Travelling with your significant other can be an amazing bonding experience, or it can leave you more stressed than before you went on vacation. Making a conscious effort to go with the flow will have a huge effect on the enjoyment you get from the trip, and you’ll return still just as much in love.
Be prepared
Preparation can save you from frustration and hassle along the way when you’re travelling with a partner. It never hurts to double check flight times, hotel reservations and packing. Come up with a plan for how you will handle stress as a couple — it will make you feel more confident approaching potentially stressful situations. For instance, choose a neutral ¶safety word³ you can say to your partner when you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated and need a short breather.
¶Be flexible. Nothing is going to be perfect – there is always SOMETHING that is going to happen that you weren’t prepared for. I think you just have to remember that your trip is supposed to be FUN. If you get caught up on the minute details you miss out on the overall experience,³ says relationships blogger Simone Paget, who has travelled through the Greek Islands with her boyfriend.
Talk, talk, talk
Communication is so important when travelling as a pair — listen to what your partner’s expectations of the trip are and share yours as well. Don’t cancel the entire trip if your travel styles don’t match just make sure you plan activities that you’ll both enjoy, and don’t be afraid to plan some things you’ll do separately.
¶It’s doubtful you’ll be on the same page 100% of the time so don’t try to be. If you hate going to the gym and she wants to, suck it up and go with her for a day and maybe she’ll join you when you want to go scuba diving. Relationships are all about understanding and compromise,³ says Mike Sukmanowsky who’s travelled through Spain, Greece, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Las Vegas with his girlfriend.
Above all else, roll with the punches and enjoy the ride. After all, you’re in a foreign country with the person you love and the little things that go wrong will make funny stories to tell later and wind up becoming lasting memories.
