Travel planning--and travel itself--can be difficult on relationships. If you're one of a duo and have personality differences in the hot topics of planning, economics, and taking advice, you'd do well to recognize the potential for arguments that might wreck a great vacation so you can make an effort to mitigate them before you go.
There's a reason why the word "travel" seems to derive from the French travail. Travel is a lot of work sometimes. The word "vacation," however, comes from the Latin word vacare - to empty. So Empty yourself of travel prejudice and hear the other side when planning that vacation.
Below I've thrown out a few areas of potential conflict that I've seen (and experienced) over the years, things that should be resolved before you go. Notice that there are no "rights" or "wrongs" in the sets of extreme personalities I've represented. Good arguments can be made for any of the personalities represented below. So you're unlikely to win any moral arguments with the information you'll find here. You'll just have to compromise if you recognize a potential vacation conflict.
Planning - The Planner vs. the Free Spirit
Often, one of you is the planner. The other leaves the planner at work and hopes the vacation doesn't turn into disaster.
Once you get to Europe, though, the free spirit can get unleashed.
"41 and a half minutes is not enough for lunch! I want coffee!"
"But we'll miss the private tour of the shoe lace factory! Where is that stupid waiter!"
"We're going to a shoe lace factory?"
Planners--remember to leave time for just sitting in a cafe, resting or exploring. Free Spirits--be tolerant, and try to get a day in for yourself where nothing is planned. Recognize during the early vacation planning stages that you're going to have conflicts and work to avoid them before you go.
Economics - The Frugal Traveler vs. The Splurge Monster
Lots of folks try to save every last dollar. They'll spend hours learning how to save a Euro on bus transportation so that the daily dollar limits they've set can be lived within. They'll lug heavy bags for miles from cruise ships to the train station to save the fee the cruise line gets for transporting everything in comparative luxury. The other sees a restaurant menu from a Michelin starred restaurant that sounds mighty good and begs to go there--for a huge hit in the pocketbook.
"But we're only in Europe for this one time!"
"But it will ruin our budget for the rest of the trip!"
"I'd love you even more than I do now and I'll think about giving up the new computer I would have bought if you'll...."
See what I mean? Splurges can be the centerpiece of a vacation. You might talk about that meal for years. Of course, it could cause your financial ruin as well.
Tip: If you see this one coming, don't keep to a daily budget; use a longer time frame for your budget that allows for splurges to be offset by very frugal days.
The Trophy Traveler vs. the Explorer
Trophy Travelers are people wo go places because other people tell them to. The explorer wants to discover new places the guidebooks ignore.
"Do we have to go to the Cinque Terre?"
"Yep, Rick Steves says we have to."
"But there's this little tiny dot on the coast. It's called Tellero. D.H. Lawrence lived nearby. It must be good. Let's go there!"
"But people are expecting us to go to the Cinque Terre and to report that we've done so. They will be soooo disapointed if we go to a place they haven't heard of. 'Oh, we went to this little town that a dead writer used to live near.' Are they going to be impressed by THAT?"
Who's not going to compromise with that argument?
"No, dear. You're right. Let's go where they tell us like everyone else."
What the trophy traveler doesn't know is that travel writers have a special bar they go to called "Area 51." All the best writers go there. It's where they keep records of the secret cities tourists don't know about. You have to have a membership. Yes, there is a conspiracy. Keep it to yourself.
The Bottom Line
I hope this gives you an inkling of where you might find potential conflicts in your vacation plans so you can get it all straightened out before you go.
If you haven't found your travel personality here, let me know.
