You've been traveling for days, everyone's exhausted, people are driving you nuts and you can't get away. Can you relate? I love going on trips with Nick, but it can feel tense when either of us are hard to be around (spoiler alert, usually I'm the cranky pants). Here are 9 things that I have found make a huge difference for us.
1. Kick your habits. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a car for 12 hours with someone who’s driving you insane. If you know you have a habit that your spouse can’t stand, then stop. Seriously.
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| Northern Ireland 2014 |
2. Pay attention to what your spouse needs. Do they need some quiet time? A back rub after hours on the road? Some time alone once you get to your destination? A listening ear? Are they hungry or need to stop and stretch their legs?
3. Find joint entertainment. Read a book aloud. Listen to a podcast. Find a good radio station. Whatever it is, make sure you both are enjoying it. Otherwise find something else to do for a while or use headphones.
4. Take time apart. When we get to a hotel, I love to fill up a bath, take my kindle and disappear for about an hour. While I do this, Nick will often do bodyweight exercises in the room. Once we’ve both had some downtime, we are ready to come back together and hang out some more.
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| Mount Rushmore today! |
5. Be flexible. You have things you want to do, see and eat while traveling. So does your spouse. Hopefully, you both want the same things most of the time. But when you don’t, make sure you take turns so that no one feels like their wants or needs don’t matter.
6. Have designated roles. I usually plan the big things on the trip, like the major highlights and Bucket List items we will cross off. But, Nick will come in at the last minute and choose the actual stops and book hotels. Decide who will do what so that the responsibilities are shared.
7. Get enough sleep. You’ll be tempted to skimp on this. We get excited to have cable in our hotel room, since we don’t have it at home. Or we will stay up late hanging out with friends and family. But, we are much nicer when we sleep enough.
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| Faroe Islands 2012 |
8. Say thank you. Most likely, your spouse is doing a lot to make this trip fun for you. Recognize the things they do to take care of you and thank them for it.
9. Remember to have fun. Travel can often be stressful because of all of the unknowns around you. Take things slow, be patient, go with the flow and don’t get upset when things don’t go as planned.
Do you and your spouse travel together well? Please share your words of wisdom with me!
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