My husband and I have taken multiple short and long trips in the past 2.5 years we’ve gotten married.
And to be fair, we have (kind of) gotten obsessed with it.
Not only in terms of going out and exploring places together but also in terms of planning for the trip, binge-watching travel videos/programs on TV, trying out new restaurants, or putting up a bucket list of our wishes and goals.
If we’re not traveling, we’re either planning some or another trip or checking out new places to travel.
What we didn’t realize was how much traveling would teach us about each other’s personalities and how much it would bring us closer. An evening coffee conversation about the same inspired me to write this article:)
1. We introduced new experiences to each other
I never knew I was afraid of heights.
Not all kinds of heights. I was okay with paragliding (200 ft above the ground) but not okay with walking on a rope that was 50 feet above the ground. Don’t ask me why. However, with my husband forcing me to attempt it on the last trip, I went half the way through and came back. It was still not the entire length, but it was something. Felt damn proud!
Similarly, after I pushed my partner to float in a river (between river rafting, they allowed us to get into the water for some time), he loved the experience! So while he had always been afraid of water, now he has become okay (kind of) to get into it with me.
2. It forced us to pause our hectic lives and reflect on ourselves
2019 was a hectic time for both of us. We had just gotten married. I was new to my job, fresh out of graduation. We were still settling into adulthood and getting used to managing our finances.
But, looking back, all the golden memories we made that year were through our travels.
More than just the experience of visiting new places, traveling gave us a change in our schedule. When you’re with the same person 24 hours a day, you are forced to sort out your unspoken differences or problems. That’s what happened with us too.
Sometimes we did have things to talk about, and sometimes we didn’t. And when we didn’t, there was precious peaceful silence. Precious because pre-pandemic we hardly got any silence with work and home:)
3. It allows you to see new sides of your partner
While I was aware of this difference between us as a couple, it hit me hard during our travels. I’m an extremely impulsive person who will get head-first into any adventure/activity, while my partner thinks 1000 times before getting into anything.
While I’m not a person who thinks through things before getting into it (which did bite me in the a*s sometimes), my partner thinks through all the positive and negative scenarios before approaching anything.
This attitude proved to be advantageous since I used to push him out of his comfort zones and live his life and little, and he pulled me back when I went too rash about our plans.
4. You learn how to work as a team (strengths and weaknesses)
It took some time to figure out, but we slowly found our grove working as a team.
I realized that I was good at finding discounts in hotels/trains/flights and planning the whole trip, while my husband was amazing at packing stuff. So the entire clothes department went to him, including repacking during our travel, while I planned our itinerary and found good restaurants.
A couple of years later, we now know exactly what to do in case of an upcoming trip, which makes things so much easier to deal with. It’s has become an unwritten rule in our household. Also, it felt like a mini-project that we put our efforts in to see the results.
5. Traveling together makes you practice give and take
Traveling together is not the same as staying together. You face multiple challenges, beautiful moments, and hardships. As a working couple, most of our regular days went in our day jobs, household chores, etc. But while traveling, you have to stay (or should I say ‘deal’…haha) with your partner 24/7.
For example, as mentioned above, he had to deal with my impulsiveness, and I had to deal with him being too cautious. There were a ton of other small things too. Everything came into play, from food preferences to mood swings, from travel choices to mode of transportation.
But the give and take are what made us understand each other more.
6. You learn how each of you handles emergencies
This was one more fact which hit me like a freight train. I’m horrible at handling emergencies, while he’s too good at it.
We (almost) fell off the hill this one time due to Google Maps, and both of us had gotten injured. While I freaked out, I saw him calmly manage the bike park onto the side and immediately rushing to help me. It was only later I realized that he was indeed freaking out inside and had to park the bike first because it was a slope. It would have come tumbling down otherwise.
In defense, I had hit my head hard and had hurt my hand. But after that, I realized that I need to learn to be calm like him if I ever want to travel solo in the future.
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Most important of all the above experiences? We shared memories.
Till today, most of the best memories we share are during our travels. From the give and take, the deep conversations, experiencing new things together, the small push and pull fights, meeting new people and having wonderful conversations with them, traveling with friends… each shared memory is etched into my heart.
And I’m sure it’s the same for him.
There is no more immense feeling than experiencing the same new thing with your partner. You cannot compare the adrenaline rush, the combined euphoria, and the connection you develop through these travels to any other experience.
As I’m writing this, I’m filled with gratitude to have gotten a chance to travel so much with him, and I hope we continue our travels in the future too.
Originally published here.