Traveler's Edition
Award winning adventure couple Dave and Deb share their travel tips and stories on their blog The Planet D – and having traveled to over 100 countries, and visited every continent on earth, they’ve got some great ones! Today they take over the liligo.com blog to write about some awesome adventures couples can enjoy together. So grab a cup of coffee and prepare to be inspired!
Travel as a couple is one of the most fulfilling things you can do together. It strengthens relationships and lets you learn more abut the one you love. Travel definitely brought my husband Dave and I closer together. After nearly a decade of marriage, we were stuck in a rut and living separate lives. Our routine became all about work and “to do” lists. We weren’t living a full life. It was travel that snapped us out of our rut and sparked a desire to make changes. After adding an element of adventure into our lives, we found each other to be more interesting. We inspired one another and fell in love all over again.
Whenever we do something extraordinary together, we feel closer than ever. I know many couples have a difficult time finding balance when choosing adventures to do on their travels, so we decided to share our favorite adventures around the world that not only brought us closer but also were fun and created memories to last a lifetime.
1. Swimming with Whale Sharks – Mexico
You don’t have to have snorkeling or scuba experience to swim with whale sharks, if you know how to swim you can swim with the sharks. These gentle giants are the largest fish in the sea but you don’t have to worry about becoming dinner: they only eat microscopic organisms like plankton. Off the coast of Cancun, whale sharks migrate through the area from May to October. Boats take you out to their feeding grounds and once you jump in the water you’ll be mesmerized by these creatures that reach up to 40 feet long! When the day is over, you and your partner are going to be on such a high, you’ll be talking about this adventure for years to come.
2. Rock Climbing – Thailand
My husband Dave always says that Rock Climbing is one of the greatest adventures couples can do together. It’s a sport that requires communication and trust. When you climb together, you become one together. As one person works out a problem on the wall, the other is holding their life in their hands watching every move. Rock climbing is an amazing way to bond. When you complete a challenge or reach the top, nothing feels quite as incredible as knowing that you made it through an obstacle and reached the finish.
Thailand is one of the most picturesque destinations on earth to go rock climbing. In Krabi, more than 700 bolted routes can be found jutting up from sand long beaches. Horseshoe bays and crystal blue waters surrounded by striking kharst formations make for the perfect couples vacation setting but it’s all the adventures in the area that make it a truly memorable destination.
3. Walking with Polar Bears – Canada
It doesn’t take a lot of skill to walk with polar bears, but it does take a lot of nerve. In Churchill, Manitoba a company called Churchill Wild offers polar bear expeditions that take you out of the tundra vehicle (aka the rhino) and onto the land. While most tours keep you inside behind the glass, our trip to Nanuk Lodge took us out across the Arctic tundra to spot wildlife. Once our guides found a polar bear we drove towards it stopping less than a mile away. This was where the adventure began.
After stopping, our group got out of the rhino and began walking in single file towards polar bears basking on the beach. Going in August is prime season for spotting mothers and cubs. Nanuk Lodge is located in the heart of a denning area for polar bears and during our flight out to the remote lodge we saw at least a dozen polar bears walking through the landscape.
Spending time in the lodge is romantic too. With full service meals and wine, a cozy den complete with wood burning fire and bay windows for optimal viewing, walking with polar bears isn’t just a great adventure; it’s the ultimate romantic escape.
4. Scuba Dive the Maldives
There are many places in the world to go scuba diving but we chose the Maldives because it is the quintessential couples vacation destination. With romantic over-the-water bungalows on luxurious private islands, the Maldives is a place that couples dream of traveling to. There are many things to make an adventure out of your trip to the Maldives, but the most popular thing to do is to scuba dive. The warm sapphire blue waters beckon people to come in. With excellent visibility and plenty of marine life including sea turtles and stingrays, the Maldives is a place you don’t want to miss.
5. High Mountain trail ride Alberta – Canada
What’s more romantic than horseback riding with the one you love? Dave and I went for a ride on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic nearly 20 years ago. We’ve always included a ride in many of our travels ever since. One of the most exhilarating trail rides we’ve ever taken was in Alberta, Canada. The Anchor D ranch takes guests high into the Rocky Mountains for a trail ride unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Clinging to the side of cliffs and walking up steep slopes along switchbacks and dense forests gets your hearts pounding. Owner Dewey’s horses are used to this terrain though and you feel secure knowing that their footing is sure and steady.
The views are worth every minute of riding as you eat lunch in front of a billion-dollar view. After a day on the trails, you can go out to meet the rest of the horses grazing in the fields and spend the night at the Anchor D enjoying a real cowboy cookout and if you are lucky some country music.
6. Snorkeling with sea lions – Galapagos
We’ve done a lot of snorkeling during our decade of traveling but none have been quite as memorable as snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos. The sea lions here are so playful, you’ll never want to get out of the water! You can’t help but feel uplifted swimming with these cutie pies. Even if you are having a tiff with your partner that day, (like Dave and I were over something silly) once you get in the water, you forget all your cares and feed off of the mischievous energy of the Galapagos sea lion. The more you twirl and swirl in the water, they more excited they get. They copy your moves, nip at your cameras and swim around with big grins on their faces. By the time you come out of the water, you can’t help but feel as happy as they look!
7. Climb Gunung Batur in Bali
Dave and I love to climb. We’ve been to Everest Base Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro and Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu, but I decided to choose Gungung Batur in Bali as a climb that is perfect for couples to do together. Bali is paradise with endless beaches, lush jungles, picturesque rice terraces and lovely people. Adding an element of adventure to a vacation here is easy.
One of the most popular adventures on the island is to climb Gunung Batur, an active volcano located in the center of the island. It’s a tough hike up a steep grade, but the views are worth the 3 am wake up call. This is a climb that anyone can do and being only a daylong doesn’t take a lot of commitment. Even though it’s short and sweet, it is still a challenge and an amazing day to spend together as a couple. I can still remember resting my head on Dave’s shoulder as we watched the sunrise over Gunung Ringani, a volcano on the neighboring island of Lombok.
8. Sea Kayaking, Croatia
Croatia is one of our favorite destinations to visit in Europe. It has the charm of Venice and the history of Greece without all the crowds. Located on the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean), a kayaking trip through Croatia is the perfect couples adventure. We believe that a couple that kayaks together stays together! We’ve often joked that the two-person kayak could easily be named the divorce kayak. Being locked in a kayak together can cause many an argument on open water, but once you settle into the rhythm of paddling together you find that you soon become one. Forget therapy, kayaking will get all your frustrations out and in no time you’ll be laughing together in the middle of the sea.
We went kayaking with Sea Kayak Croatia to explore the islands of Rab, Krk, and Cres, spending 10 days circumnavigating the islands, exploring the cities and camping on their shores. It’s one of the best ways we know to explore a coast.
So now that you have a few ideas, where are you going on your next adventure? We can’t wait to plan our next trip abroad. You can be sure, we’ll be adding something active and fun to our itinerary.
