Honeymoon From Hell

You don’t have to be married to have a disastrous first holiday with the love of your life. Neeti Jaychander has some horror stories and advice on how to avoid them

- Neeti Jaychander

Travelling with your partner is a great way to connect with them, away from the humdrum of daily life. The US Travel Association interviewed 1,000 couples in 2013 to determine whether travel had a positive impact on their relationship—79 per cent said it did. This makes you wonder what the remaining 21 per cent has to say. You’re in love and headed for a few chilled-out days. What could go wrong? Glad you asked.

‘It felt like a never-ending trip’

Priya Raj* and Sunil Krishanan* spent a week touring the Nilgiri Hills, spending two days each in Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri. Priya says, “We should have stuck to one place and kept the trip to three days, so we could get a hang of sharing vacation space. There were instances of awkward silences where we just didn’t know what to do with ourselves!”

Focus on quality, not quantity

It’s best to first test the waters before a big jump. Manjula MK says, “A weekend trip is good enough for your first holiday. This will give you an idea of challenges you might face on longer trips, and how to address issues that might come up.”

‘We needed another vacation to recover’