Art of Couples Travel: Your guide to long-term travel together

It is hard work and communication is the key. We will be delving into all aspects of couple travel over the coming months. Always love to read about couples travelling, as me and my other half are setting out October this year! We have so many more stories and articles to share with you!

4 customer reviews

I bet you are excited to travel in October! Where are you heading off to? Our first stop is Indonesia, Borneo then the Philippines. Where are you guys at the moment? Have checked out some of your pics, they all look fantastic! I think we may have to make a trip to Sipadan Island! That sounds like such a great itinerary!

Account Options

It is very similar to ours. But we are also planning on living on the coast of Costa Rica for a while because Ant is dying for some good surf! Are you both divers? Snorkelling is pretty good too, but if you are divers I would highly recommend it. I have never seen so many turtles in my life! Great article — I think you sum up travelling as a couple perfectly! I look forward to following your adventures — and Im off to check out your blog right now! We hope to bring you some more insights into coulpe travel in this monthly column.

9 Tips for Couples Travel around the world

I can really relate to the need for me time. My boyfriend and I first took our trip to Europe together last year. It was big for both of us since neither of us had been. You have to be supportive for each other despite the fact that neither of you may know how to make sense of the travel location but it will come with patience. Now I feel like we can take on the world together.

I really believe that travelling together brings you closer to each other. It really is all about support and it can be frustrating at times, like you said about not knowing a place or how to navigate your way around, but if you stick with each other and go through it all together-only good things can come from that!

That is one to the best things when traveling as a couple. You have a little slice of home with you everywhere you go.

When you are sick or tired all you want is for someone to take care of you. I think I have a touch on the flu coming on now…. My wife and I are also a young couple, having traveled together for about 5 years. On our first trip to Europe together, I was in the absolute worst mood one afternoon. Finally, a few minutes later the solution hit her….

I needed a nap. I agree that travelling with your partner, if the timing is right, is the most amazing thing on Earth. It strenghtens your relationship even in the weak moments. We look forward to writing more for you about our thoughts and tips on couples travel! Anthony, I think you touched a lot of topics that can be applied to all relationships even when they are not traveling.

I really liked when you talked about compromise and about doing things for and with your partner. I love to travel with my husband. Maybe that is why I married him. Compromise is definitely the key word! Everyone seems to think so as well! Glad that you have found someone you can travel with and who makes a great companion too.

Compromising for sure is one of, if not THE most important thing. I think it is also important, even if you are not travelling together, but just to have a healthy and positive relationship in general. A great post guys! Craig and I would only ever really fight when we were really tired. This usually came about after an arduous 10 hour journey in the back of a pick up with the handle bars of a bike stuck up your butt and a rooster or small child nursing in your lap.

You guys are so positive, fun-loving and friendly, you have the right attitude to make it as a travelling couple. You two are definitely one of my favourite travel bloggers on the net. We try to keep everything as positive are possible with our journey whether it be communicating with each other or helping out local communities through our travels. We really work hard with our videos and it is another source of inspiration for other couples to take the leap and explore the world for themselves.

You and Craig a great source of inspiration for us and we believe it is people like you within this community that make this experience a whole lot more enjoyable. Thanks for the support guys. This is a great post! Where will you be travelling to? You must be pretty excited!! And yes, having someone there to comfort you is always good! The 13th century Saint Chapelle is quite popular, and the small size and mandatory security checks mean that the line to get in can be long.

This is why I have put it on my list as the first thing for your second day in Paris — you want to get here early, ideally get in line ten — fifteen minutes before the opening time. After all, no-one wants to spend their time standing in lines. You will definitely see two out of those three when you visit Notre Dame , the major Catholic cathedral in Paris. Construction of this magnificent building took nearly two hundred years, and was completed in Entry to Notre Dame is free, although you do have to go through security, and lines are sometimes long. If you wish to go up the tower or into the crypt, there is a fee for those activities included with the Paris Pass , and you need to book a timeslot in advance.

You can book this time slot on site at the ticket terminals. This starts accepting time slot reservations every day from 7. If you like museums, Paris has definitely gotten you covered. The Louvre see below , covers the time period before this, whilst the Centre Pompidou covers the time period afterwards, right up to the modern day. If you only visit one museum in Paris, I can highly recommend making it the Louvre.

Obviously, seeing the Mona Lisa is on the wishlist for many visitors, but this museum, which covers art from ancient times up to the middle of the 19th century, has obviously got a great deal more to offer. True art lovers could lose themselves for days in the vast collection here! You will still have to queue for security, but the fast track line is a lot quicker moving than the general admission line. When you think of France, a few things likely come to mind, and I suspect that wine is likely one of them.

