Finding Romance on Your First Couple’s Trip

Travel seems like it should be the ultimate romantic gesture. With a landscape of exhilarating and wonderful experiences ahead of you, and nothing familiar but the person by your side, it should hardly be surprising that travel is something many brand-new couples make plans for Paris, Santorini and other far-flung, romantic destinations.

However, it quickly becomes obvious that travel isn’t as love-inducing as most people expect. The tedium, the stress and the thrills are all quite overwhelming, leaving little time or energy for the emotions you need to experience romance, like compassion and yearning. As a result, many new couples end up dissolving during or shortly after their first big trip — which isn’t at all what they wanted.

If you want to travel with your new SO but want to ensure that you feel the warm and fuzzies, read this guide to finding romance on your first couple’s trip.

Don’t Go Somewhere Too Different

Travelers like to go far and wide to find a totally unique experience — but that’s not the best idea for your first trip as a couple. Being in different country with a different language and a different culture can seriously elevate stress levels, applying unnecessary tension onto your newish relationship.

Instead, you should travel somewhere new that is a bit closer to home. A good option is Niagara Falls: full of natural wonder and new adventure opportunities, but with a somewhat familiar environment. You can find affordable hotels in Niagara Falls, Canada close to the best action, such as river tours, gorgeous parks, wine country and quaint towns like Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Don’t Go Somewhere Too Expensive

You aren’t at the stage where you are splitting the grocery bill or buying a shared vehicle, so you probably shouldn’t each be dropping thousands of dollars on this trip. Again, the higher costs climb, the greater stress you will feel in your relationship, the greater the likelihood that romance will fizzle, and love will fade.

Instead of planning a two-week affair, you can keep costs down by limiting your first couple’s trip to a quick weekend away. You should also try to stay close to home, perhaps trekking to a nearby campground or a cosmopolitan city within driving distance. If you do want to jet-set, try to avoid crossing too many time zones, which will add unsexy jetlag while increasing your bill.

Don’t Carve Your Schedule in Stone

As much as you might enjoy building a travel itinerary, setting your plans in stone isn’t a good idea for your first vacation together for a few reasons. First, travel is nothing if not chaotic; your plane could be delayed, your hotel might be overbooked, attractions might close on certain days, and weather might fail. You can’t plan for every contingency, so you should be flexible with your plans.

Second, because this is your first trip as a couple, you probably don’t know how your partner likes to travel. If you make all the plans according to your preferences, its likely that your SO will feel disappointed or left out. Either work together to make a list of events that interest you both, or keep your schedule loose and expect changes.

Do Plan a Romantic Surprise

In fact, you might purposefully leave your schedule open to make room for a romantic surprise. This could take many forms, depending on your partner’s interests. For example, you might dedicate a day of your vacation to the spa, or you could surprise them with a picnic lunch at the end of a scenic hike. Surprises almost always increase the romance, especially when they take unique, personal preferences and passions into consideration.

Do Avoid the Crowds

There is a reason that the quintessential depiction of romance is a couple alone, strolling slowly in a gorgeous setting: There is little less romantic than getting jostled around by other eager tourists. Thus, as much as you can, you should ditch the crowds and find other places to spend time together. This might mean avoiding main attractions at your destination, or else visiting those popular places only during off periods of the day, week or year. You should find places where you can carry on a conversation and not feel rushed in any way.

Do Communicate Better Than Normal

If you haven’t gotten the gist already, here’s a breakdown: Travel is stressful, and it is especially stressful when you are trying to coordinate with someone new. To reduce stress and enhance romance, your best strategy is to communicate with your SO as thoroughly as possible. Even before you take your first steps toward your destination, you should be communicating openly and honestly about your hopes and dreams (and fears) for this vacation, so your partner knows what to expect — and they should be doing the same for you. Then, you will both return home feeling stronger in your relationship and ready for another big trip somewhere else.