Thursday, February 4, 2010

4 Freelance Friday: The Perfect Honeymoon

For my bridal shower last year, my cousin Gabrielle compiled marriage advice from family and friends in a little book she entitled "The Inside Scoop". On the very last page is a quote from someone married seven years that reads:

"Go on a long six month+ trip to faraway places on the cheap. Seriously. This way you carry nothing but what's on your back and you see the world and unplug from our society for awhile. It's great for the marriage because you get a chance to get to know each other more deeply and create a super deep bond for when the difficult parts of life come knocking."

Patrick and I had already been planning our round the world honeymoon, but reading this completely validated our decision to run away for six months together. Our hotel rooms may have been adorned with cockroaches instead of rose petals, and our meals not usually candle-lit or accompanied by champagne, but I wholeheartedly agree that a trip like this is the perfect honeymoon.

Honeymoons are supposed to be all about enjoying time with your new spouse. Well, on this trip we had nothing but time with each other. We woke up together, ate together, spent every minute of every day together. In fact the longest time we were apart was about two hours for Patrick's kidney stone removal surgery. It's remarkable we had anything to talk about.

So we had plenty of time to learn every little detail about each other. Not only can Patrick predict what I will order off any given restaurant menu, but I know at exactly what point he will lose patience with a pushy salesman or an unhelpful airport employee. We know what the other one appreciates most in a hotel, city, or maybe even in life. At least for right now.

And overcoming obstacles--from being stranded on a Brazilian island to dealing with the aforementioned kidney stone fiasco in India--brought us even closer together. Knowing that we can deal with unpredictable, stressful, and sometimes ridiculous circumstances gives me great confidence that we will be able to handle dirty diapers and mortgage payments. I understand how Patrick approaches problems, he understands my thought process, and we are an excellent (and impressively efficient) decision-making team.

So to all you enfianced girls and boys out there, consider a six-month round the world adventure for your post-wedding getaway. And to our married readers, it's never too late for a romantic second honeymoon.

Now we want to hear what you think...what is your idea of the perfect honeymoon? What honeymoon/travel experiences have brought you and your significant other closer together?

4 comments:

  1. My dream honeymoon location: Fiji! I want to stay in one of those bungalows over the water and do absolutely nothing for a week except relax with my new husband

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  2. Way back in the day when my wife and I were first dating we were on a steamy afternoon treck during a trip to Mexico. out of nowhere came this ferocious dog that took a chunk out of my leg...and then scampered off as quick as he appeared. Unfortunately we had to go a mile all the way back to where we started and then on to a clinic that was scarier than the dog. Long story short...after she took care of me through that I knew I wanted to marry her some day.

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  3. When my husband and I were dating I was studying abroad in Ecuador and he was supposed to visit me for my fall break. Unfortunately three weeks before he was to leave the US, his job lost funding and he was unsure what he was going to do. We had only been dating for 6 months, had not seen each other for 2 months, and might not see each other for 3 more - certain death for a long distance relationship. Amazingly, he found a job that had a hiring freeze until January. He got on the plane to South America with a severance package from his old job and 3 months of free time. We spent the whole time traveling and living together. This time was the best of our lives and solidified our new relationship. We got married a year later and look back on these times fondly.

    I agree that you really learn everything about a person when traveling with them compared to spending time with them in a place that is familiar and comfortable.

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  4. Whether it is South America, Southeast Asia, or Scandinavia, studying abroad always is tough on a relationship. I had a similar situation where I was studying abroad in Spain and my boyfriend at the time came to Europe and we spent the summer backpacking all around. We hadn't seen each other in so long and after that time together I knew he was the one!

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