Travelling with your partner for the first time is not always as romantic and adventurous as you’d imagine. You’re stuck together for 24 hours a day, forced to make quick-thinking decisions when something goes wrong, and confronted with language and cultural barriers.
If done correctly, your first trip together can strengthen your relationship and be one of your most rewarding experiences together.
Keep reading for our tips on how to travel with your partner for the first time!
1. Know each others habits
When you’re not spending time with each other for 24 hours, your bad habits can easily be ignored. In fact, they can sometimes be ‘cute’. However, when you’re travelling and feeling overwhelmed with your new environment, it’s easy to feel frustrated at your partner’s bad habits.
Perhaps your partner never wakes up on the first alarm. Or maybe they spend too much time organising their suitcase. Either way, there will be angry vents and tension if these habits aren’t discussed before departing. Make it known what bad habits you have, so your partner isn’t in for a surprise when you’re stuck together at your destination.
2. Plan ahead
There’s nothing worse than reaching your destination and wasting precious time on the internet researching places and things to do. After selecting your destination, make sure you discuss what each person wants to see and do. Neither partner will be travelling back home happily if the trip catered to just one partner.
Do you prefer visiting museums while your partner wants to try all the local cuisine? Compromise and plan your itinerary equally so that that each person gets to do something they want. Remember, you’re two individuals with different interests and hobbies.
3. Discuss your budget
Money can be an awkward topic to discuss anywhere, especially if you have different incomes and opinions on budgeting. It’s best to get the topic out of the way as soon as possible – before you even book flights and accommodation!
Some topics to consider:
- Should you splurge on expensive accommodation and flights, or choose budget hostels and airlines?
- Are you cooking dinner or dining out every night?
- What is your main mode of transportation – walking, public transport, uber or renting a car?
- Will you be taking part in activities with expensive entry fees?
- How will you split the costs for restaurant bills?
There are plenty of apps in the marketplace that will help you keep track of your spending!
4. Have some alone time
You don’t have to be joined at the hips!
Having some alone time allows you to explore an activity your partner adamantly refuses to try, and same for them with a hobby you have no desire to experience. This also gives you space to recharge and miss your partner again. Plus, you can make friends with other travelers.
If you’re worried about getting lost, make sure you have a way to communicate with each other, and your maps and translation devices charged.
5. Use your strengths
You both have your own strengths and skills that the other may not have. Use your strengths effectively while travelling.
These strengths can include:
- Driving
- Navigating directions
- Speaking the native language
- Haggling
- Charming people for a hotel room upgrade
- Organising
6. Relax and have fun
Even if you have organised every minute detail of the trip, things can still go wrong – such as the airline losing your luggage causing you to miss the early bus out of the airport.
The best way to handle these situations is to remain calm. Stirring up panic with your partner will only make the both of you stress more. Relax and remind yourself that you still have the rest of the trip to enjoy.
And if you’ve lashed out angrily at your partner for something out of their control, make sure you apologise and try not to let it happen again.
Take the stress of choosing accommodation away by heading over to Aabode.com! We have over 3000 properties to make your holiday as relaxing as possible.
