While vacations are meant to be a way to get away from the stresses of daily life, we all know that it can also cause stress. It can be hard to pack, plan, and navigate around unfamiliar places, especially if you have a partner who has a different style of travel. You don’t have to make your vacation seem overwhelming. But you can still enjoy a relaxing, peaceful first vacation with your partner. These are just a few tips.

Traveling with your partner shouldn’t be stressful

There is no right time to go on your first trip with a partner. Your relationship is unique. Your situation is also unique. You don’t have to wait for someone or something to happen.

Plenty of Fish, a dating app, recently published its list of 2021’s hottest dating trends. Mixing in “hesidating”, or not knowing if you are ready to commit, and “dar-wining,” you’ll find “baecationing.”

The app surveyed 6,700 singles to find out if 38% and 43% of Gen Z had taken a spontaneous vacation with their partner. See? You don’t have to wait too long for this to happen.

May Blake, a coffee shop manager in her 20s, shared that she went to Denver with her boyfriend just one month after they began dating. Paige Newland (30-year-old yacht stewardess) said she has “travelled with many partners over the years but the most memorable was probably the spontaneous trip in Paris with a former partner.”

Spending too much time worrying about whether you are ready is a waste of time. You could be in Paris, Albuquerque or anywhere else.

How to manage expectations

This will not be the same as your family vacations to Disney World or road trips with friends. You will have to deal with romantic expectations.

“Traveling with a partner is vastly different from traveling with friends or family because of its heightened expectations–especially in a young relationship,” cautioned Blake. Blake said that traveling and relationships are intimate and significant events we can use to mark or validate our own experiences. Traveling with a partner is different to traveling with friends or family (where expenses and planning are typically split), as it implies higher expectations and greater sensitivity to the people with whom we are traveling.

Remember that this trip is not just about you and having fun. It’s important that your partner has a great time.

This type of trip may be different than one you have taken with family or friends in the past. However, there are certain benefits. Newland stated that traveling with a partner is better because of the greater rewards and special bond you create from these experiences.

Even if you don’t agree about where to go, what to do with your room, whether you want to order room service, go out or visit a museum, upgrade to business class, stay in coach or how to get there, traveling together is actually building the foundation for your relationship. This should give you the warm fuzzy feelings to accompany your basic travel jitters.

Communicate with your travel partner

Communication is key to a successful travel plan. Communicate ahead of time about your vacation plans, what you would like to do, how you travel, and how you prefer to arrive at the airport. You should not be surprised about how you pack, what sights you plan to see, and your attitude towards the trip on the day.

Keep those lines of communication open during the trip. Be honest with yourself and your partner. You don’t have to pretend you’re having fun, but you shouldn’t let your partner down if they aren’t.

Take a break from your partner if you feel stressed while on vacation.

Blake said, “Be aware of the frustrations that you are feeling right now vs. what you’re taking out upon your partner.” “Traveling can be uncomfortable–there’s hours of waiting in small and confined spaces, broken sleep schedules, and stress in trying to find the location where you can actually start to have fun. Even if you find the fun, don’t expect any behavior to be exemplary of what is meant to be a vacation with someone important.”

Newland said, “The hardest thing for me as someone who does most of my traveling solo was to ensure that each party has a say in the course of the trip. You both make it a trip, so it’s fine if you do different activities.”

Take a break if you feel stressed by your partner while you are away in paradise. This is a normal part of your relationship. Communication, patience, humor and sometimes even space are essential.