“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch _____________________________________
Whether it’s a nice city break or a lovely beach holiday, there’s nothing like taking a few days from your own world to see the rest of the world. The process of planning your holiday isn’t always so easy, especially when it comes to travelling with your partner.
June 28th marked K and I’s 2-year anniversary. We both love travelling and this was a perfect way to start our travel adventures together. First stop, Venice. Why? Well, it’s the city of love, right? Or so they say. Plus, it was first on our ever-growing holiday bucket list.
If you’re planning your first getaway with your partner then hopefully this post will give you a few tips to help you enjoy your perfect holiday.
TIP 1: Do not commit to a timescale or budget you both cannot keep to.
There’s nothing worse than having one person feeling like they are out of their depth. You’re going on this trip together so your expectations of what you can afford and buy should be agreed beforehand. Be honest about your finance and give yourselves enough time to prepare. Compromising and communication is key.
TIP 2: Decide in advance how to split travel logistics.
After 2 years, K and I know each other’s strengths. I like finding hotels and he’s good at planning the activities. So, we agreed I would pay for the flight and hotel and he would sort out the spending money and activities. Every couple is different so it’s important to figure out what works for you early on.
TIP 3: Use customer review and tourist websites to plan your holiday.
Customer review websites can give you the real deal on hotels, food, culture, tourist attractions and pretty much everything you need for your holiday. We used tripadvisor.co.uk to find our hotel and K used europforvisitors.com to find the activities in Venice.
TIP 4: Research the price range of food, travel and activities before you travel.
When we arrived in Venice, we spent €35 on a cab to the hotel. It may not sound like much but we could have saved €27 by taking a coach for 30 minutes. When you don’t have the luxury of taking out money whenever you want, it’s important to know how much you might be looking to spend before you get there.
TIP 5: Don’t exchange your money at the airport.
K forgot to exchange some of his pounds to euros so we had to do it at the airport. Don’t be like us! Change your money anywhere else BUT the airport. We actually lost 1p or 2p. It may not sound like much but every little helps when travelling. It’s better to exchange at your destination instead of the airport.
TIP 6: Get to the airport at least 3 hours before your flight.
No one likes to be in a rush or worry about missing their flight. If you arrive early enough you won’t have to. We got to the airport by 4:00am for our 7:30am flight. This was very early but we had time to check-in, have breakfast, freshen up and relax before our flight. Start your holiday with ease.
TIP 7: See what travel benefits your bank offers.
Travel insurance is very important and you should have it. But does your bank offer other benefits? Thanks to K’s current account with Barclays, we were able to use his DragonPass membership to access the lounge at the airport whilst we waited. Free food, free drinks, free Wi-Fi, TV and showers. Think I’ll get one too!
TIP 8: Avoid using your phone when you are around each other.
It’s so easy to get lost on social media while in the company of other people. This happens with couples too. Doing activities such as playing card games with each other can help you avoid the antisocial behaviour that social media brings. Plus, it helps kill time and keep you awake while you wait.
TIP 9: Familiarise yourself with your hotel location on the first day.
Getting to know the area you’ll spend your next few nights helps you plan and navigate your way around. Find where the nearest restaurants, supermarkets, bus, trains and local shops are as it will come in handy. Lucky for us, our hotel was within 10-15 minutes of all these places and a McDonald too. Winning!
TIP 10: Embrace the culture, food and language.
We all have our preferences. Whether it’s food, clothing, or the language we use, we like what we are familiar with. Going on holiday means putting all that aside for a minute to truly experience what the place has to offer. Try something new and if you don’t like it then at least you’ll know. Do it for the gram!
TIP 11: Relax and capture moments together.
That’s the whole point of going on holiday, right? To relax, explore and create moments. Share the responsibility of capturing moments and discovering a new world together. Find humour in every situation and don’t let the little things bother you. Love, laughter and memories are the only thing you should be making.
TIP 12: Keep your trip short, sweet with activities you both like.
Avoid setting a tight schedule because a holiday shouldn’t be a chore of things you have to do. Go with the flow and leave some room for doing nothing but relaxing together. No one wants to come back from a holiday feeling more tired than they left.
Hope you find these tips useful! A post on what we got up to in Venice is on it’s way.
Your Turn…
Have you been on your first holiday as a couple? How was it? What tips can you give for a harmonious trip?
Lets connect!
Share your questions, experiences and tips with everybody in the comments below.
Till next time.
Love,
Lydia x | www.lydonlife.wordpress.com
LYDIA ON LIFE 
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