Going on a romantic escape and traveling with your partner for the very first time is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking. There is a lot of pressure associated with your first couple’s trip: There are all the typical stresses that come with traveling, plus more anxieties associated with spending uninterrupted quality time together for longer-than-usual stretches. Not to mention having to get used to the travel idiosyncrasies of another person. Below, we’ve rounded up the golden rules, according to our staff editors, that you should follow to ensure a smooth-sailing trip when you’re traveling with your partner.
A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.
1. Make the first trip a short one
There would be nothing worse than going on your first vacation with someone only to discover that you are not as well-suited as you first thought, then have to spend the next week together. Don’t let the giddiness of booking a trip overpower your rationality. As romantic as a far-flung trip to the other side of the world might seem, “finding out things might not be as rose-tinted as you thought in the middle of a month-long trek through the Amazon would be catastrophic,” advises Sarah Bannerman, Condé Nast Traveller UK’s acting commerce editor. It is far more sensible to book a short and sweet trip to ease yourself into it.
2. Set a budget
Money is always a tricky subject. As it’s unlikely that both of you will have identical salaries, it’s definitely a good idea to get on the same page before you start trip planning, just to make sure you have similar expectations for your trip. Neither of you wants to wind up disappointed or worrying about your bank balance when you’re trying to focus on the other person. Plus, setting a budget is a great test to see how well you align and how to work together financially, whether you’re abroad or at home.
3. Discuss what you want out of the holiday
More often than not, people relax in different ways. It is key to have a conversation about what you are really looking for in a vacation. This will help you decide on the destination, the accommodation, what activities to plan, and more. “I’m not suggesting you plan a full itinerary, but you don’t want to land in some exotic location to discover that your idea of a holiday is reading by the pool while your partner wants to hike a volcano,” says Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveller UK’s deputy digital editor. “Figure out what you both like ahead of time and plan in bits of both.”
