Have you ever taken a vacation with another couple? Wayne and I have a couple of times. (And have talked about doing so with other friends but haven’t because we haven’t been able to coordinate schedules.) However, those times we did venture off with friends, we’ve had fun. After working out some kinks…
Know What to Expect
No, you can’t plan for every contingency. You have to leave room for spontaneity. Or, at least we like to. Some people do prefer to have a strict schedule laid out that they adhere to without exception.
But that’s what I’m getting at. If you’re either type, make sure to talk it over with the other couple. That way you can figure out how to accommodate both styles before the vacation starts.
Example: One summer we headed to Carlsbad, California, with some friends and their kids. Right when we got there they wanted to go to the grocery store. To pick up groceries for the week.
I was appalled.
When I’m on vacation, my chef’s hat and dish washing gloves are hung up. But because they had kids who didn’t always like what restaurants offered and they were trying to watch their pennies, making meals was a necessity.
It wasn’t a vacation-busting deal, though. We worked it so we ate with them a couple nights, went out for a Wayne and I only dinner a couple of nights, and our last night there ate out together as a group.
Establish Boundaries
Are you going to spend every waking second together? Or are you going to do your own things during the days and catch up for meals in the evenings? Are the girls going to pair off for girl-only activities sometimes while the guys go do something else?
Again, you don’t have to plan every day of your vacation down to the minute. It is, however, a good idea to discuss basic agendas and expectations ahead of time.
That way if you’re all about relaxing but they want to go, go, go no one feels like they’re ruining the other’s vacation. Or putting undue stress on anyone’s relationship –either your own or the friendship you enjoy with the other couple.
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