Tips on travelling as a couple by Two Sided Travels

This week Brad and Leslie from Two sided travels wish to offer some useful advice for couples seeking tips on how to travel better together.

I’m happy they can offer their personal advice after they have both been travelling together for many years as I’m not much of an expert in this area (Yes, Travel Dave is still single), and delighted they can share their experience with readers seeking couple travel advice.

Hope you find this post useful and Enjoy the read

Travel advice for couples

Thank you Travel Dave for inviting us to share our experiences with your readers. We believe travelling together has helped to strengthen our relationship, which as of this month has been going strong for seven and a half years. Looking back at our relationship, many of our favourite memories come from our travels together.

There was the 12-day family vacation in Italy when we were able to celebrate our “3rd anniversary” in Venice. Then there was last summer, when we lived together in Chicago for summer internships. And now we are making memories during our post-college gap year, for which we have decided to road trip all over the United States.

This post is meant for couples from all walks of life. Whether you are looking to improve your relationship or simply want to make new memories with your significant other, we believe the following tips can help you.

Double the savings, double the fun

The earlier you start planning for your trip, the longer you have to save your travel budget. And with two sources of income you should be able to save money faster as a couple. However, while saving money can be easier as a couple it is important to keep in mind that you will also spend your travel budget faster.

As a couple you may have more money to put towards accommodation, but you will also have to spend twice as much as a solo traveller when it comes to flying and eating out. So, in order to cut costs it is important to monitor your spending and choose your expenses carefully.

Instead of paying for a hotel room, try using Couchsurfing to find accommodation for free. So far we have stayed with six hosts on Couchsurfing and each stay has been an amazing experience! However, if Couchsurfing isn’t your style, then consider staying with friends and family members whenever possible. Additionally, rather than eating out, try and pack food supplies and make your own meals as often as possible.

(We choose to Couchsurf as often as possible so we can put more money towards eating out)

Share the workload

Planning a trip is a lot of work. Figuring out transportation, finding accommodation, and picking things to do can become very time consuming. Luckily, when you travel as a couple it is easy to divide and conquer these tasks.

When we are planning a trip, Leslie researches things to do and finds important information including activity fees, addresses, and contact information. I, on the other hand, figure out transportation (whether that means researching flights or picking a route to drive) and find us a place to stay using Airbnb or Couchsurfing.

Our suggestion is to divide the planning based on what tasks you each enjoy and to work together on any larger/more difficult tasks. The most important thing to remember is to make decisions together so both of your travel needs are met.

Learn to compromise

It is important to remember you are traveling as a team and you need to plan activities you will both enjoy. Sometimes this means you won’t be able to do everything YOU want. Instead, you should consider what your significant other wants to do during your trip.

While we both enjoy hiking and spending time outdoors, Leslie and I also have separate interests on the road. Leslie enjoys spending time window-shopping at local businesses and boutique stores, while I like to check out unique museums. Keeping each other’s interests in mind, we make sure to plan activities that we both enjoy.

Push each other’s limits, but not each other’s buttons

Let’s be honest, even on the road it’s easy to become complacent in a routine where you do the same things. However, somewhere along the way one of you will want to do something that the other is not comfortable with. It could be anything from an extreme activity like skydiving to hiking a more difficult trail than you are used to.

Getting your significant other to step out of their comfort zone can be rewarding as they try new things. But, pushing them too far can lead to arguments and stressful situations. In these cases, it is important to understand the fine line between pushing them out of their comfort zone and pushing them too far.

(Leslie stepped out of her comfort zone by hiking the Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park)

Find some alone time

Traveling together is one of the biggest tests for a relationship. In most cases it means you are with each other 24/7 and won’t have the comfort of your friends and family. No matter how much you usually get along, this much time together tends to lead to the occasional fight.

This makes it very important to find some alone time to take a break from each other. There are many ways to take time for yourself, but a few examples are to take a solo hike or find a quiet spot to read your favorite book. Which is exactly what we did when we traveled to Acadia National Park; Brad hiked the Precipice Trail, while Leslie read a book at Sand Beach.

(Brad solo hiked the Precipice Trail while Leslie relaxed on Sand Beach in Acadia)