Traveling as a couple - what we like about it

Why we like to travel together as a couple

The way I travel has changed dramatically over the course of my life—at least for me. While I mostly traveled alone in the early years of my traveling career—and believe me, I had some amazing and exciting experiences that I wouldn't want to miss—I spent some of my professional travels (as a tour guide and later as a travel blogger and travel journalist) in groups. My favorite tours, however, are the ones where Petar and I travel as a couple. I'll explain why that is and how these types of travel differ for me here:

My first trips as a single traveler

I began my travel life shortly after graduating from high school. My first trips were still focused on my further education. I spent some time in Cornwall with a family to improve my English skills. A year later, I continued this with a stay of several weeks in Malaga. There, I quickly realized that studying Spanish at the University of Munich didn't necessarily mean I could speak Spanish.

I quickly met new people

Rather, I learned it on-site with a lively Japanese woman I shared a room with, who had already lived in Spain for a full year. She hadn't learned her Spanish at a university, but rather through a few language courses locally. This was primarily through many conversations with the locals. For me, that meant either I would learn to speak Spanish very quickly, or I would spend six solitary weeks with her.

These and other solo trips gave me a great deal of freedom. I could decide how I spent my time and who I wanted to meet along the way. I returned home from each of these trips with new friends.

I'm still friends with some of them today. They introduced me to their homelands or to countries they knew better than I did, having lived there for a longer period of time. I experienced things I wouldn't have experienced in a group setting.

As a solo traveler you travel alone

On the other hand, as a solo traveler, I was often just that—alone. There were moments I would have liked to share with someone: For example, my walk through Malaga during Easter, watching the gypsies perform their passionate flamenco. Or the evenings in the bodega, which I imagined would be more enjoyable with just the two of us than with a casual group of acquaintances. But those were precisely what made my life as a solo traveler interesting.

Through my Japanese friend, for example, I met a Japanese painter. He lived in Malaga for several months to do one thing: paint the walls of the fortress that towers over the city. And that's exactly what he did. He painted only walls. It was fascinating, but to this day I still don't understand why he did it. He never explained it to me. In any case, he remained in my memory as an anecdote in my life as a solo traveler.

 

 

My first trip in the group

As a group traveler, I've gained many diverse experiences, both professionally and personally. I'll leave out the professional experiences here because they have nothing to do with my personal travels. Instead, I want to tell you about my first group trip through the USA. That was shortly after I finished my studies. I finally found time to save enough money to afford a trip across the Atlantic. Here, too, I was alone for most of the trip, first in New York and later for several months in San Francisco and Oakland.

Group trips can offer interesting contacts

For the return trip to New York, I joined an organized camping trip with only people my age. At that time, I didn't yet feel confident enough to drive across the country on my own. Later, solo road trips through the vast American countryside became a great pleasure for me.

But on this trip, we were an international group: two Swiss women, an Australian, four New Zealanders, an American, and me. A mixed bunch, in other words. We were accommodated in two-person tents, and since the pairs were already assigned, the Australian and I had to share the tent.

It was a bit strange at first, but by the end we were good friends. Mind you, we weren't a couple—something had developed between him and one of the Swiss women during the trip. We cooked meals together on simple camping stoves and set up and took down our tents every day.

Contacts became friendships

During the day, we did all sorts of things. On Lake Havasu, we tried waterskiing—with varying degrees of skill. We hiked down into the Grand Canyon and listened to old jazz musicians in New Orleans. In New York, we stayed in a rather run-down, but affordable, hotel in Times Square.

From there, we gazed at the Big Apple with a sad heart. Sad because on this trip, people from all over the world became a group of friends.

My Australian tent neighbor and I stayed in touch for many years by letter – back then, no one thought of emails or even social media. The two couples from New Zealand were on their Grand Tour around the world. Among other things, they also visited Europe. I saw both couples again a few months after my return to Germany. This group trip may not be what you usually imagine. But it gave me many wonderful experiences that I look back on fondly.

 

What couples travel really gives us – beyond everyday life

Between my travels and today lies my entire professional activity: first as a tour guide, later as a travel blogger and travel journalist. In both activities, I am and have been traveling alone or in groups, with group travel as a journalist / blogger being different than group travel, which I undertook as a tour guide. But these should not be the topic here.

How we plan our trips as a couple

These days, there's nothing more enjoyable for Petar and me than traveling together. It's a type of travel we particularly enjoy. Not just because we can share experiences. We're a well-coordinated team with many common interests that we can pursue on our travels.

Why Slow Travel is perfect for a couples holiday

We especially appreciate the opportunity to take the time we need. We can organize our time ourselves and enjoy spontaneous activities like day trips or short breaks. Often, we just go with the flow or visit cafés that appeal to us. It's this freedom and flexibility that makes our travels as a couple so special.

Traveling as a couple – what strengthens our relationship

One of the main reasons we enjoy traveling as a couple now is that I spent many years traveling without Petar for work. So we enjoy traveling as a couple even more now.

How is it with you? Which type of travel do you like best? Traveling alone, traveling in a group or as a couple? Tell us in the comments to this post.

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Text Traveling as a couple: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline