Travelling as a couple

Based on many years of travelling together, we've put together some tips on how to travel with your partner best.

1.) Patience
It is essential to be patient with each other. When he or she starts getting on your nerves, take a deep breath, exhale, smile and try to make the situation as calm as possible. Since you will spend most of the time on the trip together, patience is of utmost importance. When good things happen to us, we do not even think about patience. It's different when my husband is hungry and tired. He becomes annoying, and if we do not want to fight at that moment, I have to overhear his nagging and not take it as an insult.

2.) Know each other’s expectations
It is good to agree on the type of travel at home, and to talk about what you would most like to see on the trip. Is this a tour of certain sights, lounging on the beach, trying different foods or perhaps hiking? It is important that you tell this to each other and then coordinate your wishes. That way, both of you will be happy. It is therefore essential that you talk to each other a lot and are ready for compromise.

Before each trip, we make a plan of the trip. Because we know that we are almost certainly not be able to see everything we want, we each choose one thing that we really want to see and experience. We will know in advance what is the essence of this trip, and then we will try to do this. An example from a recent trip to Salvador and Guatemala: my main wish was to go to Acatenango volcano in Guatemala, from where you can see volcano Fuego erupting, while Rok wanted to enjoy Salvador's street food. So, during the trip, we ate street food at least once a day, which means Salvadorian "pupusas" and Guatemalan tortillas (both were delicious, by the way). For us, this was a big change, because we usually cook our own food for most of the time (you can never be too sure). But in order to fulfil my desire, we rented a car that had permission to cross the El Salvador - Guatemala border, and then, with a local guide, we ascended to the desired volcano. The sight of the erupting volcano was unforgettable.

3.) Get your finances straight
It is wise to make an agreement on how much you can spend on the trip the most. Choose accommodation, transport and activities according to your budget. Another important thing is to talk about who will pay for things. To easily record and share costs, you can use Splitwise mobile application that automatically tracks costs. Useful.

Airline tickets are the things I usually pay for, while the costs on the trip are random. Sometimes we summed every cost after the trip and Rok gave me a difference - so that we each gave half for the trip. In the last few years, when we usually rent a car, we have agreed that Rok pays for car rental, fuel and other costs related to it, and then I pay for other, minor things. And in most cases, it is fair for both of us. At the end of the trip, we pay about the same amount.

4.) Always have a snack with you
Do you know the English word "hangry"? It's a derivative, made from hungry + angry, so hungry and angry. For years I did not understand why Rok suddenly becomes annoyed at the trip, everything is wrong, everything irritates him, I'm blamed everything... but after a while we found out that this is because he is hungry. It's funny that he does not even know why he's grumpy. After so many years of trips together, I have already learned to notice this behaviour. When I see that suddenly everything disturbs him, I know it's time for a snack. In any case, we always have some fruit bars or something similar with us. It holds my husband's hunger for maybe 10 minutes, then we need to eat some more fulfilling, a sandwich or steak for example. On the contrary, I can jump around all day without a specific meal, and I forget about lunch and dinner, that Rok definitely needs.

5.) Know your good and bad qualities
Traveling together is easier if you know each other well. If you know who is good in which thing and what you aren't good at. If you know these things, each can take over the tasks that are easier for him and are not burdened with things they aren't good at.

Rok, for example, drives a car very well, and I’m not very confident behind a wheel. Therefore, it is logical that he will be sitting behind the wheel during our travels (as well as at home). On the contrary, I am good at searching for plane tickets, so Rok does not even try to interfere with it, but he trusts me to find the best connection for our destination.

6.) Laugh together and enjoy yourselves
The essence of the trips are beautiful memories of shared experiences and these are priceless. It is therefore essential that you make an effort to enjoy your trip. Laugh together, have a romantic dinner or a cocktail with a view - even if this is not overly romantic, it is a very positive experience, climb a mountain together, go diving... do what connects you and makes you happy.