With the weather perking up and flowers bursting in bloom, maybe you and your honey are planning to take that first vacation together. You are thinking that the experience will be marvelous and love will spill over into get-a-way bliss–but, not so fast. Instead of hitting the road for a good time, you could be heading down the path of ruining a perfectly fine relationship. Here is an article written by Kimberly Dawn Neumann I came across that outlines 10 tips to achieve success on a first vacation together. I thought back to my first vacation away with my husband, then boyfriend, to see how we faired when compared to these tips. Not bad.
While our first vacation as a couple was in the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico), it was a simple journey with fairly low expectations. I had a grand plan to take photographs of the neon signs in Gallup, New Mexico and he was willing to go along. Off we headed from Albuquerque where we lived. Like with many vacation plans, the end result didn’t match the vision. I didn’t take any pictures since he was on crutches from surgery and couldn’t walk. I wasn’t willing to leave him by himself while I headed out with my camera. Deciding not to take pictures fulfilled Rule #9: Be Flexible. Staying at a Motel 6 met Rule # 2: Consider the Financial. We were both beginning teachers on a limited budget.
Cost aside, I did insist we stop at the New Mexico Mining Museum in Grants, New Mexico on the way home. Because I’m a sucker for small museums, I stuck to my conviction that this was an “I have to stop here” kind of place. This is an example of Rule # 5: Identify Your Travel Styles. My travel style is to go to museums. As it turned out, he liked the mining museum which is probably one of the reasons we stayed together. Another reason we still enjoy traveling together is because we have learned to follow Rule # 8: Don’t be afraid to separate. Sometimes we just don’t like the same things and are more than happy to go it alone. For the rest of the rules, read the article.