These things couples should do together to improve their bond are essential to deepen their relationship. And it goes beyond the typical date.
Some of these things couples should do together may initially seem unremarkable, mundane, and even boring. But you’ll find out that it’s the simple and unassuming activities that help you know each other better.
After all, a relationship’s foundation is built on a couple’s shared experiences. And the more types of experiences, the more insight gained on each other’s personalities, habits, preferences, and peculiarities. [Read: These 13 signs say your relationship is going to last this time]
Things couples should do together and deepen their bond
Dates may seem fun and romantic, but a solid relationship is not defined by the sweet moments alone. Couples should also try the boring, domestic, and weird things to deepen their bond and put their relationship to the test.
#1 Travel to a foreign country together. Traveling is not just about the picturesque view, Instagram-worthy food, and the usual sweet couple photos. Traveling to a foreign country as a couple is said to be the ultimate test of a relationship.
You experience the planning stage, the room-sharing, and deciding where to go next with a person who has a different personality and preferences from yours.
Traveling together allows couples to exercise compromise. It makes you work as a team in experiencing and navigating a place with a different culture and language. Travel is essentially an exercise on how you get along. The experience will be valuable in your relationship. [Read: Why traveling together is a great test of compatibility]
#2 Live together for some time. Staying for the night is always exciting. Staying for another day or two can be fun. But when a couple starts living in a shared space, that’s where things get interesting.
Placing two people with different domestic habits in a limited amount of space initially leads to some conflict on where personal belongings should be placed or who does which chore.
However, this is one of those things couples should do together to experience just how compatible they are. It gives you insight on what it’s like living with your partner for a long period of time. Living together allows you to interact with each other in the most comfortable and unguarded environment. You’ll experience a different side of the relationship.
For this reason, try “playing house” for a short period of time to get to know each other better. Will you be able to live with your partner in the future? [Read: The common problems couples who live together face]
#3 Renovate your place together. A home renovation project allows you to work as a team and towards a plan for an agreeable living space. The process involves some negotiating and bargaining to accommodate both your preferences. Not to mention the division of labor for the actual renovation. It gives both of you a clear idea about each other’s preferences, compromises, and dedication to a project and each other, all in one go.
#4 Shop for home items together. Shopping as a couple can be a hard sell. However, shopping dates can be something to look forward to if you shop for your home instead of personal items.
Check your local home store for new furniture additions, extra bedcovers, nifty table pieces, or bedroom decor. Shopping for such items can be an enjoyable experience because it makes you both feel like a real couple. Bonus, you improve your living space.
#5 Take care of a shared pet. Getting a pet is a good way to get used to the responsibilities *and possibility *of raising kids together in the future. Like kids, a pet needs time, care, and affection. Having a pet as a “test baby” brings the couple together by making them work as a team, the same way parents raise kids. [Read: Why millennials are choosing puppies over babies]
#6 Take up a new hobby as a couple. Join a cooking class, learn a new martial art, or enroll in a foreign language class. New hobbies won’t simply give you a new activity, but it also serves as a bonding activity. Shared hobbies serve as a good way for both partners to connect and spend more time together.
#7 Exercise and get in shape together. This is one of those things couples should do together, not only to deepen their bond but also to stay sexually appealing in each other’s eyes. Seeing your partner get busy in a fitness regimen can be a good motivation for you. Not only that, having your partner accompany you as you lose those pounds in the gym or through an hour’s worth of running makes all the challenges of exercising easier to bear. It’s a lot more fun than doing it alone. [Read: 25 inspirational tips to get motivated to work out]
#8 Go on a nostalgia trip together. Going on nostalgia trips are a good way to bond. Nostalgia trips are quite simple. Take your significant other to a place from your past that was meaningful to you. For example it could be your old high school, the place you first met, or the old coffee shop where you used to work part time.
Enjoy the food and drinks, share some memorable stories, or just spend the day away in a place that meant something to both of you in the past.
#9 Talk about your sexual fantasies. Some couples tend to keep some of their kinks to themselves because they are unsure how their partner would take it if ever they knew. Even if you enjoy most of your sexual encounters, it can be made better with honesty. Share your deepest sexual fantasies and discuss it occasionally.
Who knows? Maybe those worries are baseless, and your partner shares the same fantasies. And you can try them to spice up your sex life. Talking about both your sexual fantasies is a good way to improve things in bed and learn their preferences. [Read: How to talk about sex without sounding like a pervert]
#10 Celebrate a random, yet significant, event. In all relationships, couples celebrate anniversaries. The day both of you first met, or some other common relationship milestone. To make things interesting, why not celebrate random, unusual, yet significant, events that happened in your relationship?
Every couple has their own story. The possibilities are endless. You could celebrate the anniversary of your first date, the day you got introduced to her parents, or the anniversary of your most memorable trip. [Read: 8 relationship dates men should never, ever forget]
[Read: The characteristics to having a healthy relationship]
These things couples should do together are sometimes unusual, but they provide better quality time than familiar couple activities. And they’ll actually deepen the bond and help both of you understand each other a lot better too.