Photo Credit: Bethany Michaela Jones
Over the years I have always made time for travel with my man, whether it be to far off places which require long haul flights or small weekend getaways with just a few hours in the car, I love experiencing new and exciting locations where I have never been before.
The feeling of seeing something for the very first time is something I don't think I will ever tire of. I'm addicted to it. I can safely say whenever I explore a new place for the first time, its like being a child again and discovering the world around me with no idea whats going to happen next.
As you get older the magic of the world slowly dims and things like oh I don't know - being an adult with responsibilities, can get in the way of thinking the world is a wonderful place. Especially if you are stuck in the 9-5 daily grind. Sometimes it can feel like all you ever see is the same four walls around you. Whether it be at work, home, the car or other form of transport you take to get between the two.
Life is for most a big dose of ground hog day. This reason alone gives me enough drive to always be planning a new adventure or searching up cheap flights to the next destination. There is no doubt I love to travel and if I could I would do it 24/7, but even more so, I love nothing more than travelling with my husband and long term travel partner for the last 10 years.
I have met many couples who have been together a long time and some have never even gone on a weekend get away let alone a holiday together! As someone who has always travelled with their partner I find it quite a bizarre thought. Some of the best memories I have made with my husband have been from travelling. I really do think everyone at some point in their lives should make time to travel with their partner, and here's why i'm such an advocate for this belief; 1. You get to experience new things with your best friend by your side
Part of the experience of travelling is obviously to see new things, immerse yourself in other cultures, taste different foods and smell different smells, meet new people and walk new streets. What better way to experience these than with your best friend by your side?
I mean sure, i'm all for independent travel and finding yourself out there and all that inspirational power to you stuff, but sometimes when your on your own, well it can get - lonely! I remember taking a trip by myself to Sydney to visit a friend. On one of those days I spent the day on my own and it was fun, don't get me wrong. I ate good food, did some walking tours, saw some great places but when something funny happened I had no one to share it with. I just sat there laughing to myself like a crazy lady, then after awhile I got bored.
I mean sure you can strike up conversations with strangers, but sometimes you just want to share the experience with someone you know and love and this is when travelling with your partner really is amazing.
You can both laugh at one another trying to order dinner from a menu in an entirely different language, or when your lost at least your lost together, and going to a bar with a friend is a lot more fun than going alone IMHO.
Either way, travelling with your partner will always ensure you have someone to share with at the end of the day and I have heard "Happiness is only real, when shared" - Into the Wild
2. You see them for who they really are
Travel isn't always glamorous it can be full of long flights, sleepless nights in shady hostels, walking til your feet ache, getting lost or losing important things like your passport, wallet or baggage. These are the moments that will test you and your partner as to how you handle yourselves in these situations. You may even surprise yourself with your own reactions to certain situations.
I think people have this glamorous idea in their heads of how a holiday or travel experience should go. Before you leave you think its going to be all cocktails in the sun and wild nights together. But trust me, you will have some bumpy moments and its definitely a good way to see how you handle yourselves and treat each other when you are in those less than ideal scenarios and whether or not you can work together as a team to navigate your way through them.
3. You create long term memories
A big part of a long lasting relationship is sharing experiences together. Good, bad and ugly, these experiences shape your relationship and create stories you share together.
Travelling gives your relationship an extra chapter to talk about for years to come. I can guarantee if your together for the next 10, 20, 50 years you will always remember the trips you took over the new couch you bought back in 2006 or that fancy flat screen TV you spent a small fortune on to just upgrade 2 years later.
If you take the time to save for travel together and actually spend time making memories over buying stuff, these experiences will bring you both much greater joy to your relationship in the long run.
Oh and for goodness sake take lots of pictures when you travel and PRINT them... You will enjoy looking back on them every now and again TRUST ME.
4. You will learn a lot about each other
Yes you will, you will learn many new things. You will learn how much the other can tolerate before losing their cool, you will learn each others new favourite foods, how much alcohol they can consume before having to get on a bus the next day to drive 8hrs to the next destination. You will learn an abundance of new things that will surprise you and possibly even excite you.
My husband and I had been dating for 7 years and lived together for 3 already when we took one of our trips together and I remember having one of the most interesting conversations with him by the pool in New Orleans. I learnt so much from those few hours of sitting with him by the pool drinking cocktails, it was like being on a first date again and wanting to keep hearing more.
Whether its been lengthy conversations, or just general discoveries about his personality whilst travelling, each time we have gone somewhere I feel like I learn something new about him and I'm sure he feels the same about me.
Maybe its the freedom you experience when you travel, that makes you become more open and honest but whatever it is, its exciting to go away and each time come back feeling like you know the person your with just a little better each time.
5. It can can make or break the relationship
This probably doesn't sound like a positive but I think it is, with all the above reasons combined these can either make you realise how much you love the person your with and can see yourself with them for the long run.
Or it can open your eyes to realisations about that person, that perhaps you may not have realised before (because you were stuck in a rut or just distracted by the motions of life).
Have you ever seen friends, family or people you know go on some big amazing holiday and then come home and decide to split?
It was most likely because when they went away from their regular routines they were smacked in the face with a reality check about their relationship. Coming back home forced them to face their problems they had been pushing aside for so long.
If thats the case then going away together was exactly what they needed to realise it was time to move on. I don't believe thats a negative thing if you are growing as a person and able to let go of what isn't working.
On the other hand you see couples who go away together and come back more loved up than ever, sometimes even engaged, married or pregnant or just with a new lease on life and their relationship. They took the time they needed to spend together and they may have discovered from all of the above, some amazing things about each other that may have been hidden by stress, or work, or looking after the kids and so on.
Whatever the outcome is, travelling with your partner will change you both in many ways.
Some may be small and some may be huge changes but no matter what happens, when you return you will both return with some new perspectives about what reality is. “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes