Have you ever thought of traveling together as a couple? Have you wondered how that would be? Before you pack your backpack and lease your apartment, you should read some interesting stories.
Last week when we presented first 10 traveling couples we promised to bring next 9 soon. So here we go! We hope that you enjoy their answers and that you will find some inspiration before you set up to travel as a couple.
- Why would you suggest other couples to travel the world together?
- What are the most important lessons that you have learnt while traveling together?
- What are your travel plans for upcoming months?
- Who are your favorite couple travel bloggers?
11) Sweet Distance
– Some clever guy once said; “If you can last for 3 months on the road with your girlfriend – marry her.” Traveling as a couple is a completely unique experience: there’s nothing else to hold onto than each other. Living on the road together, Alex and I truly feel like we’ve gotten to know each other in ways we’d have never thought one could know another person. But as clever guy indicated, it’s not without challenges; traveling together as a couple, you will find yourself in stressful, strange, unexpected and even dangerous situations and it will take all of your love and all of your patience to get through it without ripping each others heads off. But if you do, you will learn to love each other more wholly, completely and honestly than you’d think possible. Away from all other interferences you can explore each other fully.
– We’ve found that we’re both largely a product of our respective cultures (I am Danish, Alex is American) and through our travels and our relationship, we’ve both learned to recognize and understand the flaws and strengths our cultures have imposed on us, allowing us to work with it. I guess you could say traveling has broadened our view and taught us that we’re citizens of “planet earth” rather than “Denmark” or “United States”.
– We are traveling because we cannot live together in our home countries, being from two different parts of the world. Our goal is to travel until we can document that we’ve “lived together” for 2 years, allowing us to apply for a spouse visa in Denmark. One year in, we’re currently traveling through Eastern Europe and will be continuing east. All we know is we’ll arrive back in Denmark next summer to hand in a giant scrap book to the Danish government and then hopefully stay in Copenhagen! Until then… I guess we’ll make our way around the globe.
– We admire the couple of neverendingvoyage.com. Simon and Erin are not only the creators of the very most important app for our travels (the TrailWallet app), they’re also the first travel bloggers I ever stumbled upon. Before leaving, we used their blog a whole lot to gain knowledge on how to travel with nothing but a carry-on. We’ve now been going for a year out of two small backpacks by using their advice.
12) 365 Travel Dates
– We believe that stepping out of our comfort zones is one of the greatest builders of character and for us a test and strengthening of our relationship. We get to see ourselves out of whatever bubble we create at home and learn to face difficulties on the road together.
Aside from that there’s this overwhelming sense of love we feel from this world. As a result we are able to reciprocate that love with the people and cultures we encounter. We continue to see the goodness in the world away from the toxic mainstream media pours on us and we have a deeper sense of connection, compassion, forgiveness, and love for our neighbors. When we have certain simple experiences such as walking on the beach, sitting on long bus rides in foreign lands, or watching the sunset we’re able to share those experiences with each other. It’s not enough to have an experience, we yearn to share them, to laugh, smile, and commune with each other. Love is meant to be shared- the journey, the travel, the backpacking, it’s all just an expression of how we love.
For couples traveling, allow yourself to be loved and accepted. Know that your capable of great things both individually and as a team. Dream big and seek miracles everyday, you’ll be surprised at what happens when you open yourselves up, even if you may be vulnerable. There is the sense of security with being together affirm each other in that during tough times.
– There are so many lessons we’ve taken from our experiences as expats and as long term travelers. A lot of them come from the ideas of simplicity, being in the moment, and being content with what you have. Our hearts go out to so many of the people who are able to live through hardships that are inherited from being born in the developing world. While those in a higher socio-economic bracket “have more than enough” there’s still a struggle to finding happiness as opposed to those living on fewer dollars. We imagine this is due to having just enough. The distraction of having to much creates a lot of unnecessary stress and problems. These days we feel more connected to that simplicity versus that of the consumerism culture that we usually go back to.
In our relationship we’ve learned to work together, be more patient and compromise more gracefully. We’ve learned more about each other’s strengthens, weaknesses and passions. We continue to try knew things both individually and as a couple. We realize that the people we were when we first met each other are completely different to who we are today and that’s not a bad thing.
