Getting away with your partner offers plenty of opportunity for fun and relaxation, and experts say it can offer tangible benefits for your relationship. From spending a little bit of time alone together, to creating once-in-a-lifetime memories, there are so many reasons to book a couple’s trip with your loved one.
To help you get the most of your next romantic holiday, we’ve worked with ten relationship experts – from psychologists to best-selling authors – to establish what you should do and where you should go. The research has been used to create a brand new ultimate romantic holiday, available to book now.
Travel is important to couples. Life and Love coach, Francesca Hogi says “Travel is such a personally enriching experience, and luxury travel is ideal for romance. Luxury travel allows you both to be reminded in every moment ‘this experience is special’, which reinforces your intention when planning a romantic trip to begin with.”
Rachel MacLynn, founder of the matchmaking agency The Vida Consultancy also believes in the value of couple’s holidays. She says they are “an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company over a prolonged period of time, whilst also experiencing something new. We all enjoy holidays, so it’s the best time to capture each other feeling relaxed and happy – which leads to excellent bonding time for you and your partner.”
In an ideal world, every moment of your romantic holiday would run smoothly – but in reality, travelling can be stressful. We spoke to our experts and discussed common problems couples face when they travel, compiling a list of top tips to help you avoid pressure points on your getaway.
Having a solid plan in place is key to making sure everything runs smoothly. This doesn’t mean you need an exact itinerary with every minute of your time mapped out. Instead it means having a clear conversation with your partner about what you both want to do and roughly how much time you’ll spend doing it. This will prevent any surprises or shocks about what you want to do, helping avoid any arguments about activities.
Rachel MacLynn says ““Discuss anything that you particularly want to do beforehand, so you can plan accordingly and avoid any minor arguments.”
Dr Brian Jory, Couple’s Counsellor and Author, says “Be flexible. You go away together to leave the mundane and predictable behind. Make it an adventure, not a quest to have everything like it is at home. Every little thing that goes wrong is a chance to be spontaneous and rise to the occasion.”
Being flexible is key to having a stress-free holiday that allows you to bond with your loved one. If you get stuck on the little things that go wrong, you’ll miss great opportunities to experience new and exciting things with your partner.
We spend a huge amount of time on our phones and devices nowadays – browsing social media, responding to emails and chatting with friends. If you keep this up on a couple’s holiday you risk distracting yourself from the experience, putting distance between you and your partner, and missing what’s going on around you.
Dennie Smith, Founder of Old Style Dating, recommends staying off your phone. “Put your phones and laptops away. Make the most of your time away with each other, explore your holiday destination, enjoy chatting about the sights and soaking up the sun.”
Francesca Hogi notes the importance of variety on a romantic trip saying, “don’t schedule so many activities that you don’t have time to decompress and relax together”.
Doing things you both enjoy is vital on a romantic holiday. Take part in shared interests, spend time trying things your partner likes and vice versa. Make sure you also leave enough time to relax and unwind together so that you don’t become over-tired.
It may seem counterintuitive on a couple’s holiday but taking time out by yourself is important. Spending all your time exclusively in the company of a single person can be intense, no matter how much you love your partner.
Psychotherapist and Couple’s Counsellor, Tina B Tessina recommends that you “plan to spend time together and time apart. On vacation, we tend to be in confined spaces: hotel rooms, ship cabins, airplanes, and cars. You may find this is too much closeness, so plan to get occasional breaks from one another. When there are different things you like, doing them separately can give each of you a much-needed break, reduce tension, and refresh your shared time.”
In addition to developing helpful tips of how to get the most from your romantic holiday, we also asked our experts to think about what their own ideal romantic holiday would look and provide some reasons why.
Of course, the most romantic holiday is subject to individual tastes and styles, but there were definite trends amongst the relationship experts we consulted when it came to romantic locations, food, drink and activities.
When it comes to the best locations to reconnect with romance, the classics came out top. Paris, Venice and Rome were all recommended by multiple experts as the perfect places to visit on a couple’s holiday. The stunning streets, incredible food and intimate settings of these cities mean all three feature in our new ultimate romantic holiday.
Mark Stevens, bestselling author of Evidence of Love, praises Venice as the perfect Valentine’s trip. “Venice in the Winter is a top romantic location. When the majesty of the art and the water and the culture are unfettered by the stampedes of tourists”.
Marla Mattenson, relationship expert for entrepreneurial couples, recommends Paris and Rome. “Metropolitan romantic locations like Paris and Rome are classic, tried and true. Anywhere quaint, in nature or a location you can both enjoy the splendour of what that area has to offer also works.”
A ski trip to the Swiss Alps was also recommended by a few experts. The adrenaline on the slopes, teamed with cosy nights by the fire, suggested this as a great romantic option.
Some experts also suggested ideas a little further from the beaten track. Orion Talmay, relationship Expert and Life Coach, recommends the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. She makes the recommendation because “you are surrounded by breath-taking nature, and it is an experience of a lifetime. At night, you fall asleep to the sounds of the rainforest and wake up to the sight of exotic birds, monkeys and beauty. It’s extraordinary.”
