Vacations are supposed to be all about relaxation, but as anyone who's ever been a vacation with a significant other knows, it's not going to be all pools and palm trees. You might have flight delays. Your hotel room might not be ready on time. You might have to deal with sunburns, traffic, foreign languages, wrong directions, confusing maps, jet lag, or any of the many issues that can crop up while traveling. It can be difficult to keep your cool, but if you have mantras to recite on vacation when you're annoyed with your partner, then avoiding fights will be a whole lot easier.
According to WebMD, practicing meditation for as few as 10 minutes can help control stress, decrease anxiety, and even "achieve a greater capacity for relaxation," which — when you're on vacation — is exactly what you need. While some people meditate for self-motivation, reciting a powerful mantra can also allow you to clear your consciousness and achieve inner piece, even when your partner is really testing your patience. The right meditation mantras can make vacation so much more enjoyable for both you and your partner, and — best of all — they won't take up any room in your suitcase.
Whether you just made a general plan or mapped out your trip to the minute, there's a good chance that your vacation is not going to go exactly as you anticipated. It's easy to place the blame on your partner for the train you missed or the museum that was closed, but rather than pointing fingers, you should remind yourself that nothing always goes according to plan — not even vacations. Instead of mourning the things you might have missed out on because of plans gone awry, think about the things that you did get to experience along the way.
With Instagram, it's easy to imagine that everyone else's vacations are pastel-colored dreamscapes that go off without a hitch. But pictures never tell the whole story, and a vacation's success can't be measured by how many Instagrammable pictures you take. Rather than thinking about how other people might measure your vacation's success, decide what you and your partner can do to have as much fun together as possible. That might mean compromising, and that might mean not getting to do everything that you want to, but if you're both enjoying yourself, then you can consider your trip a success.
Not everyone has a special someone to travel with, so you should consider yourself blessed. By having an SO, you have a built-in travel companion. And perhaps you're not ideal travel companions, but if you're enjoying yourself more in the company of your partner than you would on your own, then they deserve your gratitude. Perhaps a stubborn or uncooperative SO will make you wish at times that you were taking on Europe solo, but I have a feeling that you'd probably rather be with them than without. Remember that, and make sure your partner knows just how grateful you are for them.
Traveling is a true test of a relationship. Because of all the challenges that travel can throw at you, a couple can really determine the strength of their relationship depending on how well they handle those challenges. If you're able to deal with losing your luggage without breaking down or cursing out your partner, then you should be proud of yourself. You've successfully navigated a tricky situation together, and you made it to the other side (relatively) unscathed. Tackling vacation stress is a huge testament to the strength of your bond, and even if you squabble along the way, figuring out a solution should always feel like an achievement.
Sometimes, things that feel like a disaster in the moment can turn into a great anecdote later on. It probably won't feel funny at the airport when you're partner realizes they forgot their passport at home. However, the story of rushing back to get it and just barely catching your flight will no doubt make for a good story. All of the little moments that feel like huge mishaps are just fodder for inside jokes that the two of you will recount for years. Roll with the punches, and just remind yourself that — whether everything goes right or everything goes wrong — you and your partner are making memories.
Contrary to popular opinion, vacations are oftentimes exhausting. When you're traveling with a partner, it's easy to take out your frustrations with them, but try practicing gratitude rather than placing blame. You've found someone who's willing to get on a plane or train with you and see the world, and that's definitely not something that everyone can say. Vacations come and go, but the memory of getting lost in a foreign city with your partner lasts forever.
This article was originally published on
