Travel

4 Tips for Planning Your First Getaway with a New Partner

posted on November 8, 2019 | by Heather Bien

You’ve been dating for a few months. You’re seeing each other a few times a week, have met each other’s friends, and things are starting to look like they could get serious. The next step is to plan a vacation together, right?!

That first trip together can be a make or break moment. If you travel well together and have a wonderful time, you’ll have memories that you’ll look back on for years. If things go from stressful to worse, then you may start rethinking whether this trip has bigger implications. Of course, there’s also the third option –– something goes totally off course and you make the best of it, a sure sign that you two are able to go with the flow together (yes, that’s a story for another day…).

So, how do you set yourself up for a successful first trip with a new partner? Here are our tips for a getaway that you’ll have you planning your next as soon as you get home.

Stick to a Long Weekend

Sure, you could plan a week-long excursion for your first vacation, but there’s something to be said for easing into it. You don’t know each other’s travel styles. You may not have spent endless days in a row together. Keep it light, easy, and short. Three days away is a perfect escape for your first trip as a couple.

Have an Itinerary, but Keep it Loose

You don’t want to spend your entire getaway looking up ideas on TripAdvisor, so go in with a few highlights already plugged into the itinerary. Schedule a trendy dinner, drinks at a cozy local spot, or an adventurous excursion that gets you both out of your comfort zone. But, keep either the afternoon or the morning free to sleep in, have a lazy cup of coffee, or a couple of hours spent wandering a new place. Build time into the itinerary to just relax.

Splurge on the Nicer Accommodations

I’m all about traveling on a budget, but your first trip with a new partner isn’t the time to cut corners. Not that we want to set the expectations too high on a first trip, but treat yourselves so even if the weather is terrible or you’re exhausted from a busy day of exploring, at least you have a comfortable hotel room from which to order room service.

Another tip on accommodations: if you can help it, don’t book one of those trendy hotel rooms that only have a frosted glass door between the bedroom and bathroom!

Don’t Cut it Close with Travel

You two are still in the honeymoon stage, so keep this trip as low stress as possible and don’t cut it close with travel plans. Avoid booking the 6 AM flight. Don’t leave on a road trip during rush hour. When it comes to travel, there’s already enough that you can’t control –– so, when it comes to the things that you can control, keep it stress-free. You don’t need a first big fight over a missed connection or a wrong exit.

All these tips aside, the most important thing to remember is to put aside expectations of a fairytale romantic vacation and just have fun. Enjoy each other’s company, have fun exploring a new place or showing your partner around one of your favorite cities, and don’t put too much pressure on the perfect trip –– there are many more where this came from.