Testing Your Relationship During Travel
My best friend recently returned from a week-long road trip with her boyfriend of 6 years. In all that time they’d never really travelled together, so I was anxious to hear how it went.
After all, there’s no better test of your relationship than spending 24/7 with someone for an extended period of time. Before we got married, my husband and I travelled throughout South East Asia together, bouncing from city to city and rarely spending 5 minutes apart.
But that kind of intimacy is not for the faint of heart. In fact, a bad travel experience is the quickest way to find out if your relationship’s got legs (or if, like an ill-fated Nepalese airline, it’s gonna crash and burn).
Luckily for my best friend, that risky road trip ended in a long-awaited marriage proposal. That’s how powerful travel can be when it comes to making and breaking relationships.
If you’re looking to take your relationship to the next level – or just keep it in tact – here’s what not to do when travelling with your significant other.
#1: Fly First Class (while they fly economy)
If you want to start a fight before the plane’s even left the tarmac, book yourself a first class ticket while your significant other suffers in coach. Business travellers do it all the time, so why can’t you?
#2: Spend Every Waking Second Together
If you’re serious about ruining your relationship through travel, it’s crucial to spend every second of every minute breathing down your partner’s neck.
Do not so much as think about taking a walk alone, enjoying separate activities, or spending time with others in your tour group. Spending 87% more time together than you do at home is a surefire way to see just how irritating your partner really is.
#3: Work the Whole Time
If you really want your significant other to dump you, it’s not enough to invite them along on a boring business trip. You also have to work the entire time, avoid doing anything fun, and definitely NOT schedule any leisure time before or after your meetings.
On second thought, you could bring them to all of your meetings, introduce them as your “special friend,” then make them get everyone coffee.
#4: Pretend You’re Still at Home
Sure, you may be on the road, but that’s no excuse to disrupt your regular routine. Insist on eating breakfast, drinking your morning coffee, and taking your afternoon walk just like you do at home – I’m talking same time, same order, same everything.
Bonus points if you whine that the coffee “just isn’t the same” and that no one can get your scrambled eggs right.
#5: Complain About Money
It usually goes without saying that you’re going to spend a lot of money when you’re on vacation. But why let that stop you?
Keep a running tally of how much more you’re spending on food, accommodations, and entertainment than you would be if you’d stayed home. Regular reminders of your soon-to-be empty bank account are sure to send your partner packing – this time, for good.
#6: Spend Every Waking Travel Moment Updating Social Media
Nothing says ‘I’m bored with you’ like spending all your time updating Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat and ignoring your travel partner at every opportunity.
You can improve on this by ensuring they are not in any of your selfies or by asking them to take a picture of you and the cute waiter or waitress then posting it immediately.
Have you ever ruined a relationship through travel? Have you travelled with an impossible partner? Tell your tales of travel woe in the comments below!
And if you fly often without your partner here are 10 Relationship Tips for Frequent Travellers.
Rebecca Anne Nguyen is a freelance writer and travel passionista. She blogs about culture, creativity, and consciousness at TheHappyPassport.com.
