We have often suggested that travel is very good for people, and that couples who enjoy traveling together have a better chance of staying together.
Experts have been studying the effects of travel on couples for years, and the news is good. Research highlights four main points about the impact of travel on long-term relationships.
Number one: one to two extended leisure vacations a year help maintain romantic relationships.
Duh! When you and your partner are keeping your noses to the grindstone all year long, the stressors of daily life can push unwanted wear and tear on your relationship. Vacations and longer trips disrupt routine for couples entrenched in daily work and family life. “Partners who once sparkled in each others’ presence can find it difficult to maintain passion when routines define their every interaction. Habituation makes for dullness and dullness tends to make unhappy relationships,” Psychology Today writes.
Number two: Self-expansion on vacations is linked to romantic passion and relationship satisfaction.
You could learn to play a new board game on a Saturday night or master a new song at the karaoke bar at home. Or you could learn to surf with your partner in Costa Rica, go skydiving or skiing in the Swiss Alps, swim with sharks in the Bahamas, learn to ride a Vespa in Naples, or attend a meditation retreat in the Thai mountains. Relationship psychology has long indicated that trying new things with your partner intensifies your bonds, and expanding your skill sets and knowledge of the world can increase your attraction to and for your partner. New stimulus and shared success are prime fuel for a continued healthy connection.
Number three: Couples with more novel experiences report more physical intimacy post-vacation.
Those feelings of excitement at your new shared adventure (surfing, meditating, growing, learning) carry over into the bedroom. After months of getting into the same daily routine, switching it up by dropping a vacation into your schedule can be a much needed respite from the mundane in and out of every day. Get spicy and hop on a flight!
Number four: Vacations are a methodological extension of the self-expansion model.
Traveling can be challenging. Planning an itinerary, agreeing with your partner on where to go and how to best spend your time and managing finances can be stressful for couples who enjoy vacationing. But marriage and family therapist Eden Garcia-Balis told USA Today that couples must immerse themselves in new experiences, and work together to navigate unfamiliar environments, plan logistics, and overcome challenges together.
All this research and advice seems to lead to an obvious conclusion: It’s time to pack your bags and enjoy your life together as a couple!
