Travelling as a Couple: 10 Rules Nim & I Live By

thedodotravelers

May 8

4 min read

There is something magical about travelling with the person you love. It is also one of the fastest ways to discover who they really are.

Nim and I met eleven years ago in a nightclub in Mauritius, and since late 2019, we have been travelling the world together. Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean. Cities, mountains, beaches, football stadiums. We paused for the pandemic, reignited in 2022, and never looked back.

Here is the funny part: in all those trips, we have had exactly zero serious fights. Not one. Not because we are perfect, but because we have built a set of unspoken rules that keep us laughing even when the train gets cancelled, our suitcases get too heavy, or we wake up still a little drunk from the night before (more on that in a minute).

Here are the 10 rules that keep us in love and on the road.

1. We Only Book Destinations We BOTH Want to Discover

This is rule number one because it prevents 90% of couple-travel drama. If one of us is forcing the other, the trip is already broken before the plane takes off.

We sit down months in advance, open Google, and throw ideas around until we both say: yes, that one. Sometimes it takes one glass of wine. Sometimes it takes weeks. But we never book until we are both excited.

2. We Respect Each Other's Rhythms

Nim loves museums, action, big landscapes. I love adventure, gastronomy, and a good curated itinerary. We do both together !

Nobody guilt-trips anyone for wanting something different. Respect means we come back to each other with stories to share, not resentment to unpack.

3. Delcia Plans. Nim Shoots.

Our roles on every trip are clear and non-negotiable.

I plan everything from A to Z: flights, hotels, activities, restaurant reservations, train tickets, backup options. Nim carries the luggage and captures every moment through his lens (I honestly do not know how he does it, but every single photo he takes is a masterpiece).

We stopped fighting about who does what years ago. We play to our strengths and the trip runs like clockwork.

4. Money is a Feeling, Not a Calculation

We do not split everything 50/50. We do not track who paid for what. No app, no it's your turn. Some days Nim says let me pay. Some days I say I've got this one. We alternate without even thinking about it. What matters is not who pays more or who pays less.

What matters is that we are happy where we are. That is the whole point of the trip.

5. We Book the First Night Before Landing

This rule was born from a hard lesson: do not arrive tired, hungry, and with no plan.

Booking the first night in advance means we always have a bed waiting after a long-haul flight. Everything else can be improvised, but arrival night is sacred.

6. Zero Fast Food on Trips

Not negotiable. Nim and I love food, and every destination has its gems. We would rather spend an extra 20€ on a real local meal than settle for a McDonald's just because it is there.

If we wanted KFC, we could eat it in Mauritius. We travel to taste the world.

7. Minimum Hotel Comfort (No 12m² Rooms, Please)

Life is too short for tiny rooms. I am very choosy about hotels, and Nim has learned to trust my Booking.com obsession. We do not go luxury (we are budget-conscious travellers at heart), but we absolutely refuse to sleep in a cupboard.

Good sleep equals a good trip. It is that simple.

8. We Always Travel with Insurance

I never leave Mauritius without it. The Schengen visa often requires it anyway, but even outside Europe, it is the cheapest peace of mind you will ever buy. One cancelled flight, one lost bag, one small medical issue, and you will understand why.

9. We Laugh at the Mishaps. We Never Blame Each Other.

This is the golden rule. The one that has saved every single one of our trips.

Let me tell you three stories.

The Overpacking Disaster. We once packed for every possible scenario and ended up dragging suitcases so heavy we could barely lift them onto the train. Instead of blaming each other, we laughed, ate a croissant, and promised to pack smarter next time. (Spoiler: we did.)

The Wrong Train Coach. On another trip, we boarded the right train but the wrong carriage, and had to drag three massive suitcases through six coaches in the middle of France. It was ridiculous. We laughed harder than the Europeans watching us.

The Grève. This one is our favourite. We had been out partying the night before and woke up still a little tipsy, heading to the train station with thumping headaches. In the morning, we’ve received a notification that the train had been cancelled because of a grève (the beloved French strike). Instead of panicking, a friend help us find a chauffeur and he drove us for 4 hours straight with sunglasses on and the loudest playlist we could find. We half laughed the whole way. We made it. We will never forget that drive.

Mishaps are the moments you remember forever. Do not waste them blaming the person next to you.

10. We Celebrate the "We Made It" Moment

Every arrival is a small victory. A toast, a kiss, a photo in front of the hotel. Whatever it looks like, we always take 30 seconds to say: we did it again.

It sounds silly. But after six years of travelling together, it is the ritual that reminds us why we keep going.

Final Thoughts: Travelling Together is a Skill

Nobody tells you this before you start travelling as a couple: you are not just visiting places, you are building a shared history. Every trip is a chapter, and every mishap is a paragraph worth retelling.

Nim and I have no magic formula. We just have 10 rules, a shared sense of humour, and a bottomless appetite for croissants and football stadiums.

The next plane ticket is already booked. We cannot wait to see what goes wrong this time.