“What does your boyfriend have to say about your traveling?” and “How can you always leave him behind?” are questions that I hear way too often. These questions irritate me at times, but then I realize that people truly think, as a taken woman, traveling without my significant other (SO) is strange and not doable, especially for a trip that lasts longer than a week. And my response is, “Well he is happy for me and knows this won’t break us." That answer is usually followed by an uproar of how’s, why’s and “That wouldn’t work for my SO." Well, why not? Traveling with and without your other half are both big deals.

When you travel with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you see a different side of them. You view them in a new light. You see how they react to good and bad experiences. You learn more about them and how the two of you work together.

When you travel without your better half, you learn who you are as a person without them and how you work alone. And most importantly, the separation will either break you or make you stronger.

Many students end up in relationships during college and many students choose to study abroad, so those new relationships are put to the test. I have even heard of people canceling a trip because their SO wouldn’t appreciate it. That is so silly to me.

Why on earth would you put your dreams on hold just because someone close to you is going to miss you? It doesn’t make sense and honestly, it’s not fair to you. This is the perfect time to travel and to grow, not be suction-cupped to your boyfriend or girlfriend, while you hear about all the awesome things going on overseas. You’ll probably end up having that "fear of missing out" (FOMO) disease and resenting your partner, which isn’t fair to them either.

I have left my boyfriend several times for travel. I lived in Nicaragua for three months, traveled to the Middle East for five weeks, and now I am about to leave again for two months. Plus, there have been other trips I’ve taken that last about two weeks or more. Not to mention all the times he has left me for travel.

Honestly, if I count up all the days we’ve been separated, it would probably add up to more than a year. We’ve been dating for almost four years now; that’s a lot of time where we have spent separated! Trust me, it’s not easy, but it can definitely be done.

Here are some tips that have helped my relationship last during travel.

1. Stay in contact.

Staying in contact is number one for obvious reasons, it’s the most important! It doesn’t mean you have to talk every second of everyday, but to at least set up a few times a week where you both are available for quality time. There are so many different and creative ways to stay in contact with your SO. Of course, you can Skype or FaceTime, while on Wi-Fi. But let’s be honest, that’s not always reliable.

There have been times where I wasn’t able to talk with my boyfriend for a few days because of that issue. Some of those days I would really want or need to talk to him. So, I would instead write out a letter. I wrote about my day or wrote out my thoughts; sometimes I even wrote a story. He enjoys receiving them and even keeps all of them to read them over again.

Another example is a postcard. It’s fun to try to find the best postcard that your SO would love and then write out sweet nothings that make them smile. My boyfriend and I have collected plenty of postcards over the years and plan to make a giant photo collage out of all of them, which is a fun way to remember all the fun places you two have visited. Plus, it’s fun to look at them when you return!

2. Have trust.

Having trust in yourself and your SO is critical. You need to have trust while in the same city or in a different country. Without trust, you’ll only worry, panic, and stress yourself out. That is not healthy.

My first long-term trip, I panicked. I was constantly wondering what he was doing, where he was going, whom he was talking to. It was bugging the living day lights out of me! I wasn’t having a good time. That issue should have been settled before I left, but honestly, I didn’t think it’d be an issue.

Once I finally sat down and spoke with him, we figured a lot of things out and I started to enjoy the trip. It made the separation easier and then time just flew by. Before I knew it, we reunited in Miami.

3. Enjoy your time.

With that being said, make sure you’re enjoying yourself. If you spend too much time worrying about your SO or sitting in the Internet café, just to speak with them, you won’t enjoy the experience to the fullest. You might end up regretting the time wasted and come home upset with yourself.

Just relax and enjoy the trip! Talk with your SO when you two planned to and the rest of the time should be spent with your new friends and exploring the new country. Plus, if you actually enjoy the trip to the fullest, you’ll have stuff to share with them, and they’ll have things to share too!

4. Journal it out.

Being away from your boyfriend or girlfriend is not easy. You’ll miss them and wish they were there with you. It’s hard trying to share a story that they won’t understand and it’s hard to share every experience. You’ll hate that they’re missing out on such an awesome adventure and honestly, you might feel bad talking about how great it is. You might feel lonely at times and just want to sit in your hostel and cry or mope, which is completely okay!

You’re allowed to miss your SO and you’re allowed to get sad. Don’t beat yourself up, but instead write it out! A journal is a great and private way to share your inner thoughts, which you might not want to share with others. You can write about how happy you are, how sad you are, what things happened, and so on. It’s a sanctuary for your feelings and thoughts. Utilize that and write out everything! It’ll help, trust me.

5. Souvenirs and photos.

While visiting a new place you ought to take a lot of photos and buy some unique things. Well, you most likely will. Use that as a gateway to your other half. Maybe snap a picture of something that they’ll think is funny or buy something small that would be special to them. Send them a package of these things or save them for your return.

They’ll be happy to know that you were thinking of them and if you send it to them, then it’ll be a lovely surprise! Buying them a gift or taking a photo to share will help you miss them in a healthy way. You’ll be excited to gift something upon your return, especially a sweet surprise!

6. Don’t feel bad.

Lastly, do not feel bad! This is your trip, your dream, your time to venture out into the unknown and learn about yourself and the world. It’s an opportunity that you chose to take and shouldn’t have to feel bad about doing.

So go out, find adventure and enjoy it with your entire heart and soul. You’ll have amazing stories to share when you return and probably a virus of wanderlust that’ll never go away. Be prepared.