5 Things Couples Learn About Each Other On Vacations That They'd Never Experience At Home
Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock No matter how well you think you know your partner, going on vacation can change everything. The unexpected stress that often accompanies what's supposed to be a relaxing getaway can reveal sides of a person's personality that don't necessarily surface when they're at home.
Plenty of research has shown that going on vacations together can be highly beneficial for romantic relationships, and learning something new about someone isn't always a bad thing. Just think of it as more information from which you can deepen your understanding of each other.
Couples only learn these things about each other on vacation because they'd never experience them at home
1. Whether they're generous or controlling with money
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One of the main challenges when people are traveling is handling their money. It can be hard to strike a balance between saying YOLO and keeping your wallet under your control so you can still pay bills when you get home.
If you and your partner have different opinions about how to spend (or not spend) money on your trip, it can lead to all kinds of chaos and frustration. One person may see an expensive day excursion as purchasing what will be a lifelong memory, while the other sees it as an unnecessary expense. One may want to splurge on a luxury hotel but save on meals, while the other would rather stay somewhere modest and spend freely on souvenirs. These differing approaches can become a source of tension if they haven't been discussed beforehand.
2. How they handle things going wrong
Stress is an inevitable part of life. As humans, it is our job to figure out the best way to deal with stress on our own so we don't let it spiral or take it out on others.
Vacations come with a special kind of stress. If you're taking a road trip, a flat tire in the middle of nowhere can be terrifying. If you've flown to a foreign country and the hotel has no record of a reservation when you arrive, what on Earth can you do? These kinds of tests would be an extra challenge for anyone, and you will quickly learn how well you and your partner do or don't manage it all together as a team.
3. How well they handle getting lost
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When you're at home, you're probably going to know your way around most of the time. And even if you're heading to a new place, you're likely to have a phone with you that has a GPS system you're pretty comfortable using to find your way.
When you go on vacation, especially to a foreign country, getting lost becomes a whole lot easier. And if you don't know the language or read the road signs, it can be understandably frightening. This might make some people angry, while others show just how great they are at making the best of a bad situation. You never really know until you know.
4. How they treat people like service workers when they don't think anyone knows them
You've surely already been to many restaurants with your partner, but when you're on vacation, you're dealing with service professionals in a place where you know they'll probably never see you again, and where the same is true for everyone else in the establishment.
People have a tendency to act differently around people they don't know, especially if they know they'll never see them again. How someone's sense of entitlement with service workers does or doesn't change when they feel like there are likely to be no social consequences for poor behavior is a great way to measure their true character.
5. What relaxation means to them
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Everybody has a different approach to taking a relaxing vacation. Some people like to go to a spot where they can hike every day and stay active, while others believe a trip only counts as a vacation if they spend most of it lying on a beach with their favorite drink in hand. Both of these approaches are equally valid, but if you and your partner define relaxation differently, you might both end up more stressed than you were before you left
It's a good idea to talk this through ahead of time and try to accommodate both of your needs.
Sophie Bagheri is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and theatre who covers lifestyle topics.
