travelling with your partner

keeffor

im planning on going travelling for a year with my gf, just wondering has anyone gone travelling with their partner before and how did the whole experience work out? i've heard of couples who have got stronger as a result of being away but i've also heard of times when couples split up.

Chinafoot

All depends on your relationship to be quite honest.

Have you been together long? Have you been away together before? Do you live together?

One thing I will say is that you *really* get to know a person when you live with them. Can be a really good thing or it can be a really bad thing. Again it all depends on the people involved.

Like yourself I know of couples that have got on brilliantly travelling together and I've also seen people drive each other mad and split up. There is no easy answer unfortunately.

keeffor

we've been together nearly 3yrs, been on a good few holidays away before but never for longer than 2 weeks!

Sleepy

My sister and her boyfriend have done it twice however from what I've seen only about one in five couples that go travelling together will actually stay together. It's an excellent litmus test for a relationship. If you survive the year travelling together, you know you're solid.

vandermeyde

did the whole year in Oz thing back in the late nineties with the (then) girlfriend....

married with children now, it was the making of us ...

found it hard when we came home at first, while we saved for a house (both went back to living with our parents which was fun! :eek: :eek: )

depends on the relationship of course but if you both want to do it just go for it...

greys

Travelling is going to be very different from holidays, simply because it'll be a much longer experience.

It is true about it being the best way to see if your relationship is strong.

I wouldn't get too worried about how many couples split up after travelling, since it's very personal, specific and different for each couple.

I presume you have some good reasons and bright future visions for the year you'll spend travelling? Keep it this way! Look at the year from the point that it's going to be the most exciting experience you two will have so far, and you'll get to know each other much better.

Kimbot

My sister and her bf went to Oz for a year and they are now married with kids!!

Fanny Cradock

make sure you spend time apart. it may sound like odd advice, but you'll be around each other so much, often in stressful situations, that both of you will need time to breathe. depends what part of the world you are traveling, but go for a long walk, a trip to a museum, a quick bight to eat by yourself etc. you'll then have seperate experiences that you can share with each other e.g. take her back to the restaurant and buy her a romantic meal. however, don't make a big deal of spending time apart; it may be misconstrued. no doubt it will be a fantastic experience, yet sometimes removing yourself from an emotionally intense situation is required.

BoozyBabe

Was only going with my then bf a few months when we went to Oz for the year together.
Didn't find it a problem at all.

We were together for another 4 years after that.

It really does depend on the people & their relationship with each other.

justsomebloke

nothing really tests a relationship like living in a HI-Ace camper van touring NZ for a month. Ye i did the year away with the girlfriend and probably came back the better, well hopefully we did as we put a deposit on an apartment 2 months after we came back.

stovelid

Sounds daft but try and meet other people socially when you are away. Don't just spend the entire year hanging around with each other. I love my wife dearly but after about 3 weeks away, it's nice to meet other couples/people to chat to etc.

Ayla

My (now) hubby and I met when I was traveling, and he and started traveling together when we'd only been seeing each other for about two months. It just happened that way. It was, by far, the best and most difficult thing we could've done, but it really helped us (and our relationship).

My strongest suggestion is that you are both well aware of your financial situations. Will you be working as you go, or will you be financing this from savings you have now? Will you pay bills together or seperately? A lot of people start fighting b/c of money stress, and that's one thing that's best prepared for in advance. If you've been seeing each other for 3 years you probably have that under your belt, but it can be different if you're not working steady jobs, etc., and yet the spending continues (or increases).

You will learn things about yourself and your partner that you couldn't possibly know by staying at home. It can be a fantastic thing, but just make sure you're both willing to be flexible and keep the communication open. I also agree with Fanny's suggestion to spend time apart...if nothing else it'll give you something different to talk about as the travels continue.