Whether you are on a three week holiday or a six month backpacking odyssey, traveling around the world with the person you love can be an amazing experience which will bring you closer together. During our adventures, Lee and I have learned that there are so many advantages to traveling as a couple.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against solo travel. In fact, I think solo travel is amazing and I enjoy it immensely. Just like traveling on your own has its advantages, traveling with a partner also has certain benefits. Here are just a few of the ways that traveling as a couple makes exploring the world easier:

Top 10 Advantages to Traveling as a Couple

1. You Will Be Safer

Traveling as a couple means that there will always be someone looking out for you to make sure that you are safe. I’m sure my mom and dad sleep better knowing that when I am walking down the streets after dark in foreign cities all over the world, there is a six foot tall broad-shouldered Lancashire lad walking next to me. I know that I certainly get less unwanted creepy attention from guys when I am with Lee.

You can also keep an eye on each other’s pockets and backpack for pick-pockets, help the other back to the hostel when you drink too much, pull each other out of the path of a speeding tuk-tuk and just generally have each other’s back.

2. You’ll Have More Photos of Yourself

When you are traveling as a couple, you will have lots more great photos of yourself in beautiful destinations all over the world. Because let’s face it, nothing is lamer than the ol’ arm’s length snapshot.

3. You’ll Have Someone to Take Care of You When You Are Not Well

Sometimes when you are on the road you will fall ill and nothing sucks more than being sick and lonely. Your travel partner can watch over you, run to the pharmacy for you and take care of you until you are ready to go exploring again.

4. It Takes the Pressure Off

Traveling on your own can be exhausting because you always have to be planning everything and being completely aware of what is going on. When you are traveling as a couple you can share the responsibilities a little bit which will take the pressure off.

For example, when you are on a train one of you can sleep while the other stays awake to make sure that you don’t miss your stop. In an airport, one person can watch the bags while the other goes to buy snacks for the flight unencumbered.

5. You’ll Get The Best of Both Together Time and Alone Time

One of the huge perks of solo travel is being able to choose all of the attractions that you want to see without worrying that your companion will enjoy them or not. However, you don’t have to miss out on this when you are traveling as a couple. Every now and then, Lee and I like to split up for the day and do our own thing and meet back at the hostel later.

For example, when we were in Vancouver on our Cross Canada trip I wanted to see the Surrealist exhibition at the Art Gallery and try some of the delicious cheap sushi that the city is known for. Lee hates fish and modern art makes him go on angry rants, so he spent the day drinking beer at a football match instead. We both had a fantastic day. 🙂

Don’t be afraid to split up for a day during your trip and do your own thing!

6. You Will See Things You Won’t Otherwise See

On the flip side of this, there is also an advantage in compromising because you will end up going places that you might not have gone if you were traveling on your own.

For example, when Lee and I traveled through Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand, I wanted to visit the Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory and he wanted to tour the Speights Brewery. We ended up doing both that day one after the other and we both enjoyed the other’s choice just as much as our own.

7. You Can Try Their Food

One of the best parts of traveling the world is sampling different types of food and when you are traveling as a couple you will get to taste twice as many dishes because you can snag a bite off your partner’s plate.

8. You Can Save Money

Traveling as a couple can make things so much cheaper. You will split the costs of hotel rooms as well as taxi fares. You can buy jumbo sized bottles of water and snacks and share them, which works out cheaper than individual prices. There are also things that you can share rather than buying two of, such as a camera, first aid kid, mobile phone or a guidebook.

9. You Can Always Steal Their Socks

When you run out of clean socks you can always sneak into your partner’s bag and steal some fresh ones from them! Traveling as a couple means that you can always borrow things from your companion when you are in a pinch. There has been a couple times when Lee has used my deodorant in emergencies!

10. You’ll Have Someone To Share the Experience With

Of course, one of the best advantages to traveling as a couple is that you will always have someone by your side to enjoy your travel experiences with. Also, when you come home your travel experiences can last longer because you can share them over and over again with each other.

These are our top ten reasons why we love traveling as a couple. Do you travel solo or with a partner and what do you think?