4 Ways to Make Vacations with Your Significant Other Memorable

You know the phrase, “You had me at ‘hello?’” Well, my husband had me at, “I backpacked solo through Asia for three months.” You see, both of us are travel junkies, and our relationship grew out of our shared passion for exploration and discovery.

Making memories on the road has not only allowed us to connect as a couple, it has also strengthened our relationship. I always say the best way to know if your partner is “the one” is to travel with them, since their true colors show really quickly! Travelling as a couple can make or break a relationship. And so, over the years, my husband and I have embarked on dozens of trips together. We’ve traveled to more than 70 countries as a couple, even taking up residence in Hong Kong, London, and most recently, New York City.

Now that we’ve settled in the U.S., we still use travel as a way to spend quality time with each other. However, since neither one of us is American (I’m Jamaican-Canadian and my husband was born and raised in Germany), we’ve prioritized exploring our newly-adopted home.

Our recent jaunt to Hawaii was a prime example of a trip that not only gave us the opportunity to learn more about America’s unique culture and geography, but also gave us the chance to reconnect as a couple. We picked up our Alamo rental car at Kona International Airport and immediately hit the road, making memories that we’ll treasure for years to come. So, as a self-proclaimed couples’ travel expert *ahem!*: allow me to impart some wisdom for how to make your vacations more memorable when you travel with your significant other.

Explore a place together neither of you has been

Experiencing a destination or culture that’s new to both of you can bring you closer and create lasting memories. Hawaii was a new destination for both my husband and me, which made it super fun to explore together. We spent hours driving to various spots on the island, bonding as we navigated maps and crafted our itinerary on the fly. Visiting breathtaking sights together for the first time is something we’ll remember forever. For example, our jaws dropped in unison when we toured the stunning Hamakua district, taking in the impressive vistas at the Waipi’o Valley and Laupahoehoe.

Arrange for an epic experience that gets your adrenaline going

There’s no better way to make a vacation memorable than engaging in an adrenaline-filled activity that you likely wouldn’t do at home. Despite being extremely afraid of heights, I threw caution to the wind and joined my husband on a zipline adventure at Umauma Falls. Being suspended hundreds of feet above one of Hawaii’s most beautiful waterfalls was jarring, but a great vantage point from which to take in the scenery. Being able to do it with my husband was the icing on the cake!

Document the trip via video

While taking pictures is a suitable way to memorialize a vacation with your significant other, making a video of the trip is an even better keepsake, because you can capture your journey in a way that still photography just isn’t capable of doing. This is why I loved making mini-vlogs of our island vacation. I filmed our stormy hike across Volcanoes National Park; our swim breaks at the black sand beaches in Punalu’u and white sand beaches in Hapuna; and of course, the aforementioned zipline adventure we did at Umauma Falls (though most of the footage is comprised of me screaming my head off). It allowed me to record not only the sights, but also the sounds of Hawaii. Video gives a more accurate blow-by-blow of our vacation, and in the months since, we’ve had a great time reliving our experiences through the many clips I stored in my phone. One of the best moments I captured has to be the authentic luau ceremony we attended in Kona (where I may or may not have danced on stage with the locals) -- I’m so happy I made sure to record it!

Unplug and slow down

Creating lasting memories on vacation with your significant other is virtually impossible when you’re distracted or rushed. My husband and I are firm believers that vacations with your partner should be about enjoying the destination as well as each other’s company. On our trip to Hawaii, we strove to live in the moment by doing two things. First, we intentionally kept our itinerary fluid. Second, we stowed away attention-stealing devices like phones during meals. The reasoning behind this was two-fold: By keeping our schedule loose and unstructured, we were able to savor the natural beauty of the Big Island. By employing a no-phones policy at meals, we were truly able to spend quality time with each and recount the events of the day.

From exploring the Southwest and taking extended weekend getaways in the Deep South, to driving all up and down the Eastern seaboard and exploring Hawaii’s most beautiful sights, my husband and I have found the U.S. to be a wonderful launching pad for our adventures. With the country being so large and diverse, there’s no shortage of destinations in which we can make our vacations memorable-- places where we can talk, laugh, share, and generally reconnect while enjoying each other’s company! After all, that’s what traveling is all about, right? We can’t wait to make more memories somewhere new soon!