How Traveling Can Bring You and Your Partner Closer Together
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Traveling is a great way to experience new things – to see new cultures, taste new cuisines, and test your limits as an individual. Traveling with a partner can be even more exciting than going solo.
Enjoying new experiences with your partner by your side can take a simple trip and turn it into a memory you will treasure forever. It can even inject some excitement into a long-term relationship that has gone a bit stale or put a new relationship to the test to help you see whether you and your partner are truly meant to be.
Here are 13 ways traveling with your partner can bring you closer together.
1. It gives you plenty of quality time together
In everyday life, you and your partner can choose how often you want to see each other, especially if you don’t live together. You get to enjoy evenings and weekends together, but you also have the option to take some time for yourself when you need it.
When traveling with a partner, you will likely be sharing a hotel room or other accommodations that may not provide the same opportunity for personal space.
2. You may become more comfortable with each other
In the early days of a relationship, it takes time to develop a certain level of comfort with a new partner. It isn’t until you have been dating for a while or sharing a home that you start sharing intimate experiences like using the same bathroom or seeing each other with bed head. When traveling together, you will not only share a bedroom, but you will also share a bathroom, and it could force a certain degree of intimacy you may or may not be ready for.
3. It gives you an opportunity to see new sides of your partner.
We all put our best foot forward when dating someone new, but after the honeymoon phase has ended, you may see a new side of your partner. During travel, you will spend just about every waking moment together and you will probably experience a few challenges along the way. You will have an opportunity to see how your partner handles those challenges and whether the two of you can work together.
4. You may have to deal with disagreements
The key to a successful relationship is communication and compromise. When traveling with a partner, you will have plenty of opportunities to make decisions together, but you may also find yourself dealing with the occasional disagreement.
Small decisions like where to go for dinner or what time to get up in the morning may be simple enough to navigate, but when it comes to bigger decisions you may find your communication skills put to the test.
5. It gives you an opportunity to discuss money
Money is one of the biggest reasons couples fight. Travel can be expensive, so you and your partner may have to have a conversation about your budget. One of you may be more comfortable spending on certain things than the other, so you will also have an opportunity to learn how your partner tends to manage their own finances.
When it comes to money, it’s generally best to be upfront about it. Decide before you travel whether you will split costs evenly or take turns paying for things.
6. You will have plenty of opportunities to learn about each other
Nothing forces you to learn about someone more than spending several days with them morning to night. Though travel with a partner can be challenging at times, the whole point is to relax and get away from the stress of your daily life.
When you are both feeling relaxed is when you will have an opportunity to really get to know who your partner is. You may learn more than you expect.
7. It gives you a chance to really talk
The typical vacation involves a lot of sightseeing, but there will also be a fair amount of downtime, and with it, time to talk. It will be a great test to see whether you and your partner have the kind of relationship that lends itself to good conversation or whether you end up enduring a lot of awkward silence.
You don’t have to spend every moment talking by any means, but travel creates opportunities to talk about things you might not normally explore in an everyday conversation.
8. You will get to learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses
We all have strengths and weaknesses and what makes a relationship work is understanding your partner on a level that enables you to work alongside each other. Coming to know your partner’s strengths and weaknesses helps you predict potential issues ahead of time so you can come up with a plan together to avoid conflict.
When conflict does develop, you will have some idea how your partner will handle it and you can navigate the situation together.
9. It gives you an opportunity to create shared memories
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with solo travel, but some say memories are stronger when they are shared. Whether your trip reveals your partner to be your soulmate, or you ultimately decide to go your separate ways, the experience will be more meaningful if you share it.
Plus, you will have a designated person to take pictures of you throughout the trip.
10. You will have chances to work together as a team
Being able to work with others is a valuable skill and it is extremely important in a partnership. Traveling with your partner provides plenty of opportunities to work as a team from checking in for your flight to having each other’s back on a daily basis.
Having to rely on another person in travel will help you build a deeper sense of trust and respect in your relationship.
11. It can give you an opportunity to deepen your sexual relationship
Outside the stress of daily life, travel provides an opportunity to relax and to unwind with your partner in an entirely new way. Plus, sharing accommodations provides plenty of opportunity for intimacy, both mental and physical.
Shared experiences can help deepen your emotional bond with your partner which may carry over to a stronger sexual connection.
12. You will get to know your partner’s quirks
We all have our little quirks and idiosyncrasies that make us unique. Getting to know your partner’s quirks puts your relationship on a whole new level. It can also be a great test of compatibility – if you find yourself becoming annoyed by every little thing they do, they may not be the person for you.
On the other hand, if you find yourself enjoying the experience of getting to know your partner on an intimate and personal level, it could strengthen your relationship for the long haul.
13. It provides a chance to form shared perspectives
Travel gives you the opportunity to experience new things and to see the world in a new way. Sharing that experience with a partner creates the opportunity for you to form new, shared perspectives or it might bring differences of opinion to the surface.
When the opportunity presents itself, take advantage of the time you have to talk about important issues so you can your partner can come to a deeper level of understanding with each other and with yourselves as individuals.
Experiencing travel can open your eyes to new things and help you see the world in an entirely different way. Sharing that experience with a partner can be trans-formative and, if you’re lucky, you will find out you and your partner have the kind of relationship that will stand the test of time.
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