So why not take a break from the sight-seeing and museums, and indulge in a little wine tasting. Which you get to drink. The tour is set in an actual 18th century wine cellar which originally housed the wine collection of the French King. Not a bad setting to learn about French wine we think! The tour is available either self-guided with an app in which case you get a free bottle of wine to go , or you can opt to do the tour with a guide.

We can recommend afternoon tea at Le Meurice , the Ritz or the Hotel de Crillon if you like afternoon tea see our guide to the best afternoon tea in Paris if so. For a shorter and less expensive experience, the hot chocolate at Angelina Cafe is also superb. The Arc de Triomphe, built in memory of those who died in the French Revolution and Napoloenic Wars, is wonderfully photogenic.

If you arrive in time, you can go to the top for an excellent view of the city, which includes the roads spanning out into the distance and the Eiffel Tower. As you journey up into the monument, you will also come to a museum which details some of its history. Below the monument, you will also find the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Head to one of the underpasses, and cross in safety. Going up inside the Arc de Triomphe carries a fee, holders of the Paris Pass get free access with skip the line privileges. The really nice things about having 3 days in Paris is that you have the flexibility to go a little further out of the centre. My suggestion for your third day is to visit Versailles , the incredible palace that was the seat of French political power and home to French Royalty, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

To truly appreciate Versailles, I would suggest allocating at least half a day of your third day in Paris, if not more. We suggest starting off by touring the Palace. Once you have toured the Palace and seen such highlights as the incredible Hall of Mirrors and the Kings Grand Apartments, you can head outside, where there is a great deal more to see.

1. Couples who Travel Together are Happy Together.!
2. Righteous Tossers!?
3. 3 Days in Paris: The Perfect Paris Itinerary - Finding the Universe.

A walk in the incredible and vast! Fast-track entry to the Palace, Gardens and other Versailles attractions is included on the Paris Pass — although you will still need to join the security line. We saw a number of people trying to use this travel card to get through the ticket barriers with no luck. The Paris Pass travel card only covers zones of Paris, which is sufficient for everything else on this itinerary, but not for Versailles which is in Zone 4.

So you need to buy a ticket separately for your train journey — these are available from ticket machines at all the train stations, and these have and English language option available. If you manage to tear yourself away from Versailles, my suggestion for finishing off your last day in Paris is to head to the Montmartre region. This area of Paris was particularly famous as being home to artists, and folks like Dali, Picasso and Hemingway all either lived or frequented this area. Fans of Dali will also want to visit the Dali Exhibition , home of the largest collection of works by Dali in France.

Montmartre is a maze of cute little streets, cafes and shops. The Basilica is free to visit, if you get here in time, although there is a small fee if you want to climb the tower. Montmartre is also a popular place to watch the sunset across the city, and what better way to finish your 3 days in Paris than by watching the sun set across this magical city from atop Montmartre?

You can access this on Google Maps here. As you would expect from a major European capital city, Paris has no shortage of options when it comes to accommodation. Ideally you want to be fairly central if you can, to minimise your travel time. Our suggestion is to take a look at the listings for Paris on booking. They also have everything, from apartments and hostels to high end hotels. Here are some options we suggest, depending on your budget.

Of course, there are lots of other options when it comes to finding accommodation when you travel. Check out our travel resources page for some of our favourites. We also love Fall and Spring in the city, when the temperatures are a bit cooler and the crowds less. In the run up to Christmas, the city is beautifully decorated and some of the stores in particular are worth visiting just to see the elaborate decorations they put up.

After Christmas the city is a lot quieter, and of course temperatures are at their lowest. As the capital of France, Paris has multiple options for visitors looking to visit. There are three major airports in Paris. Charles de Gaulle is the main airport for international arrivals, with Paris Orly being the second most popular international airport. Both of these airports are easily reachable by public transport from the city centre. Paris Beauvais-Tille airport is where you will likely arrive if you are flying with a budget airline. This is some way out of the city centre, but regular shuttles buses are available to take you into the city.

Paris is also connected to the high speed French and European rail network, and there are a number of train stations in central Paris. You can even travel from the UK by train, taking the channel tunnel to do so. Finally, of course, you can reach Paris by car from France and the rest of Europe. Our advice would be to park your car in a secure long stay car-park on the outskirts of Paris and take public transport to the centre.