– We recently ended our trip in Ecuador quite abruptly because I accepted a job in Austria. We went to the states and the Philippines to get our visas but I needed more documents so instead of starting work in September we extended our honeymoon till November. We’ll be traveling the Philippines and it’s lovely beaches for the next couple of months while we gather documents and process our visa. From there we’ll be living and working in Austria and traveling different parts of Europe.
– There are so many great bloggers out there that we’ve enjoyed reading most have become part of our blogging support community. We met Kach and Jon from Two Monkeys Travel and really appreciate the advice and love they’ve shared with us. Anna and Tom from Adventure In Youhave also been great to us and they blog a lot about places see interested mainly Asia. Anne and Mike from Honeytrek are an amazing couple and have also been killing it in the blogging world.
13) Different Doors
– Travelling together as a couple is a great exercise in solidifying your relationship and truly getting to know one another. Being stuck in a foreign country, going through some crazy experiences travel throws at you, discovering new things, and having someone special to share all of that with is just the tip of the iceberg!
– We’ve learnt that although our interests are so varied, it’s important to agree on some of the most important things like why we travel and how we want to experience a new place. Balancing out each other with a bit of being willing to explore each other’s interests while also putting aside a little me-time to follow your own, keeping a clear line of communication and laying out expectations, sharing the duties and looking out for one another are great learnings, not just for destinations but for navigating relationships too!
– Coming up, we’re looking forward to being in Bangkok for TBEX and then we’re heading to Prague and the rest of the Czech Republic for the winter! So excited!
– Lara and Terence of Gran Tourismo were our inspiration to start blogging. We also love Nic and Paul – The Roaming Renegades!
14) The Travel Tester
– If there is one way to get to know each other best, it’s travelling. When you’re out of your comfort zone, you will show your true self and if you still like each other then… well, you’re meant to be together!
– We met while we were both travelling and have been living abroad together for more than 4 years, in 3 different countries. I think our most important lesson is that no matter how difficult the challenge or where in the world you are, you will always find your way!
– We will travel to Portugal for a wedding and have just booked ourselves a trip to New York. We’ve never been here before and it’s our first ‘real’ vacation together since a long time! As bloggers, travel is always work, so it’s nice to go on a trip just for yourself sometimes.
– Paul and Karen from globalhelpswap.com are a fantastic couple. They have a great energy, make amazing (responsible!) journeys and we’re happy to have them as our friends.
15) Travelationship
– Traveling the world together isn’t just about us seeing the world. For us, traveling is to share experiences together around the world.
We started traveling together within 4 months of meeting in 2011 and haven’t stopped. Before we met we were solo travelers with the same desire to visit as many places as possible. Our common passion for traveling & our like-minded travel style have served as a solid base for our travelationship.
If you are a couple considering traveling the world together we recommend discussing your expectations before you go. It takes work, patience and dedication to keep moving forward not only in your plans but in your relationship as well. Share responsibilities or take turns; don’t expect one team member to carry the load. Be open to scheduling time apart; spend a day by yourself to recharge or remember what it’s like to miss your partner. Don’t stress too much about the when and where; in the end how you got there together or what you did together will be the treasured memory.
– Communication is key in any type of situation. We work hard to communicate well not only with each other but with everyone we meet in our travels. We can not stress enough to learn a few words and phrases in the local language. We write the words on a little card to carry with us or type it in our phone. Being kind, respectful and making an effort to communicate has led to some of our best adventures and some lifelong friendships.
– Currently, we are in Rwanda, Africa. In September, we will head to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar through the beginning of October. We are still deciding where to go after Zanzibar. The list includes Malawi, Mozambique and Botswana for now, but could change at any time. We are considering a couple housesitting and volunteer opportunities in different African countries. The goal is to stay in Africa for the next 4-6 months then travel to Oceania next.
– Long Haul Trekkers – They are not only cycling Europe, but they are cycling Europe with their dog. They rock! www.longhaultrekkers.com.
Green Global Travel – We do our best to travel as ethically responsible as possible. GGT has useful tips and examples on how you can be green while traveling. www.greenglobaltravel.com
16) Les Travels
– There’s a certain element of life that can only be experienced through travel. With each new city, bus ride, and adventure discovered, couples who travel together get to build trust, patience and flexibility as a partnership. That’s what makes traveling so special.
– Enjoy the moment is a big one! It’s easy to caught up in today’s Snapchat era, thinking that every moment we travel is a prime photo opportunity Oh, that and, a good playlist makes a road trip unforgettable.
