10 ways overseas travel makes couples stronger

Travelling means going from one place to another, and it is more enjoyable and interesting when your partner is involved. Travelling makes your relationship stronger whether the journey is a week, a month or a year. There is nothing quite interesting like spending hours a day with someone you love, because you’re not alone, nor are you just travelling with some friends. It’s actually more than that. You’re travelling as a unit, and as such you get to share all your ups and downs with each other. It’s about seeing places and sights for the first time together. It’s about creating memories that you can look back on for years to come.

The most interesting part of it all is that whether your relationship is still full of butterflies and giggles, or you’ve been together so long you can communicate through a simple raise of the eyebrow, travelling overseas will reignite your love.

Here are 10 ways overseas travel makes couples stronger.

1. You both see each other at your best and worst: when you and your partner travel to another country, all your flaws will be exposed. You both will witness how you deal with stress and will see how you look after spending the night at the airport. You’ll also experience each other at your best. For example; the look on your face after seeing the statue of Liberty in U.S after dreaming of it for years or the sound of the Atlantic ocean in front of you.

2. Unplugging and connecting: it’s funny how relationships today are different than they’ve ever been before. Since the social media has a large presence in our lives, people are becoming lazy communicating in person. It’s amazing because the generations before us never had to deal with the social media drama. When you travel abroad with your partner automatically you are disconnected from your group of friends, family and people you regularly chat with, one-on-one with your partner without your eyes darting to your notifications when it pops-up

3. The ability to solve problems together: travelling with your partner is fun but put it at the back of your mind that things will go wrong; your flight can be canceled, your wallet might get stolen, your luggage can be exchanged with another. One of you might order the wrong thing in the menu so many things might pop up. Your modes of communication will be tasted, and you will have no choice but to work through and sort your problems together.

4.  No running: when a fight springs up at home, either of you have the opportunity to create your own space and talk only when you are ready to. Not in the case when you’re travelling. Little arguments that could result in tension for days at home will need to be resolved right away because it will save you the stress of running away from it and making up immediately. With this you’ll quickly learn that you are more valuable as a team than apart, and trust me it will put your problems into perspective.

5. Falling in love all over again: we all have experienced these special feelings when we first started dating someone. All you feel is new butterflies in your tummy. Being in a new place together can reignite the sparks and remind you why you fell in love in the first place. Everything around you becomes fresh and full of life. Imagine you and your partner in another country sipping and eating their food, getting lost in their culture, the sunsets and in each other.

6. Bonding: when you and your partner travels out you both bond like besties. Your inside jokes are what brings you two hard knot. It’s very important to create memories with your partner, the type of memories that has you in fits of giggles and people get to wonder if you both are high or just in love.

7. Facing fears together: facing fears together involves stepping out of your comfort zone. There are actually few things that will bring a couple closer. Engaging on a terrifying thing together like riding a bike on the most dangerous road

8. Talking to each other: travelling together makes you both talk more to each other. There is something nice about being in a place with your partner without internet service. When you both are seeing and experiencing new stuff there is a lot to talk about. With all this you both will cultivate the habit of talking to each other at all times.

9. Team work: when you both travel oversea you become a team. You work together as a team because when you’re travelling especially internationally with your partner you undergo stress and this is where team work comes in. You both learn to read each others stress level understand each others strength and weakness.

10. Appreciating each other: you both will automatically learn how to appreciate each other because situations will arise, and just the two of you will find out solutions to every problem you encounter during the journey.

By Maimuna Bagudu