12 Benefits of Traveling as a Couple

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When we say we should date our significant other, usually it means go out to the mall, movies, or a dinner out at a romantic restaurant. While to some, it may be a weekend out of town trip, a two week holiday, or a six month backpacking adventure traveling from one country to another. 

Going out as a couple, different folks have different ideas of what romantic may be. It may be a posh five star hotel or camping out at the beach with your loved one, under the great big night sky with infinite marvel of bright stars from the heavens.


Even according to a survey conducted by a US based organization, couples who travel together are generally happier, as it strengthens relationships and ignites romance.

Still not convinced? Below are more reasons why you should travel more with your significant other:

1. Common Plans and Goals

A common ambition and goal is to see and travel the world together. The feeling of excitement and longing of planning new destinations, then committing themselves to more adventures definitely bonds couples and offers them a reason to always be together.

Kalinga - Our DIY trip Whang-Od to get traditional tattoo, and experience their culture. Before she was granted with National Treasure status in 2016, and featured on local news, there were only a handful of people queued in for a tattoo.

2. Sharing Same Experiences With Your Partner

One of the good and simple reasons why you should travel as a couple. You will have each other at your side to enjoy and share your adventures, and encounters with and when you are back home, your new shared travel experiences will last longer because you both can always go back at it over and over again. Both of you might forget the expensive thing you bought a few years ago, but we doubt that you will forget that time when you went out camping at the beach, or got lost in a strange but nice city with your partner.

Mt. Pinatubo - On the way to see its majestic crater lake

3. Can Borrow From Someone If You Forgot Something

If you need extra shirt, or ran out of something, its either you can ask and check your partner's bag and borrow some. If it is really something you need as, you can always ask your partner to go out to the nearest convenient store and buy some stuff. A few instances where he borrowed cologne to freshen up, and sometimes to run and buy food for midnight snack.

Mt. Pulag - At the summit, tired, cold, under equipped, yet we managed to survive.

4. Understanding and Adjusting to Each Other's Limitation

Traveling exposes us, not only to the outside world but also to each other. Couples tend to see and reveal both their own and their partners strengths, weaknesses and be able to figure how to harmonize and suit each other on these parts as you keep on discovering new paths and destinations in travel and in life.

Rolling Hills, Batanes - Sitting beside each other quietly, yet felt like we were having an important conversation that we will cherish forever.

5. Better Communication

According to this survey, couples who travel together agree better and have fewer disagreements than couples who don’t travel together. Traveling makes them more understanding and patient for each other.

Palaui Island, Cagayan - Facing Dos Hermanos Island enjoying the cool breeze and each others company.

6. Save Money

When you travel as a couple, more often it does make it a bit cheaper. Imagine, if you are traveling solo, you pay for a $50/night room, while as a couple, same amount would get you both settled for the night at the same room rate. You can also buy bigger sized food and drinks as opposed to ordering one of each, which comes out cheaper. Also, you can share camera (unless you are both photography hobbyist or professionals), phone, guidebook and other things that need not to be purchased individually.

Cordillera Region - Top-loading a jeep on the way to Kalinga Province just like the locals do it. Offers better view, and cool breeze, but you have to rough it up a little.

7. Try Different Things Together
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​The irreplaceable treasure carved in your hearts and minds when experiencing something together can be everlasting. When something new is learned, it somehow creates a memory that will be forever unique to their relationships. In the same light, travelling always offers the opportunity for learning new things, the same learning experience of who you are with, bonds couples more together.

Pagudpud - Checking out the strong waves in the beautiful Blue Lagoon beach.

8. They Are More Forgiving
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Travelling offers more room for mistakes to be made and faults to be revealed. However, there are always obstacles along the way and couples who travel together understand the need for forgiving each other, learning from their mistakes, and quickly and moving forward.

Apo Island, Dauin - Swimming with the sea turtles

9. It Takes the Pressure Off

Traveling on your own can be exhausting from carefully planning everything and every move, and being completely aware of what is going on all the time. When you are traveling as a couple, the  responsibilities can be shared to take the pressure off. A few instances that proves useful is like when you are on a long land travel via train, one of you can sleep while the other stays awake to make sure that you don’t miss your stop. Another is when in an airport, one person can watch the bags or do other task while the other goes to stand in a long queue. By doing so, not only does it take the pressure off, it can also make your moves more efficient.

10. Someone to Take Care of You When Not Feeling Well

​There are times when you are on the road and you will not feel good and nothing is worse than being sick and alone. Your partner can always watch over you, do a medicine run to the nearest pharmacy for you and take care of you until you are ready to get up and go out exploring again.

11. You Feel Safer
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Traveling as a couple means that there will always be someone looking out for you to make sure that you are safe and everything is fine. Certainly, your parents and relatives are better knowing that when you are walking down some dark streets in a foreign city, you have your partner walking next to you reduces the probability that a creepy person would approach. Keeping an eye on each other’s pockets and baggages, help the other back to the hostel when had too much to drink, pull each other out of the path of a speeding jeepney and just generally have each other’s back.

12. More Photos of Yourself
Traveling as a couple will have lots more great photos of yourself in nice places. The old 'arm's length selfie snapshot' usually can't capture the nice background and it is a lot better to have a partner take your picture than asking strangers to take a photo of your weird pose.

Not yet satisfied, here are some more scientific articles

Another study show that those who took time off for a short vacation were happier than those who did not, mostly because they were excited in anticipation for their vacation. They also showed signs of slightly increased happiness for two weeks after they returned from vacation. So, the trick for success, says the study’s leader, Jeroen Nawijn, seems to be taking two or more short breaks spread out in the year rather than one massive vacation. Choose to be happy, take vacations!

New cultures and cuisines will give you a whole new array of ideas you can bring back to work.

Think of your vacation as a very relaxing and stress-free way to get some more work done. A study published in the US National Library of Medicine concludes that multicultural experiences help foster creativity and help generate ideas. However, this shouldn’t be working abroad. 

The study emphasizes that the experience will only promote creativity when the situation doesn’t call for “firm answers or existential concerns.”

**All Photos used in this blog are by us, unless otherwise specified

Sources:
https://www.ustravel.org - US Travel Organization
www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/pubs/vmt_gdp/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18377107 - US National Library of Medicine
Nawijn et al. Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2010; DOI: 10.1007/s11482-009-9091-9