If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you know how much I encourage alone time with your spouse and date nights, but today I want to write about something else that your marriage desperately needs. You and your spouse need a couple’s getaway! I’m talking about no kids, no family members, no friends, just you and your spouse traveling somewhere together. It was only just a few years ago that I realized how important this is in marriage, so let me share my experience with you.
My husband and I had kids together before we were married, so we never got to experience the Newlywed phase. What I mean by that is, there was never a time period in our marriage where it was just me and my husband in the house. A time were we could just focus on each other and go out and do whatever we wanted. We had small children when we got married, so we had to make an effort just to be alone.
For years my husband begged me to go on a couple’s vacation, but my answer was always no. I just couldn’t imagine leaving my children at home while me and my husband were out having fun far away. I remember I used to always say to him, “We can go on trips with just us when our kids get grown and out of the house.” But now my whole perspective has changed.
After God restored our marriage in 2014, I finally agreed to go on a “couple’s only” vacation. At that time I knew that my husband and I still had a lot of rebuilding to do, and some time away from the kids to focus on our marriage would be helpful. He had always mentioned wanting to go to New Orleans, so I booked the trip.
The day we left I was nervous of course and wondered if the kids would be okay without us, but once we got on the road I was filled with excitement. To this day, I can honestly say that our trip to New Orleans was by far the BEST vacation I’ve ever been on. My husband and I connected in ways we hadn’t in a long time. We talked about so much during the eight hours on the road, we laughed together, we flirted with each other, we learned about History together, we cruised the Mississippi river together, and so much more. Because the kids weren’t around, we could say and do so much more. We could splurge on food because we didn’t have to worry about feeding our whole family, we could shop without hearing, “I’m tired”, or “I gotta go to the bathroom”, and we didn’t have to worry about breaking up fights between the kids. It was just me and my husband for 5 days, enjoying God’s beautiful creation, and enjoying each other. My favorite part was when we missed our trolley stop at our hotel and got off at an unknown place. We were lost in the middle of New Orleans but my husband made me feel protected.
It was such a life changing experience for us, that we decided that we would try to plan a couple’s only trip annually if our budget would allow. Just a year later we went on our first cruise together, and it too was an amazing vacation! We made memories together that I will always hold dear to my heart.
Maybe you are like I once was and can’t imagine leaving your kids behind, but I promise if you will just try it one time, you will see what a difference in can make in your marriage. We were surprised when we called home to check on the kids, and they barely missed us because they were having so much fun with their grandma. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t plan family trips also, but you and your spouse need time away from the kids even if it’s just a weekend getaway to somewhere local. Another option would be to attend a marriage retreat. My husband and I have attended a few marriage retreats and they both had a huge impact on our marriage. You don’t have to travel far or spend tons of money, but you do have to invest in your marriage. I promise you won’t regret taking the trip.
For more information about the marriage retreats that we attended please visit familylife.com/…-remember/findyourgetaway or firstcomeslovemarriageretreat.com
I highly recommend both of these marriage retreats!
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