10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL

TRAVEL AS A COUPLE

Hi there!

Thanks for signing up to our email list. We’re excited to share

our travel tales with you! As promised, in return for signing up,

here is our e-book on our top 10 tips for successful travel as a

couple.

For years before we started The Global Couple, Shaun and I

had travelled extensively together. In fact, the vast majority of

our domestic New Zealand travel and international travel has

been done side-by-side (well, we have been together for nearly

eight years!).

We absolutely love travelling as a couple, and we both agree

that it’s fantastic to have someone to share experiences with

and relive them years down the track.

Of course, as with any human relationship, there are times

when ours gets strained – but fortunately for us these are few

and far between. We think we manage these strains and

stresses really well when they do arise!

As a result, we have compiled a list of 10 tips that we employ

to keep both of us happy as we travel the world. These tips are

for those of you who are uncertain about travelling as a couple

(and of course this list can be applied to friends and family

members travelling together too!).

Happy travels!

Petra & Shaun xx

The Global Couple

Copyright © 2014 by theglobalcouple.com

Publishers: Petra Chappell & Shaun Pearce

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without

the prior written permission of the publisher.

ONE

Enjoy the o ther person ’s company .

Of course, this is the number one rule. If you don’t enjoy their

company, those days and nights spent with only them may start

to grate after a while! As an aside – we’re not sure if you

should be in a relationship with someone (let alone travel with

them) if you don’t enjoy his or her company!

TWO

Be f lex ib le .

Yes, that applies both of you. In any relationship there has to

be a bit of give and take, and while you are travelling this is

even more important as you’re outside your home comfort

zone. Flexibility may be in the form of little things like agreeing

on where to eat dinner that night, or larger things like which

country to visit on a trip.

THREE

Both have input in to t rave l p lann ing .

This follows on from tip #2. It’s best if you plan a trip together,

then you can come to a common agreement of where to go

and what to do before the trip is booked and paid for. And

again, be flexible. On our trip to Southeast Asia in 2013 I

really wanted to go to Myanmar and Shaun really wanted to

visit Hong Kong, so we did both! (And we both absolutely

loved each place).

FOUR

Do someth ing that each o f you wants to do every

day .

This keeps both of you happy and enthusiastic about the day

ahead. For example, if we spent a day wandering around

museums that I wanted to visit, we would eat at a restaurant of

Shaun’s choosing that night.

FIVE

Encourage each o ther to t ry new th ings .

Whether it’s a weird local food, a scary experience, a new job,

or learning a new skill, it’s great to encourage each other to

push boundaries and to know you have the support of each

other throughout. We went bungy jumping for the first time

together in Queenstown, New Zealand, and without the

support of Shaun being there and encouraging me I don’t think

I would’ve jumped off that bridge!

SIX

Pool your t rave l f inances together .

When we started travelling we had individual accounts and

halved our expenses, so Shaun would pay for one dinner and I

would pay for the next, and so on. It was a mission to figure out

who paid for what and it got quite stressful! Fairly quickly we

decided to get a joint bank account and put equal amounts of

money into that account and use that when travelling – it saves

the accounting headaches!

SEVEN

Eat when (or before) you ’ re hungry .

This stops you getting needlessly annoyed at each other when

you’re ‘hangry’! It’s much easier to make decisions and to enjoy

yourselves when your tummy isn’t rumbling. Having little snacks

throughout the day is a good way to stay fuelled up and also to

try some local food!

EIGHT

Have some a lone t ime .

Being on the road constantly with your other half is great, but

it’s also good to be alone, whether it’s reading a book, going

for a walk by yourself, sunbathing on the beach, or going

shopping (this one is a definite for us when I want to look at

shoes or clothes!).

NINE

Know each o ther ’ s s t rengths and weaknesses .

Knowing what each other are good and not so good at makes

it easier to prepare for and adapt to difficult situations. For

example, when we are driving into a new city, we make sure

Shaun is driving and I’m the navigator, because he gets less

stressed driving (I tend to freak out!) and I am better at

reading maps (especially since Shaun tends to get a bit of

motion sickness if he has to read!).

TEN

Be there fo r each o ther when the go ing gets

tough .

Travelling is not always going to be plain sailing – there are

times when you’ll wish you were at home in your own bed. So

when the hard times hit, you need to be there for each other no

matter what. Being on the other side of the world means you

don’t have the same support network as you do back home, so

you need to rally together to get through the hard times!