I recently traveled from Norfolk, VA to Orlando, FL and spent a few days at Disney World with my boyfriend. This was our first time traveling together and as a long-distance couple, we were both looking forward to it. He's a pro at flying and traveling in general so, for him, it was a piece of cake. Me, on the other hand, I am an anxious flyer - I was nervous!
Here are some tips and tricks I used to make our travel days go as easy and stress-free as possible.
1. Give yourself more than enough time to get from point A to point B.
This applies in the airport all the way to reservations in Disney World. Always give yourself ample time in order to avoid any bumps in the road.
2. Snacks.
The lines at Disney can be LONG. By day two, we arrived at the park with huge water bottles and a big bag of goldfish to snack on when we needed a pick-me-up to hold us over.
Also, if you tend to experience some motion sickness while flying, I find that having something to munch on can aid in that department - as well as some Dramamine.
3. Alternate who pays.
In my relationship, my boyfriend insists on paying for literally everything and 95% of the time I let him. BUT, with that being said, traveling is expensive (Disney is EXPENSIVE). Alternate even if your S.O. doesn't say anything about it, both of your bank accounts will be thanking you afterwards.
4. Adjust your expectations early on.
Don't expect all your plans to magically come through.
Don't expect there to be zero hiccups.
My boyfriend and I went into this vacation very laid back and go-with-the-flow because we just wanted to relax and enjoy time away from work. When you don't have super high expectations, it's much easier to not be stressed and just enjoy yourself.
5. Take lots of pictures BUT don't spend a lot of time on the phones.
One thing I wish we did more of is taking more pictures so we could document those memories. However, we don't have a ton of pictures because we weren't on our phones aside from super long lines and at night. We wanted to live in the moment with each other.
I consider our first travel vacation experience as a couple a major success. We came back refreshed and ready to get back to work and we both were just so grateful for the time away with each other.
I hope you're able to take bits and pieces of my advice and apply it in planning your next vacation!
