Traveling With Your Significant Other

Hello my friends, welcome back!  Today I wanted to take a minute to share some thoughts I have about traveling with your significant other!  Though Bryan and I spend plenty of time together and love taking longer trips around the Northeast, our trip to San Francisco was the longest amount of time we had ever spent together uninterrupted by work or life obligations.  Amazingly, it went off without a hitch!  So today I’m sharing some of the things that I found helpful in coexisting 24/7 in a new location!

Identify the type of vacation you want to take right off the bat.  Whether it’s a relazing trip to the beach, an active adventure outdoors, or a cultural immersion into a different city, it’s important to make sure you’re both on the same page upfront in terms of your travel expectations.

Compromise.  I’m an aisle seat person, B prefers the window.  Neither of us want to pay triple the airfare to fly first class, where we both could get our seat of choice.  I’ll take the aisle on one flight, and B gets the window on the next.  This sort of back and forth compromise has to happen the whole trip – much like it does in real life.

Plan together.  I have a tendency to take the reins in planning things as small as what we’re having for dinner on a Tuesday night, so making sure that I slow down and involve B in the process as much as possible is crucial.  For the most part we wanted to do the same things, but there are always attractions that don’t overlap, or something I might not have known about.

Discuss your budget upfront.  No one wants to be stuck having the money conversation in the middle of vacation.  Get it all out in the open early.

Designate phone time.  B and I both take a lot of pictures, so while we tend to have our phones “out” a lot, I try not to start cruising Instagram in the middle of the day.  A pre-dinner stop at the hotel to change and relax makes for a good designated time to decompress with some mindless scrolling.

Schedule down days.  In the middle of our trip, we didn’t plan anything except for visiting Bryan’s family, which turned out to be a perfect reprieve from the aggressive touring we were doing.  Having nothing scheduled and no planned wake up time gave us a chance to reset and relax before returning to more active itineraries.

Make sure to check in with the other.  As someone who will happily hang out outside and walk around all day long, sometimes I forget that this isn’t for everyone.  If it’s 90 degrees outside, B will probably want to take a break for some AC.  Similarly, my sister tends to need to recharge at the hotel mid to late afternoon after a full morning.  It always helps to check in with your travel companion and see what their needs are.

Know the signs.  B can tell when I’m hovering around hangry a good half hour before it really sets in.  Because he’s so good at catching it early, we can grab some food before getting really contentious.  Likewise, I try to be aware of how much heat and sun we’re in, so I know when to get B some shade or air conditioning before he gets uncomfortable.

Be still.  This has been a cornerstone of my approach to traveling in general over the past few years, but it’s just as important to do when you’re with someone.  When we go to a particularly wow-worthy location, we always make sure to put away our phones after we’ve taken our photos and just stop and enjoy the place together.  From a sunset in Burlington to seeing the Golden Gate Bridge from Marin Headlands, they wind up being my favorite moments together.

Stress Free Travel

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a big fan of exploration.  Whether it’s a new restaurant, a new neighborhood, or a new city; I’m always the first to say ‘yes’ to a new experience.  Unfortunately, adventuring outside Boston usually involves a lot of driving, and sitting in a car for four or more hours can really get tiring after a while.  When I’m sitting inactive for so long, all I can think about is the other things I could be doing during those precious hours.  On my many drives to New York City to visit my family, I’ve wished that I was able to work on the blog, catch up on some reading, or even just answer emails without crushing my data plan and/or getting nauseas.

Enter Amtrak with the solution to all of my problems.

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Taking a train to your destination opens up so much travel time.  When you’re traveling on the same schedule as everyone else is (namely weekends, especially of the ‘long’ and ‘summer’ variety), driving can take twice as long.  Amtrak trains don’t get stuck in weekend traffic, so you’re guaranteed to get to your destination on time.  The best part about this is that I was able to spend our four hour train ride from Boston to NYC (nearly impossible on a Friday during the summer!) doing whatever I wanted.  With onboard wifi, you’re able to catch up on sleep, reading, work, or even OITNB!  Having some time to be productive while traveling for a fun weekend makes adventuring so much more possible, and I loved being able to enjoy every second of my trip without stressing out about work or leaving at the ‘right time’ to avoid traffic!

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If your ideal train doesn’t involve a gang of giggling girls going on vacation, Amtrak has a quiet car for a ‘library-like atmosphere’, perfect for sleeping or some intense studying!  The one on our car was located just past the snack car, which is a great excuse to get up and stretch your legs a bit and really convenient if you forgot to bring snacks!

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For over 40 years, Amtrak has been providing this hassle-free transportation to over 500 destinations in the US and Canada.  If you’re a high school or college student, you can save 10% with the Student Advantage Card!.  Amtrak also offers all different deals and regional fares on their deals page that you can view here.  When you find the right rate, Amtrak can make all your traveling easy and stress-free.  I take the Boston to NYC trip several times a year, and never felt as relaxed as I did while taking the Amtrak train.  Knowing that I would pull into Penn Station, conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan, on time without hitting any traffic after a productive trip allowed me to relax and calm my inner ragey Bostonian driver.

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Have any of you ever taken an Amtrak train? I’d love to hear more about your experiences in the comments below!  I’m currently working on planning a long weekend trip with some friends, and Amtrak will definitely be on our planning radar this time around!

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

xo, Caitlin

This post is sponsored by Amtrak and Her Campus Media.  All opinions expressed are my own.  Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Sol Compass possible!