Regular readers would know I’ve been back a touch over a week from my 10 day holiday to Vietnam via Malaysia with the BF. We’ve been dating for about a year, and this is the first ‘proper’ holiday we’ve taken together. We had been away for weekends interstate, and moved in together in August.
Before the holiday, we were both pretty stressed, preparing for a week away from work, and handing over work to others. I was a right royal pain in the backside (I assume) around the house, as I have pretty exacting standards. I was even a little worried I was just a cranky pants, and I might ruin the holiday with all my ‘it’s not quite right’ feelings.
However, there is something just magical about holidays. I knew the moment that I stepped into the airport, I would be in ‘holiday’ mode, and I would be as excited as a grown mature adult should be. Therefore I tried to limit my childish hand clapping, and big grin, but it was hard to contain! There’s nothing I love more than checking in for a long haul flight at an international airport in my home city! And that excitement ratchets up further as the plane pushes me back in my seat and we take off into the night to somewhere new and different. The BF asked me more than once as I peeked through my row to his row, what was up. He’d probably not seen me this excited in a long while. (The seperate rows were because the plane was empty, so I capitalised on the opportunity, and lay across three seats for most of our Sydney to Kuala Lumpa flight, sleeping!)
I love travelling. (I love it til I get used to it.) I love the unknown, the feeling of uncertainty, but all the time in the world to grapple with the difference and similarities in a new country and a new city. I was so pleased to be seeing two new countries and two new cities (and the inside of Kuala Lumpa’s airport… which is a different country, but I can’t really say I’ve seen the city).
In the first 24 hours, there were some hiccups in our trip! We spent a little more time in KL than we perhaps should have 😉 What I loved was that neither of us turned into screaming angry cranky pants, even though the BF had hardly slept on the 8 hour flight. We saw the bright sides – like access to the McDonald’s and a Starbucks. And somewhere to browse sun glasses. And the lovely smell of cinnamon doughnuts – which were in fact cookies (and yes, I enjoyed two!). We both know what each other needs to be ‘ok’. He needs a cappuccino ASAP after waking! I need naps when possible, and seeing I’d been doing droptober, I needed sweet treats stat, to make it feel like a real holiday.
As it was our first experience with a week of unscheduled time, there were countless questions of ‘what do you want to do now/next?’. Thankfully, I’m pretty easily pleased, as I shared in my post about my holiday plans. When in doubt, turn on the TV or pick up a book. I think the BF was a little worried that I might come away from the holiday thinking we ‘did nothing’ but to be perfectly honest, no matter where I go in the world, I like to take the time to relax on the holiday, as well as seeing things. I’ve never been a huge one for running myself ragged! Overall, I think the BF was pretty patient about my commitment to relaxing and laziness, letting me have ample time to laze around reading books, blogs and snoozing! That being said, on reflection, I think our next holiday would probably benefit with me having a clearer idea of the activity options available (including costs) and roughly working out what to do each day. Had we done that this time, we might have asked about bike riding and rafting tours sooner, and ended up with enough time to take the tour we preferred rather than being offered the only thing running the next day (which we declined). We also looked into visiting an amusement park in Nha Trang, but some presearch (new word!) might have told us it was pricey for what it was without getting our hopes up!
Overall, I feel like we got on better than I was willing to hope. I suppose I’ve been tired and cranky more often than not since we’ve moved in together, thanks to work getting busier, a full dance card outside work, and not getting enough sleep. Thankfully, the holiday allowed us both to sleep soundly in air conditioned comfort of luxurious hotel rooms. Our days were filled with eating out, which I love – although by the end of it, you almost want to wake up and make something yourself! I had some genuinely great moments – room service, the Sheraton in general, the buffet breakfast and the mud baths. I even got excited taking the photo of the pretty plane and uniforms, which I showed you yesterday. And finding Banana Republic (I will share my spree there soon, I promise). And the departure from Sydney! Those moments, those are the gems in the crown of a holiday. Those sparkles make the experience richer, and I’m so glad I was able to share my wonder and joy with the BF!
Do you remember your first holiday with your current or past partner? Did it go well? What stories do you have to share?
I love these pictures of the market, so different from grocery stores which I am stuck with for the next few months.
I didn't realize you and the BF have only been together a year. I think you did well working out a routine that worked for both of you. You question of a holiday with a partner had me thinking. Can you believe I have never traveled with a partner? I have never met another person who enjoyed traveling like I do. I did take a short trip with one partner, 5 hours by car.. By the end of it I wanted to strangle him. He had never done any traveling and has no sense of direction, so he sat glued to the map while I drove.He kept asking me if I was sure we were where we were supposed to be. Me having traveled all over the country wanted to open the window and toss out the darn map. 🙂 When I got home the map was safely hidden in the house where he would never find it again. 🙂
Yes, time has flown in the past year – I started blogging a month or two after meeting him, so to him I've almost always been a blogger :p
Interesting you mention your strained car trip – I have travelled with one BF – he met me in Europe, and day 3 I broke it off. We travelled as friends for the remainder, including a few days with my family at the end! I did offer to go my separate way. Another ex BF and I, as exes, booked a trip to US and Cuba. In the end, we didn't travel together, but they kept wanting to seat us together on the SYD – LAX return flights! He brought a friend along with him, and all I saw of this ex (and ex friend) was in the airport and on the plane. Obviously the 'friendship' wasn't working in the time between booking and travelling. So I don't have a great track record of BF's and travelling either, but it's started to turn.
