We’ve all seen the articles about how much being single or traveling alone can change you in your 20’s. But I think this is skewed. I’m not saying any of those articles are wrong, they aren’t. There are major benefits that come from taking time to develop as a person without being reliant on someone else or diving into a new culture on your own.

But do these benefits go away just because you’ve decided to travel with your significant other instead of a friend or alone? I don’t think so. I think traveling with your significant other can have far reaching positive impacts on not only your relationship but yourself as well.

Here are just five of many reasons why traveling with your S.O. can be extremely rewarding and won’t hold you back as a person.

1. Just because you're together doesn't mean you have to be together.

Traveling with someone doesn’t mean you need to do all the same things all the time. If they want to go hiking and you want to go paddleboarding, go your separate ways for a few hours. It will be more beneficial for both of you to do something you were looking forward to than spend forced hours together not enjoying yourself. When you rejoin each other later in the day you can share your experiences and maybe convince the other it’s something they want to try as well.

2. New experiences are something to share.

Don’t get me wrong, traveling on your own is fun. You don’t have to worry about anyone else’s opinions or preferences and if you want to just enjoy a lazy day on the beach or at your campsite, there is no one to disagree with you. But when you have those moments where you feel infinite or you have an experience you have to be there to understand, it’s undoubtedly better to have someone you care about with you.

Moments like that can’t be explained or described. To have a memory like that with your S.O. isn’t anything money can buy or that can be recreated. I’m not saying you can’t have an experience like that with your friends, you most certainly can. It’s less about who else could be with you and more about the reward of sharing that experience with the person you love.

3. Your S.O. can help provide another look at yourself.

The view we have of ourselves is skewed. We criticize ourselves harsher than anyone else will and we notice things that others never pick up on. When you travel by yourself, you are able to find peace with some of the things that have been a struggle your whole life. You are able to come to terms with some tough situations you’ve been through.

But when you travel with someone else, they can give you insight into how others view you, the good and the bad. Your S.O. will be able to see how you’re reacting to the new situations externally and let you know how these reactions may be perceived. It’s always different from the outside looking in. Having someone there to give opinions and advice when needed can be extremely helpful, even in a journey to find yourself.

4. People see the world through a different lense.

Each day, people see situations through different colored lenses. We develop our own ideas and thoughts about anything we encounter. Talking with other people gives insight into a situation we see each day, but with a different perspective.

This situation is amplified when you’ve stepped outside of your comfort zone. You and your S.O. are developing your own ideas and opinions about the things you do and see. Traveling with this person gives you the opportunity to discuss something you saw and see it from a different point of view. Not only are you gaining first hand experience in unknown places, but you’re getting it second-hand when your S.O. shares their point of view. It makes the travel experiences that much more insightful.

5. You'll grow personally and as a team.

It is well documented how traveling can provide huge personal growth. You learn how to talk and interact with others from different cultures and subcultures. Aspects of these cultures will wear off on you and you may decide to implement something you learned from them into your everyday life. You may learn something about how you treat people different from you. You may change a few of your core ideals based on an observation you made while adventuring into other parts of the world.

But honestly, you can do all these things while traveling with your S.O., too. Not only will you two pick up on different things from each experience you share, but you’ll also learn about love and relationships in other cultures. If you’re traveling alone, you can see things in a relationship from another culture you admire, but that’s where it may end. When you and your S.O. are together, you are able to talk through your encounters as they’re happening. Maybe they picked up on something valuable you didn’t. Your relationship can benefit from anything you learned, the good and the bad.

Traveling is also stressful for many people, especially with someone else. You have to learn how to work with a different biological clock, how to adapt to a different lifestyle than your own. As a couple, you’ll learn how to support and care for each other in some high-stress situations. You’ll learn how to relax together in the quiet places of the world, maybe without speaking at all. These experiences allow you both to grow on your own while growing together.