Traveling with Your Partner: 5 Tips for Becoming the Perfect Travel Companions

Going on a trip with your partner is the perfect opportunity to live a memorable experience and discover your better half in a different context. Be it the first time you are traveling together or the tenth, each trip brings you closer together and enables you to create unforgettable memories. However, some might be a bit skeptical about traveling with their love interest, as they fear getting into different situations that may be stressful and thus lead to conflict. In this article we give you some simple tips to make any trip with your partner go as smoothly as possible.

1.Both partners should get involved in the preparation of the trip

From preparations for the journey to the return trip, both partners should get involved in the experience. Reach an agreement regarding the destination, the duration, and the dates of your trip, your individual budgets… have each of you do some research to know the various options for accommodation, the places to visit, and the means of transport. Obviously, there will always be one who shows more initiative than the other, who gets organized more easily, who knows more about what websites to visit, or who simply has more time… But it’s always best to have both partners get involved in as many aspects of the preparations as possible. It’s also important that after your research you reach an agreement on the key elements that will define your stay, to avoid frustration and surprises once you are there.

2.Act like a team

Paying attention to one another, communicating, sharing all duties, and taking charge when you feel that your twin flame is tired or stressed are some of the small details that you should never forget. Enjoy your respective strong and weak points, and carry on forward like a team. So don’t let your partner take full control of certain aspects of the trip just because they are better than you at them. For instance, if you have a hard time with geography or reading a map, you still have to try and see how your partner does it, and make an effort to identify sign posts and points of information.

 

3.Open up to others

Obviously, traveling together doesn’t mean you have to be glued to each other throughout the duration of the trip. If one of you has an easier time approaching strangers, or speaks the language more fluently, they should take the opportunity to seek advice from locals, hear anecdotes pertaining to the history or culture of the places you are visiting, or simply get to know other travelers. But in any case, even if you are a bit shy and don’t speak the language too well, you should still make an effort to reach out to others. We often learn a lot from those we meet abroad! Many globetrotters agree in that meeting people from all corners of the world is the true reward of traveling.

 

 4.Maintaining good communication 

Traveling means opening oneself up to new experiences, and also accepting the risk that possibly not everything will go as planned. Nobody is immune to setbacks like losing your baggage, having your flight cancelled or GPS malfunctions. Besides, sometimes it is just the buildup of small things that make you lose your cool and reply in an unfriendly tone of voice. That’s why you must try to keep calm at all times, put things in perspective, and most of all, make sure that your words don’t go further than your mind. But don’t be scared! If there’s ever a fight, keep in mind that it practically happens to all people who travel with their partners. In those cases it’s necessary to have the right reflexes, not let the situation get any worse, and be able to put things in their right context. If you need a little time apart just to breathe, take it, and then get back together when you’ve calmed down.

 

5.Take time for yourself

One of the risks of traveling with your partner is having to spend long periods of time together, which can sometimes result in feelings of suffocation and saturation. In your day to day lives, you each have your own lifestyles and you are not with each other constantly. However, when traveling, you’ll spend most of your days together, and to avoid getting bored you need to take some time apart. Don’t hesitate in taking an afternoon off to go shopping, read a book in the terrace of a café, or enjoy an afternoon seeing sites you are interested in. Taking time off for yourself is essential in order to recharge and increase your appreciation of the moments you do spend together, telling each other the little anecdotes from your day.