We’ve already told you why traveling as a couple is vital to your relationship. But that doesn’t mean that it is easy to accrue these immense benefits to your relationship.
Rather, traveling together as a couple takes work and effort. But how do you get started on thriving as a couple on vacation? Well, being a team full of avid travelers and travel experts, we got members of Jubel with experience in this field to share their top tips for the ideal couples vacation.
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How to Plan Your Travel Itinerary With Your Partner
According to Jubel Co-Founder & CMBDO Nico Bergengruen, making sure both people’s needs are covered is crucial. “Besides choosing a place where both are excited to go to, when planning out the itinerary you really need to be fair,” he says. “It’s really important to ensure each gets to choose places where both get what they want out of the trip. “
Part of this means divvying up the planning, so that both couples have equal say.
Genevieve Latour, an expert travel blogger at Jubel, says, “My personal preference is for both parties to find their top must-sees and then put them all together and make some sort of itinerary out of it.” Doing this allows everyone to have their say and equal influence in creating their dream trip.
Sam Dexter, Head of Content, offers a different method to equally sharing the planning. “My boyfriend and I spend a lot of time on the road and over the years have come up with a plan for us both to get the most out of our travels. For every new destination we visit, we each pick one activity or experience and figure out the logistics to make it happen. I’m more of a planner and he’s a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, so this way we’re sure to tick off our respective number one bucket list items while sharing some of the planning duties.”
However you want to do it, it is crucial that you both share in the ideation and planning stages. As Kiki at the Blonde Abroad writes, “It’s so important to voice your opinion and make plans that work for both of you. Going through the motions reluctantly makes room for resentment and tedious arguments. Make sacrifices and do some things you don’t want to do for the sake of your partner and know that will happen in return.”
Tips for Couples While You Are on the Road
Make sure you have some alone time
Remember what you are like in your daily life. Do you spend 100% of your time together? If not, then it is hard to expect to do that on vacation. According to Genevieve, “Some couples are completely fine living in each others’ pockets, but it’s absolutely fine to want some time by yourself! Just re-group over a meal and you’ll have adventures to re-tell.”
JP Toscano, Jubel’s CEO, echoes this. “Give yourself plenty of time (more than you think) to recharge and relax, that way it gives you flexibility to keep exploring, catch up with work, or just relax, and each person can do whatever they feel like.”
Often, that time to recharge and relax can mean doing something apart, and that is just fine — you’re not being selfish nor committing a faux pas as a couple on a trip. A romantic vacation doesn’t have to be a vacation in which you are always attached at the hip.
Plus, according to Darren and Shelley, the self-proclaimed travel-obsessed couple behind the blog Finding Beyond, time apart will make you miss each other and even leads to more passionate sex once you are reunited.
Let the little things go
Sharing a small space together is hard, and that is especially exacerbated when you are in a new country. According to Genevieve, it is crucial to let the little things go. “It really doesn’t matter whether someone rolls or folds their clothes.”
In order to let the little things go, however, you need to be able to recognize that they are, in fact, little things. Indeed, when you are in the heat of the moment, even the smallest nuisance can seem like a gargantuan problem. Relaxing, stepping back, and taking some time away can help you recognize this.
As Dave and Deb of the Planet D write, “Instead of stressing out about having to head out and see the sights or pointing the finger at each other for overpaying the taxi driver or getting lost on the way to the hotel. Take a few breaths. Once you settle in, you don’t have to run out the door to see the sights. Maybe you’re wired and on edge. Why not have a nap or a bath before you hit the pavement.” This will help you calm down, and realize that this little annoyance is not a big deal.
Assign each person tasks
Maybe one person is the big-picture planner, and another person handles logistics. Or, you can follow JP’s route, and equally split who is in charge of what day.
“I also suggest you try to alternate who decides what to do on sightseeing days, trying to reach consensus for everything can become very tiresome and time consuming.”
Other great tips for divvying up responsibility includes assigning one person to be in charge of keys, and one person to be in charge of passports. According to travel extraordinaire Elise writing on Nomadic Matt, it will save you from the whole “I thought you took the key” argument.
Document your trip!
You probably never guessed that taking pictures could actually strengthen your relationship, but it seriously can. According to Nico, “Documenting your trip together with some photos or videos is always something you will not regret later on. Besides saving some great memories, they will make you want to travel again when you stumble upon them.”
The Blonde Abroad definitely agrees, pointing out that, “You’re going to look back at your trips together and be so happy that you took the time to take cute pictures. Your kids and grandkids will appreciate you at least boring them with cool stories and pictures as opposed to pictures from your high school prom.”
Such pictures — and the memories they hold — can help carry you through difficult times by helping you remember all that is good in your relationship.
No matter what, end the trip on a high-note
As JP says, “Experiences that really put you out of your comfort zone and where you really feel “the struggle” makes you bond and creates lifelong memories (Ex. Multi-day hiking/ camping in Patagonia, Camping out in the Jungle of Indonesia to look for Orangutans etc), but make sure that your last hotel is the nicest you can afford, it’s always great to end an adventurous trip with a soft bed in a romantic place.”
HERE’S SOME MORE INSPO FOR ROMANTIC HONEYMOONS YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOUR PARTNER!
With these tips in hand, you’ll be able to strengthen your relationship while creating amazing memories together.
So whether you are heading to Bali or Baja, make sure to remember these tips as you take your next trip as a couple.
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