travel tips: traveling as a couple

traveling together 
is one of our favorite things,

and it's something that strengthens our 

relationship. sharing adventures and seeing 

new things together bonds us and makes us

our happiest selves. but, it's not always easy. 

like any travel companion, your spouse or

significant other can sometimes have 

different opinions, needs, wants, etc. while 

on a trip. after being together 24 hours a

day in a new place with different languages 

and lack of sleep, it can get tricky.

before we got married, chase definitely knew

that travel was my favorite thing and he promised

we would always travel together. we went on

lots of trips together while we were dating,

so i already knew we were a good fit :)

luckily we have lots in common and have 

similar interests and tastes, so we do pretty

well on trips...but there are definitely some

rough moments! it is worth figuring out, 

because you get memories and experiences

that will last forever. here are some tips for:

1. make sure you both look over the plan before the trip.

if one of you feels like you've planned it all and something

goes wrong, there will be tension-- trust me. the person

who didn't plan will feel like the planner made a mistake,

and the planner will resent the other person for not

helping and looking it over...haha. have equal investment!

2. know your strengths and weaknesses. it's good to be

aware of what you are each good at & not so good at,

so that you can fill in your strengths where the other 

person is weak, etc. for example, i really love doing

the research for trips and knowing where we want to go, 

but i love to have chase do the actual navigating to the

places once we are there. this happy balance works for us!

3. figure out early on what kind of traveler 
you both are. for example, i like to have a plan, 
and chase likes to discover things as we go. so, 
we compromise and make a plan together before 
trips, but leave room for flexibility so we can
go off of the itinerary and explore new things..

4. bring food. hanger (hungry anger) is real,
especially when traveling. i am insane when
i pack food for a flight ---- my whole purse is
full of trader joe's treats, pb&honeys, chocolate,
fruit, almonds, etc. this helps when you're tired,
hungry, and stuck without food or on a plane
where food is $$$ and not too good. this
has saved us (mostly me) many times!

5. have a sense of humor...whether a flight
gets delayed, luggage gets lost, the hotel is bad,
or someone is rude, you are bound to have some
unpleasant experiences. being able to laugh
is key, because lots of times there's nothing
else you can do. chase is so good at this and
has saved us in many situations by making 
me laugh and easing the situation. for example,
when our bags got lost in lisbon and we sat
in the baggage office with the grumpy employee
who was not being helpful, chase spoke a fake 
language to me really loudly with an italian
accent for 30 straight minutes. literally didn't 
stop.  the guy was so confused and i was bent
over laughing until our luggage appeared.

6. have solo time. if one of you is tired or
wants to see something different, don't be
afraid to split up for an hour or two...just
make sure to have an exact meeting point if
you're in a foreign country with no cell phones!

7. plan to splurge. even though we're young
and follow lots of budget travel tips, we
like to splurge once in a while on trips.
plan on spoiling your significant other.
i always have something in mind i
want to get for chase on a trip..
whether it's a clothing item, an
experience, or a nice dinner you've
heard about, plan to surprise your
love with something fun on the trip.

8. mix up your trips. don't plan
lots of sightseeing trips all in a
row-- you'll get so tired of the
busy, stressful planned out trips.
schedule a relaxing beach getaway
or cruise one year, and then a big
backpacking adventure the next
year. this way you'll keep things fresh!

9. document. take pictures, take videos,
capture the moment! this sounds obvious, but
when it's just the two of you, remember
to ask people take pictures for you, film
things, and capture the memories 
that are so fun later.

10. live in the moment. despite 
my love to document trips and 
see all that i can, it's so important
to live in the moment and just
hold hands with your loved one
at an amazing place and take it
in. really share it together. talk 
about what you love about places 
you've been, where you are, and 
where you want to go. bond through 
a place. create memories and fall
more in love. that's what it's all about!

////

so those are my ten tips.
but most of all.....

^^ on plane rides, train rides, boat rides,

on the couch at home, in the car, in

church, out to dinner, in movies...

 the biggest tip of all is to find someone you 

want to sit next to for the rest of your life.

if you can find someone who you can travel

on a trip with, it means you can definitely

travel through life with them...the most

important thing of all! :)

xo