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How to Find The Love You Thought You Two Had Lost: Travel

• by Lauren Rains
• on March 31st, 2011
• 5 Comments

“Are we meant to be?” “Should we stay together?” “Is the fire gone?”

These are the questions many of us ask when we’re contemplating just what the future holds for us and the person whom we call our better half. But how do you find out the answer to this question? How do you go about seeing if the bond between the two of you is strong enough? Can a love that’s been lost be found again?

The Answer:  Travel.

The moment you step foot on the uncharted territory of foreign soil together, the moment your cushy bubble is gone, and suddenly, it is the two of you against the world… for better or for worse.

It’s the true test of love, of self… of letting go or holding on.

THE TRAVEL TEST:

Whether you’ve been dating your significant other for a few weeks or you’ve been married for many years, international travel is the best way to:

a.) Find out if you two of you are meant to grow old together

b.) Reignite any the fire and spark that’s been fading

Reigniting Your The Fire

There’s something about being abroad with the love of your life that ignites that passion and fire that may have faded over time. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that when you’re traveling together you really become a team again. You need each other more now than you may have ever needed each other before.

Suddenly you are navigating your way through these crazy, exciting, frustrating, and/or amazing situations and you’re doing it together. You’re standing up for each other. You’re helping each other. You’re pushing each other. You’re relying on one another.

And an unbreakable bond is formed.

And there you two are… sitting in the corner of a dimly-lit, little-known but wonderful restaurant whispering sweet nothings back and forth in Buenos Aires, or staring out the window contemplating the meaning of life together on a 13 hour train ride through Thailand, or hiking in stride up the Himalayas to reach the halfway house at the end of a 9 mile day where the two of you will sleep next together that night so soundly you couldn’t imagine being anywhere else with anyone else in that very moment.

Now it is the two of you against the world.

Now you remember what it’s like to be in love and to be loved with the very person you’ve shared that love with all along.

Finding My Answers

When I moved to China for a year I didn’t just go by myself, but also with my boyfriend Mark, a cute Italian guy from Texas with a beautiful personality and, as a plus, body and smile as well.  We needed this test. We’d been together for three years, we were both at major crossroads in our lives, and we both had big questions about which direction our relationship and lives were heading.

So, we packed our bags and we moved to Beijing, China for a year and traveled throughout the country and South East Asia. It was him and I against the world.

We traveled. We cooked. We lived. We fought. We loved. We kissed. We pushed. We made friends. We got lost. We got found. We bought things. We fought some more. We loved some more.

And it was through the thick and thin of this roller coaster ride that I realized that he was my better half. We fell in love with each other again more than we’d ever been in love before.

Those examples I listed above…well, I lived each of those. So I know for a fact that they change you. I know for a fact that if you’re relationship needs saving and you’re not ready to let go because you know you can make it embarking on an unknown journey together can save it. I know for a fact that if you feel like you’ve lost that spark and fire that you can find it again. You really can.

There’s something about travel that’s magic… it helps you find a love within yourself for your person stronger than what you may have ever imagined possible.

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Lauren Rains

Lauren Rains is a crazy, sexy, cool chick on a mission to live a life of abundant adventure, meaning, and substance. She is addicted to the following: WORLD TRAVEL: Experiencing new languages, cute boys, outdoor adventure, crazy transportation, variations on toilets, cultural differences and similarities, crazy food. Everything! WEB 2.0: Web design to social media, she's proud to be a dedicated geek. ENTREPRENEURSHIP: At 12 months she knew she couldn't work for the Machine. WRITING: Check out TheMadtoLive where she blogs about how to live the wild, crazy and meaningful life we're all meant to live! You can also start up a conversation with her about the meaning of life on Twitter at @LaurRains.