15 Reasons Couples Fight While On Vacation

"What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno, what do you wanna do?"

Going on your dream vacation and not having any idea of how to spend your time in paradise can cause some serious arguments when you're taking a trip with another person. Plan your activities ahead of time so you don't end up spoiling your good time by having nothing to do.

Nothing can ruin the excitement of going on vacation quite like having a flight delay or getting a flat tire. And when emotions run high, you're likely to take out your frustration on whoever is with you… namely your partner. If you run into delays on your trip, take a deep breath, spend a couple minutes alone to calm down, and then try your best to laugh about the situation. It might not be fun now, but later on, you'll be able to look back and think of it as an "oops" moment that happened on an otherwise fantastic trip.

When you go on a trip, it's easy to end up spending money you didn't include in your vacation budget. Maybe you found a can't-miss activity right by your hotel, or you ate a bit more of the local food than you'd planned. But when one person wants to spend more and the other wants to spend less, it's perfect fuel for trouble in paradise. When planning your vacation budget, factor in a little wiggle room so you can spend a bit more cash without worrying if you'll be able to pay the bills when you get back.

You don't need to spend the entire vacation attached at the hip, but most of your activities should be done with your partner. If one of you keeps going off to partake in solo activities that the other either doesn't want to do or isn't able to do, then you're guaranteed to have a fight on your hands. If you find something that you really want to do, but your partner doesn't, make sure to OK it with them first, then make sure they have something to do while you're busy.

Losing something valuable on vacation is especially stressful because of the small chance of getting it back. It's an easy way to ruin the good vibes for the whole trip, and it's almost guaranteed to cause tension between you and your partner. Keep irreplaceable items such as passports and keys in a designated space close to your person at all times, keep valuables in your hotel room unless absolutely necessary, and lock everything that you can as an extra precaution.

When you set out on a couple's vacation, it's pretty easy for other people to step in and make things tense. Maybe that nice other couple you met at dinner last night is now pressuring you to hang out with them, or perhaps a hottie on the beach is trying to make some moves on your spouse. Rather than letting these tag-alongs ruin your good time, learn how to respectfully tell them, "No thanks." It might be a little awkward if you don't enjoy confrontation, but in the end, it will make your vacation a lot more relaxing for both you and your partner.

If you're traveling to a foreign country, it can be embarrassing to have no knowledge of your destination's language or customs. If one of you mistakenly does something considered culturally inappropriate, you might up leaving the other person red-faced and a bit irritated when you attract strange looks from the locals. Read up on your destination's do's and don'ts, and if one of you does happen to make a mistake, try to just let it go rather than letting it ruin your day.

Whether it's due to bad weather or something within your control, having planned activities fall through can really put a damper on your trip and lead to tension between you and your partner. If you have such misfortune on your vacation, take a minute to be frustrated with the circumstances and then find something else to do with your spouse. If you know that your plans have a fairly high likelihood of not working out, have another plan already in mind so you and your partner can adjust easier.

Even if you've been dreaming of going on this trip your entire life, it's important not to ignore your spouse when you take a couple's vacation. If both of you want the vacation to be a success, you should mix together some activities that you want to do, some that they want to do, and some that both of you want to do. It's ok to split up and do separate things as well, as long as you make sure you're both occupied with something enjoyable.

Most of us are going to get a bit tipsy at some point or another when we go on vacation. But drinking too much can cause major hiccups in your trip. You're probably not going to want to do a lot when you're hungover the next day, and it's a lot easier to get angry at silly things when you're intoxicated. If you want to avoid an alcohol-fueled spat with your partner, make sure you don't go overboard with the wine.

It's no one's fault if one of you gets seasick while on your cruise, but how the illness is handled can make a big difference. Tensions can run high when both of you feel like your trip has been ruined by a stomach virus, and even though no one wants to get sick, resentment can still build between couples when they're faced with this issue. If one of you falls ill, work together to decide how you can make the most of your trip despite the setback, and make sure that the person who's under the weather doesn't feel like they're at fault for their misfortune.

You lost track of how many times you asked your partner to make sure they packed the beach towels, and yet when you opened your suitcase, they weren't there. Realizing you've forgotten a crucial vacation item after you get to the hotel is extremely irritating, especially if you were hoping to get your trip started on a stress-free note. But as long as it's not something like a passport or an entire suitcase, there's no need to stress over leaving something small behind. If you're really worried about having to spend extra cash, have a bit of "emergency" money for situations like this so you can shrug off the loss and replace what you forgot at a nearby store.

It's bad enough when plans get cancelled, but it's even worse when the plans are a mess in the first place. When one of you forgets to make reservations or accidentally double-books activities, it can cause trouble in paradise.  If you want to avoid being at each other's throats over a messed-up schedule, take preventative measures by double-checking everything well before you leave so you can avoid late cancellation fees and ensure that you won't be trying to book anything at the last minute. If things still get jumbled up despite your best efforts, don't fret too much— tourist destinations deal with this stuff all the time, and even if your number-one choice can't accommodate you, they'll likely be able to recommend a second option.

Even if your drive or flight goes exactly according to plan, it's still exhausting to spend hours and hours getting from point A to point B. You might be super excited to head to the beach or the mountains, but after running low on sleep and dealing with all the stress of making sure everything is going as it should, both you and your partner will probably have short fuses. To prevent a fight from happening before you even get to your destination, make sure you do something enjoyable together while in transit. Stop for ice cream after you've been driving all day, or watch a movie on your tablet together on the plane. The commute might not be the most enjoyable part of your vacation, but it doesn't have to be painful either.

In the end, chances are good that not everything is going to go perfectly even on the vacation of a lifetime. But you and your partner are in this together, and you should be taking the bumps in the road as a team, just as you do in everyday life. It's understandable to have an occasional squabble, but both of you should be doing your best to let the little things go in the spirit of making your couple's vacation an enjoyable opportunity to spend some quality time together in an amazing place.

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