The Reality of Travelling as a Couple
We chat a lot about setting off on solo adventures and hopping in a camper with a load of mates for the most epic roadie ever, so we thought it was about time to talk about travelling as a couple.
We’ll be sharing with you:
- How to make friends when you travel as a couple
- How to budget for 2 of you
- How to stay sane together and compromise
- The best ways to travel and where to stay!
A lot of you travel with your other half and many of you may be thinking about it, so we’re here to let you in to all of our tips and tricks on what it’s REALLY like travelling with your significant other.
Meet Holly
Hey, I’m Holly – I write most of the blog posts you see here on RatPack. My job is basically to make your life easier; giving you all the tips on how to have the most epic time in Aussie.
I don’t usually introduce myself when writing a post, but I travelled around Australia for 6 months with my significant other (hi Joe!), so I’ve been there, done that, dying to do it again! I thought it would make this post more relatable if I wrote it from more of a personal angle…so let’s go!
What is it REALLY like to travel as a couple you ask? Well, keep reading and you’ll find out (spoiler alert, it is – in my experience – more of a make it than a break it situation).
Click images to see more.
Travel and accomodation
Travel
There are 2 main options of travel in Aussie – camper or Greyhound coach.
In the case of travelling as a couple, I’d say go for a camper (wish we had – they look like so much fun).
You can share driving time, can be super flexible, you’ve got all the freedom in the world and lets face it – nothing says relationship bonding like a road trip.
In terms of which type of camper to opt for, either a 2 seater, 2 sleeper or a high top (if you fancy a bit more room) – both would be perf.
Accomodation
The obvious backpacker choice is hostels. They’re great value for money and a great place to meet people. If this is your jam, most hostels do have private dorms – so check these out!
However, some nights you might fancy a space for just the two of you. In this case, Hotels can be great value (if you shop around a little) or, we opted for Airbnb’s for a couple of stays as it worked out a little cheaper (check out the ‘private rooms’ option).
It's all about compromise
I can’t re-iterate this enough – IT IS ALL ABOUT COMPROMISE.
I get itchy feet (is that the saying?) and hate sitting still – I constantly need to be on the go and discovering new things. On the other hand, my boyfriend is pretty chill and is happy to lounge around without a care in the world (something I need to get better at).
But what I am trying to say here is, you need to be able to take a leaf out of each others books, meet in the middle and do what makes you both happy.
Why not try both writing a list of what you want to get out of the trip and go from there – take it in turns to decide what to do. It’ll make life a lot sweeeterrrr.
with RatPack Travel?
You don't have to spend every second together
You’re on the trip of a life time, you want to make every second count and you want to make memories together. I get it. I was like this at the start of the trip.
But, as you get used to the routine of travelling it’s okay to spend some time apart.
Even if you’re not technically alone, something as simple as zoning out for a bit on separate bunks reading separate books or scrolling on Instagram (whatever you do), it’s time with yourself and that is important.
You will make friends!
I’m not going to lie to you – we did find it difficult to meet people in the first couple of months. You’re obviously a couple, so (understandably), people assume that you’re happy with each others company, so don’t feel the need to approach you.
You’ve just got to put a bit more effort in. Approach others instead of waiting for someone to approach you – what’s the worst thing that’s going to happen.
About 3 months in, we met another couple (all it took was a bit of small talk over dinner at a hostel and – quite a lot of – goon) and we got on from the get go. We’re now all as close as ever and see each other all the time back in the UK. So there it is, proof that it is possible to make friends for life, even as a couple!
From our RatPackers
I booked my campervan to travel in NZ via RatPack Travel, who managed to find me the perfect van at relatively short notice and with a discount! It was a real help to have someone do the searching and mediate with the company, once they had dates and information from me. Thanks for the prompt and friendly service!
Great service! Jenner was so much help and gave us lots of options to suit our journey. Very attentive and made it an easy process.
This was the best customer service I ever experienced! I highly recommend you if you are looking for a Van or Camper to leave your email address so somebody of their team can get in touch with you. They compare for you all camper hire company’s and you can choose with one suits you the best. I literally talk to this awesome lady from Holland (as I’m only available after 8pm MEL time, so the arrange for me a call with somebody from the EU team for free) and she got our dream van for the most incredible price few minutes after we talked! And not even one day later I got my booking confirmation from the camper company. Their service is free of charge as they earn commission of your booking but this doesn’t cost you a cent. I did my own research before but the deals they give me was way better than I could find by my own. I highly recommend to get in touch with this team and let them find your Van. They literally saved us our fuel cost for a 3 weeks travel from Cairns to Sydney. Yes- that’s almost $1000 they saved us! Go and get your van! You won’t regret it.
So far, so so good. I should have started with RatPack to begin with and saved all that time searching for a camper and feeling like I was getting nowhere. Jenna was incredibly helpful -doing all the hard yards and getting us the best deal. Very prompt service. Thanks for making it so easy !
Very friendly service with Tammy. Super attentive and keen to help us. Got us a discount and one of the last available options.
Ratpack was super helpful! They were extremely responsive and helped us get an amazing deal on two 3-person camper vans. Highly recommend giving them a shot!
Really straight forward helpful and friendly people!
Mike helped us with finding the best van for us for our 3 week trip and was very knowledgeable. With some quick phone calls he gave us the best quotes and walked us through the process in detail. Everything was made clear and we booked our trip in just an hour! I would highly recommend their service.
Great experience with the RatPack travel team! Really went out of their way to help us book our Van’s for two different trips! They have great rapport with the various Van companies, were able to help us book the last available Van for our time in WA and were able to get us some discounts as well. Zan and Mikey were both so easy going, made it feel like we were chatting with friends who genuinely cared about our travels haha, awesome guys! Definitely recommend the RatPack service, will save you time and money fellow travellers!
Mike was amazing - helped me find a van and gave me quotes, a full breakdown, etc super quickly no stress! Just what I needed. Can't wait to start my trip. Thanks dude!
Booked a 3 week trip with MIKEY! Customer service was on point. No Buls**t straight to the point. Saved us a further % on the original price of the campervan and sent me a map of the east coast with highlighted areas he highly recommended to stop at. looking forward to our trip! 🇮🇪 🇦🇺
Highly recommend this company! Mike was incredibly helpful; he gave us lots of useful info and managed to get an excellent deal on a camper for our trip. The whole process was quick and easy. Thank you! Alison and Amy x
Mikey was amazing at helping us plan our 3 week schedule for the east coast. He went over and above to make sure that we were able to fit everything in that we wanted to in the time we have. His knowledge has been a great asset for us making an itinerary. Can't recommend enough!
If you want to book a camper for your trip, you should only do so with Ratpack. The team is incredibly fast and provides great service. No annoying comparison of providers, since Ratpack takes over. They are looking for the best deal and can offer great discounts. they respond individually to your wishes and give you additional tips for the trip. Since there is also an EU team, you could make calls at individual times of the day - simply excellent all around - thanks for everything
Absolutely delighted with the service provided by RatPack Travel. In particular, the excellent guidance and support offered by Jules! We explained our plans and she found a suitable solution to meet our needs. Very grateful and suggest other travellers use this facility. Thank you 😊
