Tips for Surviving Your First Vacation Together

The first vacation with your new significant other is a milestone in your relationship. Not only is it a sign (and statement) of commitment, but it can speed up your process of getting to know each other. As anyone who's ever traveled knows, when you remove the comforts of home and replace them with new surroundings and experiences, your personality can't help but shine through - for better or for worse. Traveling demands a certain amount of flexibility; after all, you're in a place where you have much less control over your surroundings than you would at home. Because we often idealize the trip as an incredibly romantic fairytale, we can be disappointed when our unreasonable expectations fail to come true. With some guidelines and a bit of preparation, however, we can avoid unnecessary traveling stress and enjoy one another.

Tips for Surviving Your First Vacation Together

1. Create the vacation together. When you're both involved in the planning, there's no room for blame in case something goes wrong with the accommodations, flight, weather, etc

2. Split the tab down the middle if possible. When it's early on in the relationship, it's much less stressful when each partner is taking care of their own monetary needs. Worrying about who has paid for what and what is expected financially will not help you relax on vacation. Make sure both partners are comfortable with the amount of money being spent as well.

3. Make sure you're on the same page with how you'll spend your time on the vacation before you leave. Some people enjoy relaxing and doing nothing, while others need stimulation and to explore. If you do not agree, pre-plan a compromise so you can both enjoy the vacation and are not catering to just one person's needs.

4. Do not save surprises or revelations about yourself for your vacation. It's not fair to spring the unknown on someone when they're minus the comfort of their surroundings. Confessions on vacation will more than likely create a gap between you, so they should be made before traveling.

5. Talk about any doubts or fears you have before the vacation. Letting such things fester and weigh down what's supposed to be a relaxing and fun time is counter-productive.

6. Avoid at all costs playing the blame game. Sometimes when we're out of our surroundings we blame others for things out of our control. This is childish behavior and will get you nowhere.

7. Keep your alcohol consumption in check to avoid unnecessary embarrassment.

8. Remember why you're there - to enjoy each other and get to know one another better. Flirting with other people or leaving your partner alone so you can hang out with new friends is a no-no.

9. Keep an open mind and let things happen naturally. Vacations do not have the same rules as your life does at home - micromanaging your time away defeats the purpose.

10. Stay sensitive to your partner's needs and moods. Vacations are a great way to improve your communication skills and create greater intimacy - use this to your advantage and take your relationship to the next level.