Toothbrush? Check. Curling Iron? Check. Phone charger? Check. I carefully inspected my hastily-made packing list, reviewing each line, and double checking to make sure it was all there. Normally I wouldn’t be this anal when it came to packing, but this wasn’t going to be like any vacation I’d been on before. This was my first vacation with my boyfriend. We had planned this trip to Canada about a month prior, and I was so ecstatic as we scrolled through the hundreds of hotels to choose from, bickering about prices and the most convenient places to stay in. But now? I was more nervous than anything. What if we don’t get along? What if there’s nothing fun to do? What if his car breaks down? What if we have to use the bathroom at the same time? I stayed up late the night before pondering all of the different “what if?” scenarios that popped into my head. Despite practically having a nervous breakdown before he picked me up, I tried to think positively. “It will be alright,” I thought to myself. “His car won’t break down, we won’t get robbed, the hotel will be clean and classy, we will have a great time.”

Now I’d be lying if I said we agreed on everything during our excursion. While I love the idea of exploring cities and being around people, he loves to stay at home and watch tv. However, that didn’t stop us from having a good time. In fact, we found a solution to our problem: we both considered the other’s tastes and interests. For example, on our first night in Canada, we drove down to the Fallsview Casino for a few hours before heading back to our hotel room to drink champagne and watch some Canadian television. I got to sightsee Niagara Falls (and win $200) while he got to kick back and relax with a cocktail in his hand.

I was worried that the first night was going to be awkward, especially since I had never slept next to him before. After taking a half-hour shower in our five-star bathroom, I moisturized my skin, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and reminded myself that everything was going to be alright. I walked out of our steamy bathroom and found my boyfriend cuddled up in our comfy bed with a mimosa on his nightstand and one waiting for me on mine. After I clambered onto the bed and sipped my sweet cocktail, we cuddled in bed, flipping through channels and making fun of how strange Canadian television is. My fears faded away and the night turned out to be anything but awkward, even though he did take all the blankets. The next morning, we laid in bed with the curtains pulled down for an hour or two before getting ready to visit Toronto. I feared that he would get annoyed with me for taking hours to get ready, but he was more patient than I expected.

The days went by quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to check out of the hotel. I couldn’t believe that our vacation was already over and I couldn’t believe that I had been so nervous over nothing. This vacation that I had been so excited for was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Our hotel was comfortable and clean, our food was out of this world, and we got to spend time together and never got sick of each other. It worked out well for us that we are both impulsive, so neither of us really had a plan as we explored Canada. I think, in fact, that it was ideal because I believe trouble would’ve arose if one of us was a planner while the other one was spontaneous. It was also beneficial that my boyfriend is a responsible driver. I wasn’t fearing for my life as he navigated through congested roads and highways, nor did I have to worry about him drinking and driving. He knows how to be responsible and mature while still being able to have fun.

This vacation proved to me that if in the future we were to get an apartment together, we would get along well. Sure, it was only one vacation, but when problems emerged, we were able to compromise and handle them like the level-headed adults we are. We felt comfortable around each other and everything worked out. In fact, our relationship even changed (for the better.) We were comfortable around each other before, but having to spend a couple nights together made us even more comfortable around each other. There’s something about waking up in the morning to your boyfriend’s morning breath and your smeared makeup from the night before that breaks down a barrier in your relationship, brings you closer together, and makes the relationship stronger. It might’ve only been one vacation, but I’m hoping it’s the first of many.