Quality Time: The Great Escape

In the first years of our marriage, we did a pretty good job of getting away together for trips.  Since we did not start a family until we were married a little over four years, it was easy to make trips happen for the two of us. Then life changed as we became parents. We still took trips, but they were family trips. We did beach trips, lake trips, Disneyland, Disney World, snow skiing and more. The trips were great and I would not change one of them.

What I would change would be to add a trip a year for the two of us only. It was not until our twenty-fifth anniversary approached that we began to talk about a “just us two” trip. Looking back. I don’t know why we went over fifteen years between “just us two” trips but we did. Our twenty-fifth anniversary trip was magical. We flew to an incredible beach. We ate, laughed, walked the beach, took naps together, and watched the ocean together for hours. I remember looking at each other on the return flight home and saying, “What were we thinking not doing this every year?” Since then we have.  

There is something very special about being together for a few days without any of life’s regular distractions. It gives you a chance to focus on each other in ways that you never could at home.  For us, these became a kind of booster shot for our marriage. The connection we get on trips together lasts a long time after we are back home. It helps us put our marriage where God wants it to be. Our priorities get back in order. Not every trip we take is spectacular, but every trip we take is special for us. As you plan, take your budget into consideration. Don’t vacation outside of what you can afford. Some of our best trips together have been to bed and breakfast inns close to where we live. I know some couples that go camping together.

Whatever you do, don’t get caught up in the idea that you have to spend a lot of money to have a great trip. The focus is on you and your marriage and you can do that in a Motel 6. If you have not taken a “just us two” trip in a long time or ever, it is time. If you are taking them, don’t stop. Take time together to plan your “great escape” and when you get back let us know how you liked it!