Why Travel?
One day, I came across a quote before which stated “The world is too big to stay in one place.” Since then, I always grabbed opportunities to travel and see the world. Even as a single person, I have always loved to go on trips. In the Philippines, I went to visit Boracay Island, El Nido Palawan, and some of the great beaches of Batangas. I went hiking to climb Taal, rode a crazy jeep in the dunes of Ilocos, and I am a frequenter of chilly Tagaytay and Baguio like many Filipinos. I also went to Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore and enjoyed the new cultures that I was immersed in. Until I was married and went to USA to see places I thought I would only see in post cards.
Now as a married person, things became quite different. I do not only consider myself in my decisions, but also consider my husband. I do not only spend time taking care of myself, but also I spend time to take care of him. It’s a good thing that my husband also loves to travel and grabs every opportunity with me to witness the world. In our recently concluded trip to Las Vegas, I realized how wonderful it can be to travel with your spouse and how it can enrich your marriage. In here, I will list down 5 reasons why you should travel with your spouse.
Share New Experiences on Travel
Day 1 was spent mostly on travelling to Nevada. It was a long drive, but an exciting one. Together we looked for the picture perfect black and white cows among the brown and black ones, marveled at the beautiful canyons, plains and mountains. When we arrived in Las Vegas, we had dinner at one of the tallest hotels. We dressed up like we were rich and classy, used fancy cutlery and ordered on a menu with some food items we’re not sure if we pronounced correctly. We saw the beautiful cityscape at night, like we were above the stars.
I realized that traveling with your significant other isn’t just about “seeing the world”. From the plain and simple cow-searching, to dining at a fancy restaurant, the most important thing in that travel was me sharing that experience with Charles. It isn’t about where you travel, it’s about who you’re with and how precious that moment is between the both of you.
Creating New Memories
When I ask you about what you bought for groceries the last week, you might have a hard time remembering. But when I ask you about your trip to Hawaii or a holiday trip to Europe, your mind lingers in the memories vividly. Travelling with your spouse creates fond memories. It gives you a pleasurable escape from the routine. I could somehow compare it to earning a coin. When I travel with Charles, I keep a coin of beautiful memories together that I can look back at with fondness banked in my heart.
Discovering God, Your Spouse and Yourself
We learn new things every day even in the most routine moments of life. However, I believe that we learn more about God, ourselves and others when we also expose ourselves to new experiences. Travelling gives opportunities for you to witness God’s providence and the beauty of His creation. Also, it allows you to brings you situations where you and your spouse’s character will be tested.
If you feel like you learned all there is to learn about your spouse, wait until you travel. You will discover more things–whether trivial or quintessential–which makes your relationship more interesting.
Emphasis On Rest During Travel
Marriage and family life can be draining. For some, it can be difficult to find time to communicate when life’s stresses drags down. Traveling is an opportunity to restart, or reset, and find your center again amidst the responsibilities of life. It helps us to clear our minds and gives us motivations to get back on the track again.
In the book of Genesis, God modeled rest for us, although He didn’t need it. Isaiah 40:28 says “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary”. He is showing us that resting is actually a part of our routine. And traveling is one way of doing that. Marriage isn’t just about work or responsibilities, it’s also about enjoying each other’s company and nurturing our relationship.
Broadening of our Perspectives
When we travel, we get to see a different state of life and culture which may be quite different from what we are used to. Traveling with our significant other broadens our perspective. It keeps us grounded and compassionate with the world and the people around us. Sometimes, we think that our problems and responsibilities are the highlights of our lives. When we travel, we actually see how blessed we are to be actually in our present state. We begin to be more thankful of the little things, as we understand that some people are just happy to have what we already have. Food? A home? Or maybe just the loving hand of your co-traveller holding you side by side, we see the world in another person’s eyes and that makes us more thankful that we get to experience life itself.
Reflect on Your Marriage
During times of rest, such as travel, it is important that we reflect on our marriage. Sometimes when too much responsibilities pile up, it makes us forget how important it is to find the focus in our relationships, we tend to think only of what will get us through the day.
I was given a book called “Forever Me and You: Marriage in the Light of Eternity” as a wedding gift (thanks Robyn!). During points of rest, I would read the book from time to time because it gave me a spiritual perspective on how I should handle my marriage. The everyday struggles of deciding to spend the rest of your life with someone can get to me sometimes, but I know it’s all worth it because I know God prepared for us a mission that we can do better together. This book helped me realize that. I recommend that you also read this book to help you both gain a brighter insight on your marriage.
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