My first proper date with my now husband was a road trip. I borrowed my mum’s car, and we chose our destination based almost entirely on where we could get to on the M4 in less than an hour. (The answer, if you’re wondering, was Windsor.) Looking back now, it’s not so much the destination or what we did there that stands out, but just how relaxed the journey was, despite the fact that we’d only known each other for a week. Somehow the setting made us feel more relaxed than a pub or a restaurant would have.
Unbeknown to us at the time, this was in fact the perfect situation for getting to know each other. “Short road trips create a unique environment that naturally facilitates deeper connection and intimacy between people,” says senior relationship therapist Sally Baker. “The side-by-side seating arrangement in a car is particularly significant – it removes the intensity of direct face-to-face interaction.”
