Best Tips for a Road Trip as a Couple
I strongly recommend roadtripping for couples . . . my partner and I find it extremely rewarding, as you get to explore places together, listen to music and have deep conversations.
If you are thinking of taking a road trip as a couple, you are at the right place, because I am about to share some great road trip tips that will make your trip enjoyable, and make sure that you have everything that you need for it.
Road trips can be super long, and you want to make sure that your partner and you have the best time together, and that the road trip goes as smoothly as possible.
So, here are some tips to make your road trip more enjoyable:
Road Trip For Couples: Your First Trip Together
If you are thinking of taking a road trip with your partner, you may be thinking of how to plan a successful roadtrip, but you may miss certain information and you may not have the full story of what to expect.
Road Trips are fun, but they can also be stressful if you don’t know each other well. You are a couple, and you need to know what the other person is like so that you are able to accommodate them better. If you are a new couple, there may be a few surprises for you guys.
For your first roadtrip together, there are certain things that you need to consider, like if they are an early riser or not, do they want to stop at every garage to stretch their legs and possibly buy something at the shops? Are you united in the type of music that you want to play in the car as you drive?
All these can be a little tricky, and you might need to have a conversation about it.
Make Sure You Really Like Each Other
If you are going on a road trip with someone that you are dating, it goes without saying that liking the person is very important, because why are you dating them if you don’t like them?
A road trip that forces you to be in the car for ours at a time with someone can be somewhat challenging, especially when it comes to certain things that they do that can rub you off the wrong way.
As a couple, you are not going to like/love every single thing that your partner does, and a roadtrip may highlight certain things that tick you off about your partner. For example, it might be a bummer for you, if the only music your partner wants to listen to the entire 6 hours that you are on the road is amapiano.
But this is where compromise and being flexible comes in, you hae to be able to do that as a couple.
Choose a Shorter Road Trip to Start
Doing a road trip across country might be cool, however don’t take this route if this is your first road trip as a couple.
Start with a shorter road trip that just takes 2 or three hours before you embark on a roadtrip trip that forces you to be on the road with your partner for 6 hours a day. Take this is a test-drive, so you can pick up certain things about your partner that you wouldn’t be aware of otherwise, and address whatever issues may arise during the trip.
Communication is Key
As with any relationship, being able to communicate effectively is key.
It is required for great relationships, and it’s also required for you to have a great trip. Misunderstandings that go unresolved have the potential to take away from your trip in a negative way, and you need to be able to nip in the bud certain unpleasant things that arise as you do your road trip.
Sometimes, small matters can turn into big arguments because of a lack of communication, so it is important that you are able to listen to each other and communicate in a manner that makes your partner feel cared for, loved and understood.
Attack the problem, and never each other.
Road Trip For Couples: Planning
Plan your Road Trip Together
If you are going on a roadtrip together, you need to plan it together so that it’s not one sided. Planning it together will make sure the both of you are catered for, not just the interests of one of you.
You both need to answer certain questions for the trip, such as where you are headed to for your trip, what activities you would like to do, what places do you want to stop at, the music that you will be playing in the car, food and snacks for the journey and more.
All this will require talking about it and making plans for it.
Limit the activities
It’s a road trip, the whole point of it is to enjoy it to the max. Excitement can have you packing too many activities in a day, which can leave you overwhelmed.
The whole point of going away is to have fun, to relax, create beautiful memories and reset, so make sure you plan your trip so that it allows for that, not have the day so packed that you are rushing from one activity to the next.
We are deinitely guilty of packing too many activities for fear of missing out, but all it does is to leave us tired and overwhelmed. Rather plan a few things and focus on what you want to do the most.
The whole point of this is to have fun, not to be running around from one activity to the next.
Be Flexible
Yes planning is great, but nothing is cast in stone. You need to be able to bend and compromise. Because as a couple, it will be rare for you to like the exact same things and want to do the same things.
My partner is more of an outdoor person and she likes adventure, whereas I on the other hand am very happy to just be at a place and spend almost my entire time at the pool, or hot tub. This is a classic case of us working together to incorporate things that each one of us enjoys, and be open to doing things our significant other enjoys as well.
So be flexible, compromise and be open!
Get the Car Ready Before the Trip
An important question is whether you are doing your road trip using your car or a rented car?
