Every Couple Should Take a Trip Together Once a Year
There will always be a reason not to travel.
Work gets busy. Money feels tight. The kids have endless activities. There's always something that makes "next year" seem like the better option. But next year has a funny way of becoming the year after that.
While I think travel is always worth prioritizing, there's one type of trip I believe every couple should make time for: a trip together every year. It doesn't have to be expensive or far away. Sometimes the best getaway is simply leaving your everyday routine behind for a day or two.
Break the Routine
Like most couples, my husband and I have settled into routines. We each have work, workouts, dinner, and bedtime. Lather, rinse and repeat. There's comfort in that rhythm, but travel gives us a chance to let go of these routines, which I believe is equally as important and healthy as having a routine.
Without the usual distractions, we end up having conversations we might never have at home. Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes to reconnect.
Try Out Your Partner’s Interests
I am a beach girl. Give me a pool or a beach, a good book, and a piña colada, and I could happily stay there for ten days straight. My husband…not so much. He would much rather spend his time hiking or doing something physically challenging.
Over the years, we've learned how to balance those different travel styles. He's introduced me to experiences I probably never would have chosen on my own, and I've shown him that it's okay to slow down and simply relax sometimes.
A quick overnight trip to Key Largo captured our different travel styles perfectly. We spent one day relaxing by the pool and the next hiking through a state park. It reminded me that some of the best trips aren't about compromising. Rather, they're about discovering why your partner loves something and finding that you enjoy it too.
Do What You Love Together
While you and your partner won't love all the same things, it's incredibly fun to build trips around the interests you do share. For my husband and me, that's history.
Our honeymoon in London was the perfect example. Every day felt like we were stepping into another chapter of history. We spent hours exploring places like the Churchill War Rooms, wandered through Oxford, and even stumbled upon a map store on Portobello Road that we've promised ourselves we'll visit every time we return.
Those are the memories that stay with me and that I will cherish forever. They weren't just about seeing famous places. They were about experiencing something we both genuinely love together. I think that's what makes those trips so special.
Create New Traditions
Travel has also given us traditions that I hope we'll keep for years to come. During our honeymoon in London, we made it a point to stop at a different pub every day. for what we called our "daily pint." It's a tradition we've already decided we'll continue anytime we return to the UK.
Creates Something to Look Forward to Together
This one may be the most obvious, but that doesn't make it any less true. Having a trip on the calendar gives you both something to look forward to. Before you even leave, you get to spend time together researching restaurants, excursions, hotels, or Airbnbs and imagining all of the memories you'll make and the things you will get to do.
I truly believe it's healthy to always have something to look forward to, and planning a trip together might be just the happiness boost you didn't know you needed!
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So book the weekend away. Take the road trip. Stay in the little inn twenty minutes from home or whatever your budget allows..
Years from now, I don't think you'll remember the emails you answered or the errands you ran. I think you'll remember laughing over dinner in a new city, getting lost together, trying something neither of you has ever done before, and creating memories that belonged to just the two of you.