– We are traveling next to Mendocino, California: to wine country! We’re also planning our wedding so we’re on the lookout for great honeymoon locations! Any place that we can jump off cliffs or find the next thrill. We are always up for adventure.
– As far as bloggers go, we love Ben and Charli from the UK (WanderlustersUK), the Canadian team LimitlessDuo and the adventure travel couple Divergenttravel from Wisconsin.
17) Kathmandu and beyond
– We would suggest everyone travels, not just couples! That said, there are definitely benefits to travelling as a couple. Sharing is the number one reason – a shared experience makes travel all the more enriching, but there are practical benefits too – shared costs and responsibility and sharing a bed! If you travel smart as a couple you can also travel lighter by sharing things like toiletries, adapters and guidebooks.
We’ve both travelled solo too which also has its benefits. They are just different experiences – there’s no wrong or right way to travel. Having said that, the companionship after almost seven years of nomadic travel as a couple is comforting and it would be hard to imagine travelling solo for this long.
– There are probably a lot of things that we should have learned better than we have! Acceptance – you’re together 24/7 and that is not always easy. You have to take each other for what you are, through the good and the bad. There’s nothing like getting to know your partner when you both have an extreme case of food poisoning and only one bathroom!
– We travel full-time but we’re just coming to the end of six weeks travelling through the Caucasus – Georgia, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh – and our next destination is Ukraine from where we plan to travel through Poland.
By the end of the year, we’ll either be back in Asia, a region that we love and know very well, or Mexico, a country we’ve previously visited but are keen to explore more of. At least that’s the current plan – it could have all changed by the time you read this!
– If Eric and Wanda Newby were travelling today and writing a blog instead of books, it would be them …
A good travel blog is a good travel blog whether it’s written by a couple or an individual so we tend not to categorise the sites we enjoy by who’s written them – it’s more about engaging content and great photographs for us. Having said that, travel blogs we do enjoy that happen to be run by couples include: Road Affair, The Travels of BBQ Boy and Spanky and many more…
18) Forget Someday
– We suggest that couples do whatever makes them happy and for us that means traveling the world together! It makes us happy because we are experiencing new cultures and customs, new foods and new languages, and making new memories together each and every day. No two days are alike and it most certainly never gets boring! So to other couples who desire to travel the world together- stop coming up with reasons why you can’t! FORGET SOMEDAY and do what you can TODAY to make your travel dreams become a reality!
– Though we haven’t experienced too many major bumps in the road, we’ve learned to not get upset over the things we can’t control and to be flexible. Things most certainly won’t always go according to plan and things will go wrong (like the time we got on the wrong train going in the wrong direction). In the end we have to remember why we started this journey and that was to feed our sense of adventure, however that may come!
– We’ll be in Croatia for the next 3 weeks exploring the islands before heading up to Germany to visit friends and experience Oktoberfest. After that, it’s onto Budapest where we’ll start a 15-day river cruise with Viking River Cruises, visiting many small towns in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands along the Danube, Rhine, and Main Rivers. The cruise ends in Amsterdam where we will catch a plane to Thailand to explore SE Asia for a few months! It’ll be a whirlwind, but we can’t wait!
– Pete and Dalene from Hecktic Travels have very similar travel tastes to us, so we enjoy reading of their smaller town travels.
19) No Place To Be
– When you’re standing on top of a mountain taking in the gorgeous view or floating in the crystal clear waters off the coast of some tropical country, who would you rather share the moment with? The love of your life or Dave from the dorm room who kept you up with his snoring all night? We think it’s an easy decision.
– It’s very important to listen to each other and be honest. Being up front about what you want, especially in already stressful travel situations can be the difference between the trip of a lifetime or a time to forget.
– We’ve just moved to Bucharest, Romania so the next few months will mostly involve getting to know our new home and trying to learn some of the language. However, I’m sure it won’t be long until we crave a trip and head out of the city with our tent. We’re incredibly excited to be living in Eastern Europe, a place we’ve not spent much time, and can’t wait to jump in our car and see where the road takes us.
– The first couple that come to mind are Dave and Deb of The Planet D. One look at their website and you’ll instantly wish you could do even half of what they’ve managed to do over the last few years, adventure travel at it’s best.
