Travel can play a variety of roles in a couple’s life. It can be a meet-cute, a test of a relationship’s strength or potential, and an escape from reality with a person you hold most dear. For Elisa and Michele of Eli Loves Travelling, it’s a little bit of all three. They met completely by chance, but have fallen in love not only with each other, but with traveling the world together. Read more of their story in the following interview.
What’s your story?
Michele and I met in a hotel so travel was always in our lives. At the time I was working as a receptionist and he was on holidays with his family. He made a joke about how he did have a remark to make on the hotel which was that he had no remarks. He made me laugh and the day after I added him on Facebook and we became friends. On the next weekend he came to visit me and from then on, it was June 2016, we have always been together.
3 months after our first meeting, we went on a 2-weeks journey to Thailand. It was our test, if we survived we would have stayed together, if not we would have just separated. In Thailand we fell in love with each other (more than we already were) and with travelling as a couple and from then on we have been to Rhodes, Samos, Tenerife, Berlin, Istanbul among other destinations.
Do you have the same travel style or different travel styles? How does this impact your adventures together?
We have the same travel style: in fact, we usually get a car and explore the place. We leave early in the morning and just get around. Beaches, walks, excursions, cultural places. We love everything, so we visit everything we can. We also enjoy eating local dishes so we always try out local restaurants and cafés. I couldn’t ask for a better travel partner. Michele lets me organise every part of the journey (because I love to do it!) and he just comes along. But then, once we’ve got to the place he becomes as much interested as I am and that’s amazing!
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from traveling as partners? What makes your partnership work on the road?
Travelling as partners is great, but you need to learn to respect the other’s rhythms and tastes. If he hates something, you may have to give it up or if you hate something and he loves it, you might need to do it just that once to keep your travel partner happy. With Michele, it is really easy to get along, as he doesn’t hate anything and he’s very much interested in everything. We should probably ask him how he feels about this, as I might be more difficult as sometimes I get scared easily so I am not always up for things (which are totally normal for most people XD).
What’s the best part about traveling as partners? And the biggest challenge?
Having someone to share your travels with is a great opportunity. You are never alone, you always have someone to help, to rely on if needed and to enjoy things with. The biggest challenge is to respect each other rhythms as they may be different but it is not so difficult when there is love involved.
Based on your experience, what’s the best advice you have for couples who have just scheduled their first trip together?
Live it as a great opportunity to actually know each other. You will be together 24h, probably out of your comfort zone, so take the opportunity to try things together and see what you like and dislike, see what drives you or your partner crazy, try to understand what you and your partner enjoy doing together. It’s an amazing opportunity and if everything goes well, you’ll come back more in love than ever.
Share their story with your favorite travel partner!
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