When you love someone so much, reaching one romantic milestone after another is the most magical feeling. Traveling with your SO is no exception. Escaping the everyday setting and getting whisked away to a relaxing vacation with your sweetheart is a special occasion indeed, but it’s a big step in your relationship as well. How do you know you’re ready to make that step? Here are some things to consider before you go on vacay with your SO.
Are you comfortable enough to vacay with them?
Love doesn’t necessarily need to be measured by time, right? But traveling with anyone (SO or otherwise) requires that you know him or her pretty well. If you’ve only been dating your SO for a few weeks, for example, it may be a little too soon to go traveling with him or her. If you’re going to a place far from home with someone who you don’t completely know yet, it can be risky in terms of safety and of keeping your new relationship stable. Abbie Long, a junior at the University of Kentucky, knew what time was right for her to make that big decision to vacation with her boyfriend.
“Four months after my boyfriend and I got together, he and his family invited me to go on their annual family vacation together. I passed on the opportunity to go with them because, personally, I thought being together for only four months was too soon to spend a week together on vacation,” Abby says. If you’ve got the gut feeling that it’s a little too soon to vacation with your SO, then wait until you feel absolutely comfortable before you two start making vacay plans.
“A year later, [my boyfriend’s family] asked me to go on vacation with them again and I without a doubt said ‘yes’ because at that point we had been together for well over a year, and I was so much more comfortable with my boyfriend and his family,” Abby says.
On the other hand, you are the ultimate judge of whether you know your SO well enough. If you feel you two are totally ready to go on a splendid getaway, then go for it! Jackie Nappo, a senior at the University of Connecticut, took a vacay with her SO a little early into their relationship and she ended up adoring the experience.
“I actually took a huge leap of faith with my current boyfriend. When we had only been dating for three months, we took at 12-day trip together to Ireland, just the two of us. It was crazy, and I was really nervous about it, but it ended up being one of the best experiences for our relationship and so much fun,” Jackie says. Every relationship has its own pace, and if you think you’re far enough along in it (whether that’s a few months or a year), then go ahead and book that trip with your special someone.
Can you tolerate their everyday behavior every day?
If you already live with your SO, then you may already be used to their sleeping, eating and even hygiene habits. However, many couples haven’t reached that stage yet. Vacationing with your SO may be your first glimpse into their everyday habits. You’ll have to deal with their habits for that vacation period, and they will have to deal with yours. Would you be able to stand it if he or she leaves a mess in the kitchen at breakfast in your Airbnb? Or if your SO isn’t very organized and loses his or her passport all the time during your trip? These may seem like little things, but be honest with yourself. Are you far enough into your relationship where you can deal, or would these things really irk you?
“When you're traveling, there isn't an escape from your SO's quirks, so you really have to be pretty in love to make that work,” Jackie says.
This applies to traveling with friends too; the dynamic can change negatively or positively when you’re with each other for a week or two without separation. Keep these things in mind. That’s not to say it’ll definitely be a bad experience; it could turn out to be like an early honeymoon you’ve been dreaming of! Just know you’ll both confront each other’s “at home” habits and will have to accept and adapt to them as you trek along in your vacation together!
Can you handle the stresses of vacationing together?
Traveling is a wonderful experience, but a stressful one too; it can test your patience with one another and how you work together through daunting situations. Your relationship will go through many tests, and vacationing with your SO may end up being one of them. But don’t fear that if you get into an argument during your trip, that means your relationship is in turmoil. A trip together will test the both of you, but it will also make you grow together. Make sure you communicate throughout your vacay and always work together to get through common travel stresses like immigration issues or transportation problems. In the end, you’re traveling together because there’s no one else you’d rather have beside you to explore the world. Take all those bumps in the road and conquer them together as part of your romantic journey.
Where will you go?
Don’t think you need to splurge on a trip to the Bahamas to make sure it’s a perfect vacation for the two of you. Everyone is different, and there are so many unique destinations and experiences that’ll be perfect for the both of you. For some people, vacationing with your SO’s family sounds like the sweetest experience you’ll ever have, while for others it sounds pretty scary. An outdoorsy couple would love to head to the Midwest for the ultimate hiking trip, while an artsy couple may be down for a visit to Paris to see the Louvre. Sometimes, you don’t even have to go that grand and you can turn a seemingly not-so-vacation-like activity into a complete trip for the both of you. Katia Davis, a senior at the University of Kentucky, made a one-day event into a full-blown vacation and it turned out splendidly.
“My boyfriend and I decided to take a vacation alone together last year and it was one of the best vacations I have taken. One of the main reasons we decided to vacation together was because his best friend was getting married in a different state and he was a groomsman. We decided to make the one-day event a week vacation instead of only staying a few days,” Katia says. Taking an activity and expanding it may be a great solution to finding that perfect vacay spot.
Also, if you and your SO have very different ideas of “fun,” then compromise on a place that you know the both of you will thoroughly enjoy! You may be into Disney parks, and he/she might be into scuba diving, so head to Florida and dedicate one day to exploring Disney World and another to going to a beach nearby to scuba dive. Be open with your desires and be willing to compromise so that you can not only do what each of you like, but that you can share your interests with your SO in a thrilling new way.
So should you vacation with your SO? Take these factors into account and really evaluate your own relationship before you make this big decision. Talk with your SO about the possibility of traveling together and get a handle on how they feel about it. If you and your SO have some issues already, then can a trip really resolve those issues or make them worse? If your SO is having any doubts about vacationing with you, hear them out and keep up the communication so you can come to a solution together. Vacationing with your SO has its realities which you should consider before you book that first trip. However, take these points of consideration as just that; traveling with your SO really is an enthralling adventure that’s totally worth having. To wake up to your SO’s face in the morning in a new place far, far away, then walking out into this new world together, ready to explore every alley and corner is a truly priceless experience. Travel hand and hand with your true love when you’re both ready and make your first trip together one you’ll always remember.
