How to travel with your partner without killing each other

Whether you’re travelling with your husband of 50-something years, or a new partner that you’ve only just moved in with, going on holiday with a significant other can be both exciting and downright frustrating.

We don’t mean to be a negative Nelly about it, though, there are also some fantastic and often life-changing situations that can occur while travelling with a partner, it’s just important that you both have similar expectations before you jet off.

If you are thinking of jet setting around the world with your better half, think about these tips first to ensure you both come home with only great memories to share.

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1. Be open to communication

One of the most important aspects of any relationship is the level of open communication you have with each other, and the same goes when it comes to your travel plans. By communicating before and during your trip about what your expectations are, there is much less room for surprise and frustration. If you communicate what you each want from your holiday, then you’re likely be able to meet those expectations and have a great time while you’re at it.

2. Go your separate ways

Just because you’re travelling together doesn’t mean you have to spend each and every moment in each other’s pockets. Allocate time throughout your trip to spend away from each other, that way you give yourselves the opportunity to miss one another and tell stories about what you got up to that day. If you spend every waking moment together, then you’re much more likely to get on each other’s nerves by the end of the day.

3. Be prepared to compromise

You and your partner are individuals, and that means you’re going to have individual wants and needs. That also means that not everything is going to go your or their way all the time. To keep the peace throughout your holiday, sometimes you have to bite your tongue and go with the flow. Just be sure to point out how understanding you’re being so they know that they owe you one down the track.

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4. Lower your expectations

Travel should be a relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable experience from beginning to end, but sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. Instead of assuming that everything and everywhere will live up to your travel dreams, lower those expectations of being on holiday with your partner so anything great that does happen is just a bonus. If you expect to get along all day long throughout your trip, it’s going to come as a shock and you might decide that you’re not the best travel buddies after all. Lower those expectations and you’re sure to be surprised by how much fun you both have.

5. Make time for fun

Sometimes travel can be so busy. We can become so consumed by getting to places on time and making sure that we get the perfect photo, that we forget to relax and have fun. Be ok with things going wrong and have a laugh about it when it does. It’s the unpredictable elements of a holiday, and the moments that things don’t go to plan, that the best travel stories emerge.

Do you have any other tips for partners looking to travel with each other? Let us know in the comments section below.