If it’s your car, then you need to make sure that it’s healthy for the trip. For example, make sure that it’s well serviced, tyres are good and it’s in good condition. Address any issues that may cause trouble on the road.
Check that the spare tyre is good and secured if the car does not use run flat tyres.
If you are renting, a reputable rental company will make sure that they do everything for you to have a pleasant trip in a healthy car, so you should be ready to go.
Road Trip Tips For Couples: Money
It would be unwise to plan a road trip and not talk about money and how much the trip will cost. When you plan the trip, money definitely has to be spoken about, and the both of you should work on a budget together. I can’t tell you how many times we went way over budget because we allowed ourselves to be too flexible with the spending.
Have a plan for the money that will be needed for the accommodation, petrol, toll gates, food & drinks, activities and everything that you are planning to do.
If you are like me, you want to swipe for everything because you just don’t like carrying cash. But for a road trip, it is important to travel with some cash. Depending on where you are going, certain places don’t have card machines, so make sure that you have cash, as you don’t know when you may need it for payments.
Road Trip Tips For Couples: Packing
Packing for the trip is something that my partner and I enjoy, I think it’s related to the excitement that we are going away on vacation. While not everyone enjoys it, it’s something that I recommend, to make sure you don’t forget key things.
A List
Make a list of must have items that you need for your trip. There’s nothing worse than going to a place and realisisng that you left something important that affects the quality of your trip.
What you pack depends on where you are going and the activities that you will be doing, and it’s good to take into account things like weather, as it can determine what you need for your trip etc. About a week before departure, start creating your list and involve your partner in it, so you can both think of what you need and have it ready for packing.
Food
Food is a huge part of any vacation that you and your partner may take, so make sure you pack some yummies for the road and for when you get to your destination.
That applies for drinks as well. Packing your own drinks will save you money on the trip, and it will eliminate drinking something you don’t really like because they don’t have it where you are vacationing.
Lastly, make sure that you travel with a towel, and tissues, for those random spillages that may happen in the car.
Road Trip Tips For Couples: Things To Do
Places to See & Things to Do
A vacation is exciting, and there are things that you are going to be excited about, and those are the things that you need to prioritize for the trip.
As a couple, you need to create a list of places that you want to visit and things that you want to do. Make this a priority and plan it so that the both of you get to do what you want to see the places that are important for you to see, and for you to do the things that you are excited to do.
Date Night
Being on vacation means that the two of you are somewhere exciting and beautiful, away from the stress of your everyday life. Why not take advantage of the fact that you are not home, and plan a romantic date night?
Whether you setup something romantic in your room, or go to a fancy restaurant, date night is always a good idea, especially if you are travelling. Think romance and spending quality time with your partner.
Sometimes you can even ask the resort to help you setup something cozy and romantic.
Road Trip Tips For Couples: On The Trip
Now you are ready to hit the road as a couple . . . you have planned your trip, you are all packed up and you know the intentions for your trip. With all this in mind, you are ready to go!
Leave Early
If time is a thing for you, you will want to embark on your journey earlier than later. This will allow you to have ample time to make the stops that you want to, without feeling the pressure to rush to your destination.
Leaving early is somewaht of a challenge for my partner and I, so it’s something that we continuosly have to work on.
It helps when we agree on a time, and do everything that can be done prior to our trip the day before.
Prioritize Day Travel
I highly recommend driving during the day as oppossed to during the night time.
Driving at night is not good (at least not for me). Road trips are meant to be a day thing, so you can enjoy seeing things that you are passing. I find night travel to be strenous on the eyes, and I also find that unpleasant things are mostly likely to happen at night, especially in a country like South Africa were women are always a target.
So to avoid trouble at night where it might be a challenge to get help, do your road trip durig the day and stay safe.
Take Breaks
Take breaks, especially if it’s a long drive. It’s important to do stops, get some fresh air and stretch your legs, because driving can be quite tiring.
Also, taking breaks will allow you to have a bite, use the bathroom and pour more petrol if you need to. The benefits of doing this are great, and that’s why you need to be early so you are not under pressure for time.
Conclusion
Taking a road trip as a couple is a beautiful experience, it is definitely an opportunity to do something fun together, while you get to know each other better.
I hope these road trip tips will help you plan your next road trip together, in a more hassle free way, which will in turn allow you to have the best time.
