Follow these tips and you’ll be guaranteed to make a more permanent travel companion out of your partner or friend.
1. Choose a destination that covers both your hobbies, needs and interests
Before you book your flight tickets, sit down and have a think of yours and your partners’ travel habits, interests, as well as other considerations.
2. Package tour or free and easy?
If you are both first-timers to the country you’re thinking of visiting, I’d recommend a package tour, unless you’re confident of knowing what you want to do. Also, if you are both not up for planning, I’d recommend going for a package tour, too.
3. Compromise
You both may have different ideas about your trip, but when the time comes to decide, it’s important that you both end up happy, and see what you’ve gone to see.
4. Know your personalities and habits
Lay your cards all on the table before the trip, so you both don’t encounter any surprises (and possible arguments) during the trip. Need to strip the bed in every hotel room before sleeping in it? Tell him (or her). Snore in bed? Make it known. Every little habit that you’ve been “hiding” so far will be out in the open when you both have to share a room for an extended period of time.
5. Play to your strengths
Before your trip, talk to each other about planning certain aspects of it. For instance, if your man’s better at directions, let him take over the map. If you’re better at making reservations, do it. In short, work together as a team to prevent as little conflict as you can.
6. Compromise
Don’t be selfish and plan everything you want to see during that trip. Do take note that your partner may have certain things on his or her wishlist too.
7. Walls have ears
Should you end up arguing during the trip, remember that the walls in some hotel rooms and hostels are thin. And if you’re travelling with the same group throughout the trip, you don’t want to be known as the couple who argued over petty stuff, or something as small as buying the wrong groceries. Discuss amicably and try to come to a middle ground.
8. Don’t play the blame game
When you’re both overseas, it’s up to the two of you to take care of one another. Playing the blame game whenever you’re lost or spend unnecessary money, isn’t the way to enjoy yourselves. And, if you prove to be someone who blames his or her partner whenever something wrong happens, you might find yourself single by the time you get home.
9. Have clear rules with money
Think of how you want to go about it: do you want to put your cash into a common fund, so you don’t waste time calculating how to split the bill all the time, or would you prefer to be very clear with your own expenses? Even if you both have different attitudes when it comes to money, make sure you both know where your money went to. Take turns to pay for meals, or make sure you always pay for what you’ve ordered, if you’re not having a shared fund during the trip.
10. Be considerate and have fun
You’re not the only one on this trip now. If you’ve got bad habits like perpetually being late, or leaving things till the last minute, try and prevent these from happening. All these will show, especially if you’re travelling with a big group.
That said, don’t focus on your relationship and worse: compare it with other couples when you’re on your trip. Enjoy yourself, for you’re on holiday, after all!