Traveling: The Super Glue That Sticks Us Together.

If you have someone that you think is The One, ……….Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world, and go to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of. And if when you come back to JFK Airport, and you’re still in love with that person, get married at the airport.
– Bill Murray

Me and Sheena first traveled during an out-of-town last February of 2009. That was also our first Valentine’s Day date as a couple. While other boyfriends/husbands were busy looking for restaurants to dine in, flower shops, wine and chocolate shops, I was busy as looking for a place away from the hassle of the big city. A place where we can relax and enjoy 2 days off from work. This is how our “traveling together” started. After that, there was no looking back.

For a number of years now, traveling has been a major part of both our lives. We itch for travel, food, culture, adventure and others and I can boldly say that travel has been the super glue that kept our relationship intact for years.

Here are a few reasons how traveling has kept our bond strong and why you should definitely consider traveling. Before that, I should say that these are not only for those “couples” but these will also apply to families, friends, new acquaintances that you would want to get to know better, so read on!

1. Traveling creates the “bond” – When you travel, you do almost all the things together. You plan the trip, sleep on transit, meet new people, haggle, get lost and get back on track, get drunk, get ripped off, get bitten by bugs, together. Some things may only happen to one of you, but your travel companion is there to see you go through the ordeal. All these experiences shared together creates a tighter “bond” between you and your partner.
2. Traveling exposes flaws. – When you travel, you do things together and that, in some way, will expose flaws from your partners and it is up to you whether you will accept or despise it. Traveling will expose how stinky your partner’s feet or armpit gets after a couple of hours of walking, how big his/her appetite is, how loud he/she snores, how stinky his/her early morning visit to the comfort room could get, how wide his/her mouth opens when he/she sleeps, how short his/her temper could be, how he/she treats other people, how much he/she nags when things don’t go her way. When this simple flaws are exposed and you will learn to accept it, your relationship just made a turn for the better.

   

3. Traveling eliminates “routines”. – Why does life become boring sometimes? Because of the ROUTINES! From Monday-Friday here is your routine.- 7:00 AM wake-up and prepare for work
   – 7:30 AM Breakfast
   – 8:00 AM Leave for work
   – 9:00 AM Have to be in the office
   – 12:00 Lunch
   – 3:00 PM Break
   – 5:00PM Homebound!

   Then the cycle continues. Traveling cuts off your normal daily routine. Travel breaks monotony in your life/relationship. Monotony is a relationship killer, so try your best to break it every now and then.

4. Traveling is therapy. – Had a bad week? Hate your boss? Hate your work? Had a big argument? Traveling causes you to forget such things even for just a couple of days. A little R & R will get you off the stress caused by the daily grind. When you become stressed/grumpy, you are most likely not going to have a good time with anyone. Avoiding a burn out from work will help avoid a possible flame out in your relationship.

   

5. You are happier when you travel. – Traveling temporarily disconnects all the stresses of daily life. It makes you forget about everything a normal adult needs to do (yes, paying bills is a great example!). The thought of meeting new people, seeing/visiting places you’ve only seen on postcards, tasting cuisine unfamiliar to your tastebuds and everything in between. A state of euphoria that connects you to the happier “you”.
6. Travelings make you more mature – Travel teaches you a lot of things, from learning how to budget your money and your time, how to haggle, how to speak a few words of another dialect, how to read the map, how to be resourceful, how to deal and adjust with other people/culture. Traveling teaches you how to be a better person. 

Looking back at all the years we’ve been together, all the places we’ve been to, it’s safe to say that traveling has indeed been the super glue the kept our relationship intact. Even with all the arguments we had, every major issues we ran into and the times we decided to give up, we always look back to the times on the road, holding hands, laughing and enjoying every moment (all those pre-booked tickets from airline promo fares helps delay/cancel a breakup too).

We’ve come to realize that we are an imperfect couple perfectly fit for each other and that no matter what happens, all the memories we shared while traveling will keep us bound moving forward.

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