|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Travelling together helps in building relationships, besides, of course, unravelling a totally new side to your partner
Whoever said adventure
was an adrenaline shot was bang on target. Did you not know that
adventure brings people closer, couples especially, even as it takes
them far away from home? Couples have discovered the real meaning of
companionship on tough treks in the wilderness or while paddling on a
raft. While meeting deadlines of work, monotony can get the better
of most couples others spin their own tales of adventure than being
caught up in the rigmarole of work. Cementing bonds Soli
Sethi, 33, a Chandigarh-based gemology expert, was always an adventure
freak. When he decided to tie the knot with his pretty wife Rhea, he
wasn’t sure if this was the end of one big adventure. He laughs,
"I wasn’t too sure whether Rhea was the adventurous kinds. One
day, after marriage, I pushed an envelope under her pillow which had
two tickets to Malaysia. The catch was, I had booked a scuba diving
training session for both of us." It came as a big surprise for
Soli as Rhea said the word scuba diving aloud when she saw the
tickets. "I bet Soli didn’t know, I love adventure sports. The
best part was that this was our first adventure trip together, after
our honeymoon," she smiles. The couple discovered each others
strengths and weaknesses during the trip. "Rhea is an excellent
team mate, she is always willing to take risks, and is a very good
listener as well," Soli discovered an totally different side to
his wife. Rhea on the other hand, found out something about Soli,
which she didn’t know at all. "He has a great sense of humour.
This is his way of dealing with fear as well," she breaks into a
throaty laugh. The two now call it Revelation Malaysia. They have been
to numerous such trips. A trip to Leh is the most recent one. Soli and
Rhea pick up their adventure destination through by flipping the coin
in the air. "We zero in on five destinations, then narrow it down
to two and finally the coin decides the destination. Rhea wins most of
the time," Soli pretends to sulk. The biking trip in Leh Ladakh
is what they remember the most. "We hired a bike in Leh, which
had a mind of its own. But Rhea was so comfortable on it like she has
been riding one for ages," adds Soli. Tough treks were a
unifier. Bond as you travel Travelling together can be a turning point for a relationship but how? Time for passion In between tight schedules, Amol
(40) and Rita (36) Dhillon make it a point to take a vacation, at
least twice a year. They have travelled together for adventure to US,
Canada, Europe and South Africa. Amol, VP strategy and planning,
Woodland, sits with his wife to discuss the destination. "We pen
down our preferable destinations after which we do a research about
the place," shares Amol. Rita lets Amol do all the talking. She
waits patiently for her moment. "We focus more on what new
adventure we can try as both of us our passionate about ‘wild’
adventurous trips. One more factor that we consider before deciding is
how much time we both can take off from work," they echo. These
trips have brought about a marked positive change in their
relationship. "These trips give us a chance to spend quality time
with each other, and we make sure we try a new adventure every
year," Rita now takes over. The two also see these trips as a
rare opportunity to follow their individual passions. Amol gets to
practise his photography skills, and Rita gets time to collect
artifacts and art work. "I don’t go out specially to pick up
stuff, these travel trips is the best way to keep in touch with my
passion," says Rita. It was an animal safari in South Africa,
which got them hooked on to adventure. "Jungle safari is not an
all-fun activity. It requires immense patience and eye for detailing,
shares Amol. For Rita, however, "You can enjoy adventure
activities together, if you are adventurous in life, if you can take
risks and if you trust your partner."
Heart-to-heart Naveen
Sikka is a Chandigarh-based businessman, with little leisure time for
himself and his family. "Luckily, I am married to a woman who is
equally crazy about adventure sports," he says. Both Naveen and
his wife Khusbhoo adjust their free dates so that they take out time
for themselves. "All this working and adjusting our dates has
always paid off," Khusboo shares. "We have done ski diving
and other adventure activities together and after every trip we seem
to have come closer to each other. We open our hearts, share
everything that we have been holding together," adds Navneen who
feels that Khusboo has now become his closest friend. Ski diving made
the couple forget their fears. "Jumping from a plane is
definitely not as easy as jumping from a second floor. For a moment,
it looks suicidal," says Khusboo. "A reassuring smile from
Naveen makes it easy though." Sky diving, rock climbing, river
rafting, kayaking, the adventurous duo wants to face all the
challenges of these sports. "This prepares us to face the
challenges of the real life. Luxury holidays are different from
adventure holidays because luxury doesn’t put us in
pushing-the-limits situations." They agree on this. Faith
travels Ajay Raina and his wife Geetika travel together for around 30
days in a year, which roughly means three trips a year. Whether it is
going through the unexplored Zanskar Valley on the bike or digging out
places in Coimbatore or Manali, the couple believes travelling
together works as a litmus test of a relationship. He laughs, "I
often tell my newly married friends to travel together. If they
survive the trip their marriage will last as long as they are
alive." Ajay Raina shares that travel helps to develop faith.
"On a bike you hardly get to talk but the unspoken words build a
strong bond." "Adventure and risks go hand-in-hand. Now,
riding a bike from Chandigarh to Leh Ladakh or Zanskar is a huge job.
With my wife riding pillion, and with zero communication while riding,
I am not aware whether she is taking everything fine, whether she is
feeling cold…till the time she tells me," Raina offers, adding,
"most of the times, she doesn’t interrupt my momentum." Everything is new Afsaneh from Iran is currently pursuing her PhD
from the department of Indian Theatre in PU, Chandigarh. She travels
extensively with her friend Teyman, who visits her of and on from
Iran. Both like exploring new places, taking up a new adventure.
"We both think alike, and travelling together is great fun. We
meet new people, visit new places. There is no pressure of
performance. The best part is that I can get to know my friend better,
we can share our ideas our plans," explains Afsaneh. They
both enjoy rock climbing and river rafting. They want to explore
extreme sports in the near future. "I want to do sky diving,
Teyman hasn’t been able to convince me enough," she laughs.
Rock climbing at Manali made the two jittery. "I climbed first,
and would often look behind to see if Teyman was following. Each time
I looked back, a rock would tumble down. Teyman had to beg me to stop
looking back," she adds with a puckish grin. Extreme
understanding Rahul Arora and his wife Shweta Madaan Arora have moved
to Nigeria from Panchkula. Adventure freaks, the couple loves extreme
adventure sports. The net result is, "extreme
understanding," laughs Shweta. "These adventure tours have
actually strengthened our relationship. We have been married for three
years, and every year we dedicate to a new adventure sport," says
Shweta. She remembers her ski diving attempt in Arizona, Phoenix.
"I discovered a new side to Rahul and can read his mind better.
" Travel helps couples touch base, cements a relationship and
facing tough situations, handling the stress of the journey can help
couples unravel each other. So, if you want to rate the strength of
your relationship travel together and get the adventure fix.
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
You get to see your partner in a new light.
