Photo Credit: Murad Osmann
Of course you enjoy spending time together; it’s the reason you got together with her in the first place. But going on vacation together takes it to a whole new level.
As much as you might share in common, odds are that your idea of a fun vacation differs from hers. She may envision lying on the beach and shopping. Your dream vacation is probably closer to jet skiing and running with the bulls. Either way, these five tips for travelling as a couple should help you to reconcile your lust for adventure with her longing for relaxation.
1. Location, location, location.
A hunting lodge in Alaska is great if you want to fish all week, and a health spa on a deserted stretch of beach is wonderful for a week of massages and putting cucumbers on your eyes, but there are plenty of places where you can do both, so don’t pick a spot where one of you is guaranteed to be disappointed.
2. Compromise. Then compromise again.
The ol’ double compromise. As alluded to in tip #1, pick a vacation spot that offers both adventure and pampering. But don’t forget to write up an itinerary that both of you can live with once you get there. One way to do that is to alternate – a day of sky diving followed by a day on the boardwalk. Another way is to pick activities that combine action with relaxation – volleyball on the beach, for example, or a highly competitive game of mini-golf.
3. Adjust expectations.
Slow down there, Rambo adventure action man. This isn’t a stag weekend with your best buds. Unless your partner is an alcoholic or a party animal, you probably won’t be out getting smashed at the bar every night (you can wish); it’s rare to find a woman who has an insatiable lust for playing paintball or going to Formula 1 races.
So slow your role and prepare yourself for a different kind of vacation experience. It won’t kill you to take a walk or watch the sun set and who knows; maybe putting cucumbers on your eyes isn’t as lame as it sounds. If you play your cards right, you might even get some smooches over the course of the week; which leads me to my fourth tip…
4. She has to come first.
Remember the point of this whole thing is to spend time together. If reeling in a marlin is your number one priority, your significant other is probably not going to have a good time. Save the obsessive, Ahab-and-the-white-whale style adventure quests for the trip you take with your friends when your partner flies back to Michigan to visit her parents for a week.
5. Take another couple along.
It’s easy to underestimate how long two weeks really is to spend in constant companionship with only one other person. Even if you love your partner to death, two weeks of unrelenting one-on-one contact can leave both of you a little irritable.
Not only that, but most good card games are played with four people.
The other advantage of having another couple along is that both you and your partner will be able to do more of what you actually want to do without worrying that the other is bored or feeling neglected. The men can spend an afternoon para-sailing while the women shop. The women can take a guided tour of that old castle while the men fish, etc.
Here’s a picture of me climbing one of the peaks of the Hochkalter in the Bavarian Alps with a friend of mine. While we were dangling from cables and exploring the summit for three hours, our respective partners enjoyed themselves in the warm mountain lodge 500 meters below, chatting, drinking tea, and playing Sorry. That’s what I call a win/win.
The post Travelling For Two: 5 Tips For Vacationing With Your Girlfriend appeared first on Men's Magazine | Being a Man, Made Easy | CAVE Magazine.