Couples who travel together stay together

In the travel blogging world, everyone is blabbing on about why solo travel is this life-changing, must-try experience. I’m here to say, “Hey, let’s not forget about couple travel”. Couple travel is not to be frowned at. In my experience, it’s equally life-changing (if not more so) than solo travel. As I say, couples who travel together stay together!

Sure, I’ve got some good stories and some bad stories about traveling with my significant other. But, ultimately, the good outweighs the bad. We’ve experienced some amazing things together, and at the end of the day, it feels so good to be able to share those once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the person I love.

Read on to find out why I think couples who travel together stay together!

Read Next: The questions every travel couple gets asked

1. You’ve always got a safety net

I know traveling (“proper” traveling) is all about living on the edge and exploring the unknown without fear. But, you know what, when exploring the depths of an unknown city, it makes me feel safer knowing that I’ve got a burly sidekick beside me.

For example, in Santa Ana, El Salvador, we took a wrong turn down a notoriously dangerous street in the city. There were needles strewn everywhere and some inherently dodgy-looking groups of men. If I was by myself, I probably would have had a nervous breakdown – but he, always the calm and collected type, just told me to walk fast and keep looking straight ahead. They didn’t bother me at all, maybe it was because I had a guy with me.

My point is simply I feel safer with him than on my own.

2. You have someone very special to spend those once-in-a-lifetime moments with

I always say that the best moments in life are those you spend with someone you love. We’ve had tons of these amazing moments on the road. Like the time we slept in a wooden hut in the jungles of Palenque, Mexico and heard jaguars and howler monkeys as we fell asleep, or the time we swam with sharks in Belize, or the time we hiked an active volcano in El Salvador or when we watched the most surreal sunset from a clifftop restaurant in Cinque Terre, Italy.

These are all ‘our moments’ that we will treasure forever. And I’m certain I will still speak about it in years, even decades, to come.

But, there’s also been some ‘couple travel’ moments we’d rather forget, like the time Paul got such extreme food poisoning in Cambodia that he was bed-ridden for 5 whole days, or the time I had a mini-breakdown in Guatemala because I was so exhausted and cried on the bed in our shitty little dungeon of a hostel room while Paul ran out to get me McDonald’s.

3. You always have someone to talk to

I talk a lot, so it saves me from looking slightly mental while talking to a wall somewhere.

4. It’s easier to meet people when you’re part of a duo

I know some people will disagree with this, but I feel it kind of relieves the pressure of ‘having’ to bond with someone. So, our connections with other travelers are a lot more genuine and less forced. Does that make sense?

I did a bit of solo traveling before I met my husband, and I felt I was always forcing myself to speak to someone in my hostel or at a restaurant to avoid looking like a loner. But maybe, that was just my younger more paranoid self. We met some incredible people on our ‘couple travels’, sure a lot were other couples but we also befriended a lot of solo travellers. After all, we had one big thing in common (travel) and so conversation came easily.

5. You always have someone to take photos of you

“Babe, will you take a picture of me next to this beach/ statue/ building?” is a very common phrase in our relationship. Paul is usually the one taking all the photos, but I’m getting a little better at snapping photos of him. And because he’s my other half, I’m not too embarrassed to tell him to keep taking photos until we have the perfect shot.

Luckily, he loves photography as much as I do. So, when I ask him to wake up at 6 am with me to take photos of the sunset, he doesn’t look at me like I’m mad.

Taking photos is essential when you’re traveling the world with your partner. You’ll regret not taking the time to snap a few shots of you two having fun together. You want to have these memories to look back on when you return home or want to revisit your trip. Take the time to get ideas of what types of photos might be best by seeing examples from people who have visited the location you’re in. You can then try to replicate some of these amazing shots or get creative and take your own unique photos.  

6. You have someone to split your costs with

When you’re a ‘travel couple,’ there’s really no point in staying in a hostel dorm room when you can stay in your own private room for the same price. You can save money by splitting meals, especially in countries like Mexico and Belize, where the portions are massive. If you can’t afford another night’s drinking in a bar, you can split the price of a bottle of wine and relax in your private room.

Also, if you have issues with your bank card, there’s someone to bail you out and give you a loan. This happened to me in El Salvador (not a fun experience). That was one of our worst travel experiences!

Of course, there are bad sides to ‘couple travel’ too…

You are literally spending every hour of every day with this person, so make sure you actually like them. We killed each other at times, but the argument was usually over after a few minutes, and we never went to sleep angry. You have to learn to compromise.

If one of you wants to have Italian for dinner and the other Mexican (this was the cause of most of our arguments, FYI), go for one tonight and the other tomorrow. If one of you (me) wants to lie on the beach all day and the other wants to explore the city nearby, maybe you can go your separate ways for a few hours. These are all just things that worked for us, but we’re no experts. Although we traveled together for a year non-stop without splitting up, Take the time to find your ‘couple travel’ groove together!

After all this time, we’re still together 10 years on and got married in Cinque Terre back in 2019! See, couples who travel together do stay together!

Will we ever stop this life of travel?

I’m lucky enough to have found someone who loves to travel as much as I do. I know that’s not easy to find. I’ve found my partner-in-crime, someone who doesn’t talk me out of my crazy plans to go on safari in Serengeti National Park or spend Christmas at the Plaza in New York. Life is good.

More great reads below:

One Month in Vietnam itinerary

10 Reasons to Visit El Salvador (Updated for 2024)

Which Halong Bay Cruise Should I Choose?

7 of the Most Photogenic Spots in Hong Kong

Last Updated on May 31, 2024 by snaphappytravel