Having the plane be so empty you could take up three seats is awesome! I would have taken advantage of that as well. Those panda hats are so cute.
My boyfriend and I have not had a "proper" vacation yet. We've only gone upstate (3-4 hrs away) – once to visit his old college friends, and once for our anniversary which was just for the weekend. Since he spent four years there, he knows what to do and where to go. They went fine, but that's nothing compared to a week. I am hoping we will be able to take a vacation next year. Technically we have had a week together once, when he had a week off of work and I was in between semesters. It was fun to relax and play video games!
I agree – it's even more awesome on a long haul flight!
Oh wow, I don't think the BF and I have ever played video games, though he has a playstation which we used to use to watch downloads on. I think it would be different to have a 'staycation' and much like our normal weekends. I hope you get a chance to go away together – I know in the US it seems like you have so much less vacation time!
Sarah, I so relate to that thrill of leaving for a trip. Best feeling ever! Though in my case, it’s not an international airport association, but more the sense of heading down the highway on a long Australian road trip. I’m so glad your first trip with the BF went so well. The first trip can be a bit challenging sometimes! I do remember my first trip with DH – a road trip from Melbourne to Ballina. So much fun – still makes me smile all these years on!
You'll soon have the feeling with an international airport, that's for sure!!
Were their challenges with your first road trip with DH? The BF and I have driven to Orange together, so that was about 5 hours. It was better cause I'd prepared all that food for us to snack on, which of course meant I liked it all!
Glad your holiday together went well. So have you hit the ground running back t work? Does make a person grumpy when work eats all your time. Totally understand that.
My first trip with Mr Sans was a road trip north, driving to Byron, camping at national parks along the way. First camping ground had no running water. We washed by swimming in ocean and fesh waterhole. No electricity. But that was before all manner of electronic gizmos. Stayed there three or four nights then drove a little north to our next camp site in a national park. Also without running water and electricity. Then we stayed at a camping ground at Byron. It felt so cramped after being in national parks.
It was a dream summer holiday. Came back tanned and relaxed and even more in love.
Yeah, more like SPRINTING at work, as the next weeks I take on someone else's role whilst they are on holidays, and in reality, keep doing my normal job!
Wow, what a great start – although I think camping would test me in a relationship more than my recent trip! I like my regular showers to keep me fresh. I really should try to be a little more intrepid! It warms my heart to read that it was dreamy and made you more in love – memories can have such a lovely glow can't they?
I'm glad you two had such a good time 🙂 I also get very giddy when I'm excited, haha!
Mr. G and I have taken many trips together and we've always enjoyed ourselves. We've had tense moments and arguments, certainly, but the good far outweighs the bad. I think the biggest thing is that as we've gone on more trips, we've gotten to know the other better so we can avoid annoying each other. We're planning our longest trip ever (10 days) for our anniversary next summer and it's gonna be awesome! 🙂
I cannot believe you've been away together for longer than 10 days – I keep forgetting how short vacation time is in the North Americas – we get 4 weeks a year, and Mum's a teacher, so she's always had more, and Dad's used long service for them to have some whoopa holidays together! Like 4 months in France this time last year!
I don't think we had any arguments – he said a few things that ruffled my feathers, but nothing that turned into a yelling match. That being said, we never really yell, it's usually me being moody more than anything!
Love this post, thanks! It has been years since I've seen empty seats on planes to stretch out into! Rom and I travel together well. We both like to pre-plan. I love that word "presearch"! For our Toronto trip, we were visiting Link but it was also our only week off work in 6 months, so we wanted it to feel like a vacation. It got a little testy at times because there were 3 of us negotiating what we'd see and do. I was in the middle, trying not to make it seem as if Link and I were vetoing Rom's decisions, or Rom and I were overpowering Link's! I think it was all quite harmonious given how many decisions we had to make. But I do think Rom needed that afternoon alone at the Reference Library 🙂
Oh yes, that would be hard – I think I realised travelling with just the BF it's all a lot 'quicker' than with 5 people in a family. I think in my family travels, there's attempts to keep everyone happy, and so I am pretty laid back, and don't actively have an idea of what I want to do (other than one or two things for a whole holiday), cause I'm used to going with the family's flow. I think my family travels OK together, with minimal overpowering 😉