Are You Going on a First-Time Trip with Your Partner? These 6 Tips will help you take the pressure off

Is it difficult and happy at the same time to travel with your partner on the first trip? It is, I believe. You are both choosing to spend a few days with each other every day, instead of your weekly dates. This speaks volumes about how much you enjoy each others company. It can be fun to plan your first trip together (imagine all the adorable photos you will get), but there is also the pressure to experience another first in your relationship.

Do you find yourself not knowing your partner as well or do you feel closer to each other? It’s likely that it will be the latter. However, the most important thing, other than the travel tips, is that you’re there for the purpose of having fun with your partner, not to test your relationship.

It’s not hard to feel the pressure. From confirming travel logistics to planning your day, and even deciding what essentials you should pack to make you feel more confident, there’s no doubt that you are feeling it. These six tips will help you feel more excited about your first trip together.

1. Manage Your Expectations

My best advice is to go in with very low expectations. This goes for every aspect of your trip from the places you choose to stay at to the bonding experiences and conversations you plan to have. If you think you will have a great time on an excursion that you and your partner chose because they saw it online, it’s likely you won’t enjoy it as much as you should.

It is painful to admit, but this is what I have learned from personal experience. I, like many others, have a bad habit. I imagine in my head how magical a place or day will be, and then I ruin it for myself when it fails to live up to the unrealistic (and often imaginary) standards I imagined. Don’t do it like I did. If your expectations were not too high, you’ll be disappointed in something that may have been amazing.

2. Create a flexible plan for each day

Planning is great. However, over-planning and worrying about things not going according to plan can lead to a stressful time. Instead, create a flexible plan together about what you will do each day. It is a good idea to pick one activity and one place you want to eat lunch at or dinner.

If you can, avoid imposing strict times on anything. You’ll feel distracted and rushed and will end up feeling disoriented. You can then be open to whatever happens during the day. You might find something amazing that you didn’t know about. This is something you wouldn’t have missed if you hadn’t made a flexible plan.

3. You should try something new

You can try new activities, new food, new drinks, or something completely different. There will always be something you can’t do at your home, or that you wouldn’t be able to do while on vacation. You should take advantage of this! It’s a great way for you to bond and create memories together over something totally different. It doesn’t matter how it turns out, or if you love it, it will be a great story to share and reminisce about when you return home.

This is particularly important if one (or both of you) have ever been to the area you are visiting before. It’s not a good idea to go back to the same vacation that you have just had. You’ll end up reliving the bad times all the time. While that is fine for certain things, it’s not the best way to make new memories with your partner.

4. Make Time for Romance

It’s well-known that date nights are crucial to maintaining a spark in a relationship. Even though you may only be together for a few days, it can feel like one long date. I recommend making time for romance. You can go on long walks after dinner, or you can make it a formality by choosing one night of your trip as date night.

Whatever you do, make sure to prioritize your relationship. Sometimes it is easy to get into “buddy-buddy mode” for most of your trip. This can be a good thing for a while. You are there together, but it is not the end. This will give you both something to look forward too. It might even bring back those first-date butterflies. If it goes well, it might lead to some intimacy. These moments can make a big difference when you return home, so trust me.

5. Avoid small things

Here are some ways to ruin your trip. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and don’t let the negative effects of an argument last too long. It’s not easy to be with someone every day, no matter whether they are your best friend or partner. It’s a natural human tendency to get annoyed. However, we can choose to let it not ruin our mood. Take a moment to think about what is bothering you and determine if it is worth discussing. If it is, consider whether it’s worth discussing on the trip or if you can let it go until you return home. Remember, you are not supposed to fight on your trip together.

6. Keep your mind open

You might have a different idea of vacation than your partner. This can be a problem if you are halfway through planning. Do you get the impression that your partner wants to see the world all day, but you prefer to relax by the pool? Remember this: Relationships require compromise. You should be open to what they would like to do and how they’d prefer to do it. Remember, it’s not necessary to pretend that you like something. It’s about showing your partner you are open to compromise in their favor, and hopefully, they will reciprocate.