So, you’ve decided to travel together. There’s no doubt that sharing travel moments with your partner is a special experience, but spending all day, every day together can also make your time fraught with problems. Life at home is often challenging enough, so surely travel will amplify all these problems?
Perhaps you want to explore Barcelona and see the Gaudi apartments, but your partner is content to while away the afternoon at a tapas bar. Maybe your lover wants to take a romantic gondola ride down a Venetian canal, but for that price, you’d prefer to take a day trip to another island or buy souvenirs.
So here are some ideas for smooth travels with your other half.
Decide early on your vision for the trip
You might agree on the same destination but end up having very different expectations when you get there. Establish early during the planning process what you each want from the trip. One of you might be after a relaxing resort-style break, sipping cocktails on the beach, while the other wants to become immersed in a new culture, visit the attractions and connect with the locals. Can one of you compromise on this trip and make the next one about the other’s wishes? Can you somehow manage to incorporate both peoples’ expectations? Make sure to discuss your preferences and write a list of experiences and activities you both want to do before starting your adventure together.
Over the course of your trip, try to schedule alone time to ensure you both get to see what you want – and so youdon’t get on each other’s nerves too much. There are bound to be times when you don’t see eye-to-eye, so allowing each other that space to do what you prefer is a good idea. Consider spending time separately as insurance against getting tired of each other later.
Don’t just rely on each other
You love this person; they are your partner and your chosen travel buddy, but that doesn’t mean you should spend time with just them. Why not take a cruise, schedule a day tour or stay at guest houses and B&Bs to ensure you connect with outsiders too. When visiting tourist sites keep an eye open for other couples or individuals with whom you can have a chat. The beauty of travel is you can find friends in unusual places, so don’t be shy about inviting them to dinner with your partner. It will take the pressure off having to constantly entertain each other, and you’ll both be grateful for the new company.
Having said this, ensure you don’t spend more time with new friends than with your partner. Nothing causes more friction than one person feeling excluded – and this can create more problems when you’re alone together.
Kiss and make up
Whether you’ve lived together for 30 years or you’re seasoned travellers together, spending all day, every day with your partner isn’t part of normal life. It’s natural that you’ll run into conflict with one another. He’s been taking you in circles for hours around an ancient city and now you’re lost. She has to stop and browse in every single shop you walk past. When you do fight, the rules that apply at home apply here, except now you’re in a foreign place where all you have is each other. What does this mean? It means that making up is easier. You’re away from the habits and routines of normal life, so you can react and make up differently than at home. Try to make the most of this novelty. Find new ways to be compassionate and forgiving – buy her some gelato to take her mind off her aching feet, be patient when you walk out of a shop and find he’s disappeared down the street without you. Perhaps, along with a tan and some souvenirs, you’ll bring home some better relationship habits too.
Do you have any trips for travelling with your partner?
