HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO BE DATING TO GO ON VACATION WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER?

HE SAID

Going on  vacation with one’s significant other can be a very touchy subject. We are part of a generation filled with one-night stands, where serious relationships are far and few between for people younger than 30.

Going on a vacation with your significant other is the first step into a serious relationship. Whether it’s a five-day trip out-of-state or a weekend venture to the beach, a vacation is one’s first look into what it is like to live with your significant other. It is much more than what is often perceived.

When it comes to how long you should wait before going away on vacation with your significant other, it completely relies on your maturity and what you expect out of your relationship. It can be either well-deserved alone time with which you can do whatever you would like, or it can be yet another fond memory to add to the mental scrapbook. Time is merely a number.

It is hard to determine a solid number when it comes to the time one must be in a relationship before going on vacation.

If the purpose of the vacation is just to have a good time and a chance to unleash whatever visceral desires have been pent up, I’d say anywhere between three and four months should be plenty of time to get to know your partner well enough.

On the other hand, if you are planning on a serious relationship, eight months should do it. By then, you and your partner will have developed a strong enough bond that will make going on vacation an experience unlike any other.

However, as stated earlier, it depends on your maturity and level of understanding. If there is any bad blood or smoldering conflict, it must be settled or brought to attention before going away. Spending hours with somebody is one thing, but spending days is something else entirely.

If any conflict arises, there’s nowhere to run. Eventually, you will have to face it head-on. Going away before you’re ready is a sure-fire way to hurt and potentially ruin your relationship. Vacation is just as much of a risk as it is a reward and, if you’re ready, will be one of the greatest rewards you can have.

Let it be known, however, that the only “goal” of a vacation should be to have a great time. Whatever that entails can be left to the individual.

SHE SAID

Now that this academic year is almost done, the only thing on my mind is taking a nice long vacation and reclaiming my tan.

Amidst papers and final projects, I’ve made time to set up concert plans for seeing the Dave Matthews Band and Gaslight Anthem with several more lined up as soon as I’ve saved up enough money. I’ve promised days at the beach with my sisters and the occasional adventure with my little brother.

These plans, however, have all been sans my boyfriend. Granted, he and I have talked about making plans for the summer, nothing has been made officially concrete and for good reason. Both of us are not only the stereotypical poor collegiate, but we’re juggling jobs and hopeful internships, allowing for a lot more impromptu adventures than extravagant planned ones.

Dating for over six months now, it goes without saying we’ll spend time together. Living a good distance apart, the summer will prove our best opportunity to see each other more than we’ve had time to thus far. Does it mean I’ll go overboard planning a week-long vacation in the Bahamas with him? Probably not.

While the plan sounds all too enjoyable, I’m a little more realistic with money and time. Despite the fact a vacation like that has the possibility to strengthen our relationship as it has done for many of our older friends, it’s something I don’t see us quite getting the opportunity to do just yet.

Given the chance, I’d happily leave everything behind for a couple of days for utter relaxation and some uninhibited time with him. Over six solid months of a serious relationship I definitely think merits the time we’re alone and away.  We’ve been together longer than most college students who do similarly, so I see no problem with it.

Our shared group of friends have a road trip in the works, a happy medium for us all to get away from a job and be cost-efficient, too.

There are surely enough plans with my boyfriend for a summer to finally act like a couple outside of the confines of simple weekend dates and seeing each other at school.

For the most part, however, they consist of a lot of small scale day or overnight plans. He’s proven that even a small endeavor together can turn into something grand.

Despite all the planning or not planning, there’s always the spontaneity of summer for surprises.