We recommend against driving in the city centre, as public transport is cheap and fast, and a lot easier than stressing about driving around the crowded city streets, and trying to find a parking space. Paris has an excellent public transport network, and in particular the Paris Metro system is really good, getting you around all the major parts of the city at minimum cost.

These are available at train and metro stations using the ticket machines.

These machines accept both credit cards and cash, and can be configured for English language. Each ticket can be used for a single journey of up to 2 hours on the metro including transfers and 90 minutes on buses including transfers. For more information on these tickets, see the official page. We suggest that you purchase them in packs of 10, which is much more cost effective than buying them individually.

Alternatively, if you buy a Paris Pass, this come with a travel card which is valid for the duration of the Pass. So if you buy a 3 Day Paris Pass , it will come with a three day travel card. This will cover you for all your travel in Paris within Zone , so will get you nearly everywhere you need to go.

Notable exceptions include Versailles and the Paris Airports, for which you will need a separate ticket. These both offer small group walking tours in Paris, which are a great way to learn about some of the sights and history of the city. Of course, if you decide to take a walking tour you will have to adjust the itinerary accordingly to suit.

Context travel offer a number of very focused tours of Paris , and these offer very specialised insights into particular subjects. They also offer an introduction to Paris tour. There are of course other options for various tours in Paris, including all the tours on this page , which offers a variety of things to do from different providers. So definitely check out the options to figure out what is best for you! Being a major European city, Paris is definitely not a budget destination.

There are a few ways to save money of course, even on an itineary as packed with attractions as this one is. Food is one way — rather than eating out for every meal for example, you could stay in an apartment or hostel that lets you cook your own meals. Check out our guide to the best restaurants in Paris for lunch deals.

The cheapest way to get around Paris is to walk of course, followed by the excellent public transport system. We usually walk as much as we can, and then take the metro for the longer trips. Taxis can be convenient, but they will eat into your budget very quickly. One of our favourite ways to save money when we visit a major city where we want to see a lot of sights is to invest in a city sightseeing pass. It also includes invaluable skip the line access to some of the major attractions in Paris. The Paris Pass also comes with a number of other benefits including a travel card for the duration of the pass, access to the hop on hop off bus, a Seine River cruise, a walking tour, wine tasting and many more.

One thing to be aware of is that the three day Paris Pass, which we would recommend if you were to do this itinerary, only includes a 2 day Paris Museum Pass, as there is no three day Paris Museum Pass. So you would need to arrange your days to visit the attractions covered by the Paris Museum Pass over two days. I have in fact already done this for you in this itinerary. The first day includes attractions that are not covered by the Paris Museum Pass, whilst the second and third day include the main attractions covered by the Paris Museum Pass.

Of course, your individual situation will vary, and you might have different attractions you want to visit. In addition, you should be aware that if you are an EU citizen under the age of 26 that many attractions are free or discounted to visit you need ID! Also, on the first Sunday of every month, many museums are free to visit — although very crowded as a result!

We think the Paris Pass is good value for money click here to buy , but do feel free to check out our detailed review of both the Paris Pass and the Paris Museum Pass , and come to your own decision as to what works for you! Paris is a safe city in our experience, although it does have a reputation for being home to a number of scams. Most of these are easy to avoid once you know about them read up on some of the common scams in Paris here. Electricity in Paris is of the v standard, with the 2 pin European style plug.

Travellers from countries like the UK and the US will need an adapter like this. US travellers need to check their equipment supports the v standard — it will be written clearly on the power adapter.

The Joy of Traveling as a Couple

As a general rule, we have found that laptops, phone and camera chargers and other small electronics are universal, whilst larger devices like hair dryers and hair straighteners are not. Paris is part of the Eurozone, so the currency is the Euro.

You can also pick up local SIM cards if you have an unlocked phone. For more options on getting online when travelling, check out our guide to getting online when travelling to help you figure out the best options. We also have a guide to picking the best travel router , which can help you extend a weak WiFi network and share it across multiple devices. The water in the taps in Paris is safe to drink unless otherwise indicated. We usually recommend you travel with a re-usable water bottle like this to save on having to buy water bottles.

If you want to eat at one of the more popular restaurants in Paris , we recommend that you book in advance. We recommend and use La Fourchette , which is the most popular online restaurant booking website in France. Check it out here to find reviews, sample menus and book a table. We have visited Paris on a number of occasions, and have written a good deal about our experiences in the city. To help you further plan your stay in Paris, here are some of our favourite posts and external resources. As always if you have any feedback or questions, just let us know in the comments below.

Thank you so much for making my life easy!!!