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How long should you wait before going on holiday with your partner?

Why not test your compatibility early on to save time?

Rachel Hosie
Tuesday 25 April 2017 12:54 BST
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Do you dream of romantic trips to Venice, getting engaged in Paris or honeymooning in the Maldives?

Or do you freak out and run a mile when the guy you’ve been seeing for two months suggests a mini-break to a town an hour’s drive away?

People have different approaches to going away as a couple, and it’s hard to know when is the right time. How do you know when you’re ready?

According to new findings, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later - and it’s probably earlier than you’d think. You should go on holiday with your partner within the first three months of dating them, apparently.

A study of 1,000 adults by Hilton Hotels & Resorts found that six in ten people think it’s a good idea to go away with someone you’ve been seeing for three months.

In fact, 60 per cent believe it’s never too soon to travel together.

Holidaying en couple is undoubtedly a test of a relationship, and dating coach Madeleine Mason believes it’s an important one to take before moving in with your partner.

And experts agree with the findings: “[A getaway is] romantic, and will allow them to escape to a place where the usual distractions of life aren't embedded in their surroundings,” psychologist and relationship expert Antonia Hall told Bravo TV.

“There’s no better way to really get to know someone than to travel with them,” she says. “It's actually a very informative way to know how your potential long-term partner deals with flight delays, traffic, and other situations that can arise, and whether or not you're truly compatible.”

It’s one way to test compatibility, for sure, but there’s also the chance you won’t know each other well enough to deal with spending such a long, intense amount of time with no one else for company.

However the study also found that one in three - single people not those on holiday with their partners - are looking for love on their travels.

“Often, holidays bring out the desire for indulgences, and it's exciting to connect with a stranger and have a little romantic interlude while away,” Hall says.

“Blame it on sunshine, romantic settings, or the dopamine and neurotransmitter fix your body is providing. Hooking up is pleasure for pleasure's sake and that can be pretty tempting, especially when tucked away from everyday life.”

Holiday romances all round then.

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