A couple’s trip is the perfect opportunity to do something new, and our experts have fantastic recommendations for activities that’ll help you create incredible memories with your partner.
Getting your pulse racing is important when creating memorable moments, and almost all our experts recommend doing something active and exciting on your trip. From snorkelling and kayaking to horse riding and hot air balloon rides, there are plenty of things to try that’ll help you see the sights and forge a special connection with your partner.
Tina B Tessina PhD, psychotherapist and author, says “water sports like snorkelling and kayaking are exciting and fun, while sightseeing, shopping and going out for dinner and dancing are great.”
More sedate activities were also included in top picks from our experts, six out of ten selected walking or hiking. A walk around a beautiful location can be perfect for allowing you time to talk to your partner, explore new places and appreciate where you are.
Dining out was also a popular choice for a romantic activity. Alyssa Adams, Clinical Psychologist and Life and Relationship Coach, says “activities that allow the couple time alone, such as walking in the evening or a quiet dinner would foster closeness and intimacy while travelling.”
When it comes to food and drink on your romanitc getaway, our experts have plenty to recommend. Wine was the drink of choice, recommended by five of our ten relationship experts.
Chocolate was a popular option for food. Rachel MacLynn recommends pairing wine with chocolate for the ultimate romantic combo. “Pairing chocolate with wine is experiential, cultured and sophisticated. Romance guaranteed. Take yourself on a course to impress your partner with your knowledge, or the two of you could go on a course together…leading to endless opportunities to apply your newfound knowledge.”
For more substantial meals, Italian food is most often recommended as the food of love, alongside the traditional aphrodisiac, oysters.
To encourage a romantic feeling this Valentine’s Day we’ve put together special hampers to share with bloggers, so they can recreate the perfect romantic evening in the comfort of their own home.
We would like to thank the following people for their contribution to our work on this project:
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
Fifth time of using Eshores. Never been let down when not travelling to just one destination it is very comforting to know everthing is in hand. Wont use anyone else
Michelle, who was our consultant was very attentive very thorough and gave us a number of options to look at. I feel confident that this trip of a lifetime will go to plan. Michelle consistently came back to us with updates as when required and she did what she said she was going to do.…
The lady was really helpful and informative. She responded to our enquiry very quickly and provided us with a detailed quotation, including everything we asked for.
Dave always provides great service
We have booked 2 holidays with eShores which was multi city’s and it was perfect from start to finish hotel were in a fantastic place for everything and Michelle is a great travel consultant who we use every time we have just booked next years holiday with her definitely would recommend using this company
Our second time booking a multi centred trip With Leanne - she has all the knowledge and takes away the stress . It’s a seamless process and we look forward to planning the next adventure!!
Fabulous service from David, putting together our holiday, recommending what to do. Looking forward to our holiday
Great quote, all questions answered quickly by Leanne. Very easy to complete the booking.
Rob has been fantastic in helping me plan my 40th birthday Southeast Asia trip. He’s been brilliant in putting all details together and no change I requested to the itinerary was of trouble; always at the end of the phone to answer my endless questions. Thank you!
I was very dubious at first with using an unknown travel provider. I can only thank Mathew my go to for all his help. We had a fantastic holiday to Morroco. All our needs were met with prompt action. Thank you very much for your diligence. Very easy to contact this provider every step of…
It was a pleasure dealing with Hanna, she was so quick answering any questions we had and phoned us when when she said she would.
Leanne was most helpful in all matters was very satisfied with accommodation she recommended and are looking forward to our trip
We have used Eshores on many occasions over the years especially when booking long haul holidays. They are so friendly, helpful and knowledgable , nothing is to much trouble. Would highly recommend them especially Dave.
Great service from Rob, super helpful and patient, came back with many quotes for me. Really listened to what I wanted unlike other companies also very comparable on price and worked out cheaper than me doing it myself. I would definitely recommend and would use again (although I haven't been on the holiday yet!!)
First time we have used eShores. Michelle Porter was exceptional with her knowledge and recommendations. We were given several options to consider and all our needs and expectations were met and exceeded. First class service. Would definitely recommend Michelle/eShores and they will be our first contact when looking at future holidays.
Fantastic Holiday in Singapore and Thailand. Epic trp to Singapore, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and the wonderful Koh Lanta. Thanks to Anna King who arranged our holiday. 10/10!
First time we have use Eshore & very impress with how professional Kadie was with quoting on a holiday package.
Dave helped me secure the holiday I wanted, within the specified budget. In fact, I ended up with an extra couple of nights, which is a bonus. His emails were prompt and he was a joy to speak to on the phone. Would highly recommend eShores.
Our 4th trip using Eshores has just been booked. Andy was super efficient in making sure all our requirements were met. Would highly recommend this excellent company
Very helpful, knowledgeable and happy to suggest various options.
