Living with your better half always has its ups and downs, so when you add in spending every second of the day together, things can get tense. Even though you are super grateful to be experiencing all these amazing new places together, and you love each other very much, you are only human.
To ensure you can make the most of your travels, here are some tips to help create a healthy travel relationship. I have made these tips from lessons learnt on the road. Every couple is different so this may not be for you, but it has definitely helped us.
1 ~ Set aside me time
Often you will notice when things are getting tense in the relationship. Be active in noticing your own needs. When this time comes, do something you enjoy. When we needed some time apart I would read a book, do some macrame or even just go for a walk. Some other things might include fishing, researching something of interest or doing some yoga. Ensure to have open communication with your partner about these recharging times. The first step to this is talking this through before travelling. Identifying to each other that it won't all be butterflies and rainbows and setting out a plan for what to do when these tense times come around.
2 ~ Go on dates
Depending on the type of couple you are, sometimes the romance can slip away when living this way. This may be due to the limited showering, and dirty clothes. It could also be due to the luxury of spending so much time together that the romance isnt as important. Remember to keep that romantic spark alive by having dedicated dates. We didn't do this for the start of our travels and after a while it felt like we were friends hanging out. Not that there is a big problem with that but I was missing the connection. We would make an excuse every now and then to dress up (put on that one pair of clean clothes), put some perfume or aftershave on and turn our focus onto each other.
3 ~ Do chores together
Doing chores on the road can be time consuming and frustrating as everything seems to take 10 times longer. Washing the dishes has to be our least favorite thing. Storing dirty dishes isnt usually possible so washing has to be done 2 or 3 times a day and heating the water is a pain. Anyway enough complaining, if you work as a team and just get it done you will both feel supported and ready for the next exciting adventure. Setting aside an hour of clean up every couple of days is super beneficial to keeping ontop of everything. Its surprising how quickly the mess can takeover.
4 ~ Have a rest from decision making
When travelling, some days can be mentally draining. Deciding where to go, what to see, what to eat and where to sleep is constant. This can be a big tension point for any relationship. Ensure to have rest times where you spend a few days being still, letting your brain have a break. We found this hard to do at the start as we were always keen for the next big thing. With time we realised how important this down time is to really take in our adventure and recharge.
5 ~ Remember to have patience
Travelling is an amazing opportunity that helps you learn about the world and yourself. But it will be stressful, uncomfortable and tiring. You have to accept that most things won't go to plan. Putting yourself into your partners shoes often to try and understand how they are feeling is very important. We can all react differently in the same situation, so having patience for each other as you move into new situations is a must. Whenever something unexpected happens on our adventures, I usually have an act now stress later reaction. My partner is the opposite, stress now act later. It took some time and frustration but we have learnt that our different reactions are natural. Its up to us on how we work it out together.
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