Traveling as a New Couple

You’re in a new relationship, both of you have the travel bug and decide to take your first trip together. Now what? For the experienced couples out there, you probably remember that first trip you took with your significant other. Whether it makes your relationship stronger or not, always aim to come back from vacation happy.

Rumor has it that couples who can travel together, stay together. There’s merits to that school of thought. The first trip can be nerve-racking at first, but fear not there are some helpful tips from my experience for you to consider if you and your partner decides to take that plunge. There are many tips and advice out there so feel free to read them as well as there isn’t a one size fits all.

Pick a destination you both want to go to.

This might be obvious, but it is important that you are picking a place you both want to go to. When my boyfriend and I were planning our first trip together, we immediately decided to do NYC because (a) it was one of my favorite cities so it was a no brainer for me to want to go back there and (b) he wanted to go there because he hasn’t been there since he was a teen, and he had some clients there that he wanted to meet in person.

Test out a weekend trip first.

When in doubt about the length of the trip, test out a weekend trip together before committing to a week or more. NYC was a perfect weekend trip for us because it is close enough to fly over for a weekend, and there is so much to do there that a weekend can really fly by.

Always set a budget together.

When you both set a budget, there shouldn’t be major surprises when the credit card bill arrives. For a city like NYC, it is very easy to spend a lot of money there. We were very clear about our budget and ensured we budgeted everything including all our meals and transit spend for each person.

Always compromise on the activities and restaurants you want to explore.

There is nothing worse than not getting to do anything you wanted or eat at places you wanted to try. Because I was very familiar with NYC I made an effort to ask my boyfriend what he wanted to do and eat. We ended up trying a restaurant in East Village that his client recommended for us to try.

It’s ok if you set aside me time during the trip.

It is totally ok if there is time set aside for “me” time and that you separate  to do your own thing for an hour or two. For an hour or so I had my own free time to shop around in midtown because my boyfriend had set a meeting with his client; it was a win-win situation for us because he got to do what he wanted to do while there and I got to do what I enjoy doing.

What does home mean to both of you?

Bring some aspects of home with you to the trip so that you both have some familiarity. Now kick back and just enjoy the time with each other in your home away from home, because home is what you make of it.

For those who are getting ready for your first trip, good luck! For those who weren’t planning on doing their first trip yet or have been avoiding that conversation, hope these tips eased your mind.