Each year for almost all of mine and my awesome husband’s 13 year marriage, we have made it a point to have an annual getaway without the children. One year I was 38 weeks pregnant on our anniversary, so we didn’t schedule it that particular year, but we typically schedule the getaway on and around our anniversary. And one year I had a three week old sweetie baby and we packed her along for the ride. So there have been a few exceptions, but this has been no easy task.
I can’t express to you how important this is for marriage. I know some of you are thinking, “We can’t afford to do that.” Actually, neither can we. But we make it a priority because we believe it is well worth the investment. And some of you might be thinking: “We don’t have child care for that- none of our parents are available to watch our children.” And we don’t have parents who watch our crew either.
So how do we do it? I thought it might be worthwhile to some of you if I passed along our tips on scheduling married getaways. Here we go:
1. Plan your trip to take place during value season if you are going to a hotspot vacation area. This significantly reduces the cost of a cabin or hotel room.
2. Take advantage of anniversary specials. One of the hotels we enjoy has a Buy 1 Get the 2nd night free anniversary deal that suits our situation perfectly.
3. Set aside or pay for your larger expenses of the trip as early as you can. We typically use our tax refund to pay for our lodging since that is our biggest expense.
4. Shop for your food and eat in. We typically eat only one meal out per day while we are on a married getaway. This saves a TON of money and works well for us.
5. Have a firm and comfortable child care schedule in place. We have a team of people, relatives, friends, and caregivers, who take shifts when we need extended child care, which is usually only once a year. The schedule is calculated weeks in advance of the getaway.
6. Be confident that this time is an investment in your marriage. Enjoy one another and agree to the amount of time you work or use your phones.
7. Conversation is incredibly critical to being friends in marriage. One of my favorite parts of our married getaways is talking and listening to my husband. We travel for a total of 12 hours for our typical trip. This provides an awesome opportunity to chat about life without interruption.
8. Use whatever time you can. If you can’t take time off work, make it a weekend. If you can’t afford several nights, schedule just one and make it worthwhile.
9. Try something new on your adventure! Whether it’s a restaurant or dessert or candy. This year, we looked at cowboy boots. Honestly, we didn’t buy any because we couldn’t, but we sure had fun admiring the boots. 🙂
10. And you knew this was coming… renew your intimacy in your marriage. Buy new lingerie, light the fire, be romantic! This is important in everyday married life, but especially key for a getaway.
What are your best tips for having married getaways? I’d love it if you would share them with us!
Great tips, Rachel. It is important to get away as a couple. We aren’t usually able to get an extended time away, but even an overnight away a few times a year is beneficial. Picnicking, hiking, canoeing/kayaking, camping are wonderful inexpensive ways to get away–and can be quite romantic if properly prepared for.
Great point!!
I don’t often comment on blogs, but I just had to this time. My husband and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary this August. When our children were growing up, we didn’t make the time for our marriage as we should have, so I wholeheartedly agree with your advice. The Lord has restored our marriage in the past few years more than I ever could have imagined. My husband asked me to go on a cruise to Alaska for our upcoming anniversary, and I have let my fear of flying, being so far from my children(and they’re 21 & 17!), etc. keep me from planning that trip. I have been praying for God to help me do the right thing and to take away my fears. So many “messages” have been coming my way lately, and I think your post might just be another one. Thank you for your blog and for letting God use you to speak His Word.
Michele
OH Michele! I am so happy. You will just have to come back and let us know how gorgeous your trip was and how much fun you had with your husband! So thankful we have a redeeming God!
What great ideas! I can’t wait to share this with my husband!
Bekah,
On behalf of everyone at A Moment with MOM
Thanks Bekah!
Rachel, thanks for posting this! I found your pin on Pinterest! My husband and I are getting ready to celebrate our 1st anniversary! Thank you for reminding me how important it is for us married couples to take time to spend away. We want to make a habit of it early on!
so smart! 🙂 God will bless it! Thanks for coming by.
Found this on Pinterest! I totally agree. Can you elaborate a little more on your child care schedule? How
Many people do you typically have come for a weekend, for how many kids? On our 5th anniversary in October we will have a three year old and a 1 year old, and we also don’t have much help from our parents. How do you do it without them?? Thanks!!
Hey Erin! Every family is different and I hesitate to advise because it depends on your family dynamic and the children’s needs. The friends, relatives and caregivers we use are people who are familiar with our family on a regular basis. Much of how I schedule them depends on their availability. That’s why I work on the schedule far in advance. For your family with the ages of your children, I would think that one person would be able to effectively manage their needs per shift.