You've heard the saying, "The couple who prays together, stays together." And praying is definitely one of the most important factors in remaining married - but there are a couple of other factors we shouldn't forget. But for now, we are focusing on traveling together.
You mean travel together, like as a family, right? Yes and no. You definitely need to take family vacations! They are the things your kids will remember the most when they are grown! But you also need to travel together without those kids! Leave them with the grands, or find a great friend you trust, but get out of the house with your spouse and go somewhere. It doesn't have to be a second honeymoon (because those things can be expensive!) and you now have all those grown-up expenses like mortgages and possibly kids. But plan a two to four-day trip minimum a year to get away with your spouse. Your marriage deserves it!
Our church hosts a couples' retreat, and we usually try to go and take an extra day. The first year we went, it was the first time we had been away from our newly adopted daughter in about a year and a half. We had no idea how our marriage had suffered by not taking time away in that year and a half after her adoption. That year, we made a decision that we would travel somewhere together without our child (the other 4 were already grown and out of the house) once a year. Some years, it is just two days away at our local beach. Then other years, we take a cruise or visit a place we normally wouldn't visit with kids.
It is a wonderful time to see in your spouse what you saw before they became the mom or dad. It is a great time to remember why you fell in love with them. It is a time to get away from the stresses of jobs and parenthood. It is a time to focus on each other. Enjoy the sights and sounds of a new place (or maybe where you honeymooned). Reconnect with the person you said "I do" to!
I recommend sitting down with your spouse and listing 5-10 bucket list vacations you want to take as a couple and as a family. Spread those trips out over time and fill in the other years with short, less expensive travels you could take together while saving for the more elaborate trips.
Now, sit down and figure out when and where you can go as a couple to get some much needed time to reconnect! Need ideas or want help with your couples and family bucket lists? Let's arrange a good time to talk.
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