Love takes us places – well, that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
We’ve just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary and this year will celebrate our 20th meetaversary – eeep! Time sure does fly by when you’re travelling and having fun!
We took our first trip together to Paris a few months after we met and we’ve been travelling side by side ever since. I mean look at us, we were just bebes!
As our passports and hearts have been wide open pretty much since we met, I thought I’d take a little walk down Memory Lane and share some of the lessons we’ve learned about travelling together along the way. Brace yourself – these photos are hilarious!
Pick the Perfect Place Together
This may seem obvious but being on the same page as your partner is a pre-requisite for any trip together. If we’re planning to visit a single destination, we usually both make a bucket list and see if there are any cities/countries that we both want to travel to – spoiler alert, there almost always are! A multi destination trip affords us a little bit more wiggle room as we can often tweak our itinerary to accommodate some things that each of us want.
Share the Work
Neither of us are fly by the seat of our pants kind of travellers and so we feel compelled to do some research before we travel. We usually have a shared google document where we add information about transport, places to eat and drink and things to see and do. This makes it easy for us to share our research and allows us to both make suggestions for the itinerary.
Make a Holiday Bucket List
Once we’ve done the research and have pored over our spreadsheet, we pick and choose what we both want to do most. Both of us suffer from FOMO so if there is an activity we want to do, a place we want to see or a restaurant we want to eat at, we book it in advance because no one wants to be disappointed on holiday! We usually try and sketch out a provisional itinerary so we can see what we will have time for and a “reserve” list that includes bonus items if we have extra time.
Delegate Tasks
Planning and booking a trip can be a huge responsibility for one person so it’s always a good idea to share the load. When we are in the planning stages, David usually researches the flights and I find the accommodation and then we come together to finalise the itinerary and make the bookings. In our case, David is a ninja packer (fun fact – he always packs my cases, even if I’m travelling without him, LOL!) so I organise all the documents and make the list/s of what we need and he packs it! This allows us both to play to our strengths, keeps us both accountable and neither of us gets stressed!
Get Good Travel Insurance
This is a non-negotiable for us – we literally will not leave home without it. Unfortunately we’ve both had to tap in to our travel insurance policies over the years for health reasons. Taking out a policy not only gives peace of mind to us as individuals but also to our partner. If we’re planning on more frequent breaks rather than one extended trip, we take out an annual policy which can be really cost effective.
Me – Time
Travelling as a couple doesn’t mean you have to do everything together. When you’re travelling and time is limited and there’s something you want to see or do and your partner doesn’t, it’s perfectly okay to both go your own way and come together later.
Take Some Time Out
Similarly, it’s ok not to be doing things all the time, sometimes it’s good to just take some time out and just be… In a different place. No one wants to get back from holiday feeling more tired than when they left!
Don’t get hangry
Don’t let being hungry spoil your day – we always try and prioritise regular snacks and/or meals so we can keep our energy levels up because believe me, no one wants to see me hangry. If we don’t have snacks and we’re on the go, we always research prior so we know where we can get something decent to eat and/or drink. Life’s too short to eat bad food when travelling!
Have a Little Patience
I think that the couple that travels well together, lives well together. Travelling is fun but being together in such close quarters for extended periods of time can easily test one’s patience, especially if you’re used to a little more personal space. Try and be understanding of each other’s quirks because although they can be annoying, our quirks are what also make each of us unique. When you’re travelling together a little bit of patience goes a long way!
Keep a sense of humour
Having a sense of humour is a travel essential, especially when things don’t go according to plan. Rather than losing patience in unforeseen circumstances, try to find the funny side. Laughing together won’t necessarily solve your travel problems but it will make them easier to bear!
Be in the moment
It’s easy to get caught up with taking the perfect photo or posting on your socials but it’s OK to put away your phone, enjoy the moment and savour the experience together.
Compromise
No matter how well you travel together, you and your partner are likely to have different preferences and interests so it’s important to give a little so you both get to enjoy your trip.
Be flexible
As exciting as travelling can be, it can also be stressful and challenging. When something goes wrong or plans change, it can feel like the whole trip is ruined but the difference between being stressed and going with the flow can change the vibe of the whole trip. Being flexible is everything!
Embrace Imperfection
Travelling is such a gift especially when you get to share the experience with your favourite person. Even if things don’t go according to plan, rather than dwell on what didn’t go right, think of all the things that did and all the special moments and experiences you’ve shared together. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth it!
Fill the Memory Box
We were travelling before camera phones and selfies were even a thing and when I was looking for pictures for this post, I could hardly find any old ones of us together! Do capture all the magic moments – the food, the sunsets, the smiles, the bloopers and the selfies too – and be sure to get in the picture.
Try New Things
One of the things I love about travelling as a couple is that we get to try new things together and step out of our comfort zone, like the one time we flew over Kakadu in a light aeroplane, did a cooking class in Bali and let’s not forget when we completed the Half Marathon Weekend in Disneyland. Good times!
Running the Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland, 2017
Make Time for Romance
We always try and set aside time for some romance when we’re away – it might be a romantic dinner, staying in a luxe hotel or even having a spa day together. The best thing about travelling with your partner is that you don’t just fall in love with new places, you fall in love with each other… All over again!
Who’s your favourite travel buddy? What are your top travel tips? I’m all ears!
