. Personally, traveling with one other person for me I find is most rewarding, as you get to really have personal time to focus on each other and deepen the relationship you have.
People say that traveling together is pre-emptive to how it will be when you live together. In my experience, I say that this depends on the person, but traveling together does give good insight. Traveling together as a couple also allows you to have a deeper look into each other’s habits when it comes to everyday living. And after years of traveling, I found that the following tips are helpful when traveling as a couple – not only as significant others, but for friendships as well.
1 – Compromise
Whether it is the destination you choose, the restaurants you want to eat at, the locations you choose to visit, or the different excursions you decide to embark on. Since you’re not traveling alone and can’t always make decisions on your own when traveling as a couple, it is important to compromise and consider each other’s likes and dislikes. If you are lucky and are traveling with someone who likes everything you do, then your trip will be extra smooth sailing. But as we all have different personalities and interests, this can sometimes be hard to come by. Having an open mind and even stepping out of your comfort zone is an important part of compromise, and can even open your eyes to new experiences.
2 – Plan Together And Use Each Other’s Strengths
Planning a trip and then executing on it can be a lot of work. Help each other out and plan your trips together so that the burden isn’t weighed too heavily on one person. Unless they love doing everything from beginning to end and volunteer to do so, then that’s a different story. But for the most part, when deciding to take a vacation, it is helpful to divide up the tasks and come together to map out the plans as a lot of different parts are involved. This includes booking flights, mapping out which city and hotels to stay at, what landmarks and historical monuments you may want to visit, ways of transportation, restaurants to eat at, or other points of interest. Some people’s strengths may lie more in planning and logistics and some may be in finding great deals and unique things to do that aren’t mainstream tourist attractions. Decide who can do what and split up the work. Planning a great trip can be easy when it is an all-inclusive or cruise vacation, but sometimes when doing it on your own, it can be a lot of work.
3 – Eat Good
One of the best things about traveling is the food. When visiting a new country, you get to try a whole new culinary experience. Whether it’s the ingredients they use, the way that eating can be a special ritual, or even how plating food is an art – it’s all so enjoyable. Most of the time, what you normally eat in your home country tastes completely different than in the country it came from. Take advantage, and try as much as you can since you may not always get it back home. Traveling for food is a one of a kind experience and it’s hard to bring home with you. Dining out is an easy way to experience a culture’s food, but making your own and understanding the entire process takes it to another level. One of the best ways to experience a different country’s food and drinks is through taking a local culinary class where you learn about the history, heritage, and culture. Also, you can learn about what, where, when, why, and how they eat. Here are some inspirations for the world’s leading culinary destinations.
4 – Embark On A New Adventure
Depending on which country or city you’re visiting, they are usually known for a few key excursions. Whether it is scuba diving the vast marine life and coral reefs, hiking through a rainforest, or visiting an ancient castle or ruin, it’ll be a memorable experience when traveling as a couple. It also allows you to try something new and give you something great to look back on and even talk about for years to come by. Even booking a really cool resort or hotel stay in a different country is no insignificant feat. Taking that step to do something new is an adventure in itself and so many resorts and hotels have amazing and unique amenities which makes the whole travel experience worthwhile. 5 – Have Down Time
Don’t forget to have down time when traveling as a couple. Traveling is exhausting, especially when it is halfway around the world and you’re trying to adjust to the time to change, a new culture and new foods. It can also be a shock to your mental and physical wellbeing and lower your immune system. Remember to take care of yourself and each other and listen to what your body needs. I know you may not have a lot of time to do everything you want as for most people, work won’t give you enough time off. But having a day or two of not going all out, or even mixing in activities that require minimal effort can help you regain your energy. Sometimes even having no plan, is the best plan of all. For me, I try to plan in as much as I can do as possible as I don’t know when the next time I’ll be there is, so I want to take advantage of the time. But I will admit that it is super tiring and I do enjoy either a full day laying around at the beach or just visiting areas that are walkable from my hotel and not have to rush around. I know we’re in the day and age of wanting to record videos and take photos of everything on our cellphones. I know I’m guilty of that as I don’t want to miss a cool moment and have it documented for my memories. But when traveling as a couple, it is super important to sometimes put down the phones and give each other your full attention. It is so hard to come by these days especially with all the noise around us and having everything on social media. Being able to give your undivided time and attention to your significant other or friend, is also a sign of respect. You did go on the trip together after all, and if putting away the phones at dinner (after taking mouth-watering food pics) is your time “together”, then give it your best effort. I do truly enjoy when I can have an undistracted and meaningful conversation when I have alone time with my significant other or friends. Traveling as a couple can be a new experience for some, and it can be daunting. You’ll see each other’s habits and quirks 24/7. And sometimes we can have little pet peeves or annoyances. Try to be patient with each other, it’ll help your vacation go along much smoother. If what they do really does bother you, have an open and honest conversation. After all, you still have so many days during your trip to spend together and when you go back home, you can hope for your relationship to stay the same or be even better. Sometimes when traveling as a couple (or as friends) the relationship can either disintegrate or improve. Having patience is key while on your trip so that you can still have a good time. And you can decide the future once you’re back home. I’ve been on trips where it has gone both ways for me, and traveling together can really bring a lot of insight into your relationship or friendship. Have fun! Isn’t that the reason why you planned the trip in the first place? Let loose (to a certain extent) and enjoy your time abroad. You did spend your hard earned money and time to plan an awesome trip with your partner and the best thing you can do is have fun the entire time. It makes for an even more memorable experience. And even when things may go wrong, hopefully it is something you can laugh about together in the future. Have an open mind, be prepared for the unexpected, and stay light hearted. Ready to start traveling as a couple? Use my Ultimate Guide For Planning Your Trip Abroad and downloadable Pre-Trip Planner And Checklist to help you get started!
6 – Pay Attention To Each Other (Put Down The Phones)
7 – Be Patient With Each Other
8 – Have Fun
