Couples Who Share This Uncommon Travel Habit Almost Always Enjoy Their Trip More
NFstock | Shutterstock I don't know about you, but when I'm on a plane, I want to be left alone. Don't talk to me, don't breathe on me, and if you can help it, don't even think about me! And it seems I'm not alone, because an uncommon travel habit is becoming more and more popular: The "seat divorce."
Gone are the days of wives suffering through the middle seat just to sit next to their husbands in the aisle seat. Yep, couples who refuse to sit together on planes say they enjoy their trips far more, which should send a notice to those couples who constantly make a big song and dance about moving seats so they can sit together!
Couples who do a 'seat divorce' say they enjoy travel far more.
We've all had interactions with these couples who immediately start negotiating with everyone around them to swap seats so they can sit together on a plane. Inevitably, they end up sitting or napping in silence anyway, and you're left to wonder what all the fuss was about.
illpaxphotomatic | Shutterstock
Well, it seems plenty of couples have figured this out for themselves. Devotees of the "seat divorce," deliberately sitting apart on planes, say it's as big a game changer as the "sleep divorce" or deliberately sleeping in separate rooms.
And like the "sleep divorce," they say the "seat divorce" not only improves their vacations, but also improves their relationships. They enjoy the vacation AND the person they're taking it with a whole lot more.
Many couples choose a 'seat divorce' so they don't have to endure a middle seat.
I feel so validated by this. I have only sat in a middle seat once in my life for a 45-minute flight, and even that was too much. My very broad shoulders are challenging on a plane in any case, but having to accordion them up into my ears for that 45-minute stretch made me want to scream.
Accordingly, many couples who prefer a "seat divorce" do so for precisely this reason: When you sit together, one of you is going to be in the middle, no two ways about it. If you're not a tiny person, there's no way to sit comfortably in the middle, and if you're tall? It's a nightmare.
Mojo_cp | Canva Pro
Everyone has their ideal seat, too. We're all either aisle or window people. A "seat divorce" allows both partners to have their favorite and prevents them from having to take turns if they both prefer the same kind of seat.
Which may sound a bit petty, but air travel is so wildly unpleasant these days that every little bit counts, even on short flights! And if you're taking long-haul flights, it can truly be a game-changer.
Some couples also feel a 'seat divorce' actually brings them closer together when traveling.
Speaking to HuffPost, therapist Tawanna Marie Woolfolk addressed the elephant in the room: We are so "culturally conditioned to equate visible proximity with relational health" that we immediately assume this means the relationship is on the rocks.
Which is surely why "seat divorce" couples interviewed by HuffPost and The New York Post all shared the same experience: fellow passengers who keep asking and asking if they'd like to switch seats and sit together. “That says less about the couple and more about our collective discomfort with intimacy that doesn’t perform itself on demand," Woolfolk went on to say.
Another therapist HuffPost spoke to, Dan Auerbach, took it even further: Sitting apart can actually enhance connection. "Sitting side by side for many hours can fade into background noise," he told the site. "Choosing to walk toward each other, swap movie picks, share a quick laugh, that’s intentional connection.”
And especially on those grueling long-haul flights, proximity can breed contempt. We've all been there! Sitting apart allows couples to land on the other side of the globe, NOT at each other's throats when they're already exhausted.
Of course, there are just as many reasons to sit together: you don't have to worry about your space encroachment, you've got support if you're a nervous flyer, the list goes on. But if the reason you sit together is just that you're "supposed to," it might be time to try another way and free yourself! You just might land at the new airport, actually WANTING your spouse's company even more.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
