I’ve always been a wanderer. I don’t usually stay in the same home for more than a year or two – quite by choice. I don’t know what it is, but I tend to get antsy and bored when I stay in the same place for too long. I try not to let it affect the other areas of my life too much, but I’d be lying if I said it never happened.

When I’m in a relationship with someone I really care about, I have to try extra hard to not run away. It’s not even that I’m running away from anything – I always end up back in one of a few places, after all. I just can’t stay sitting still for that long.

Thankfully, most of the time, a road trip does the trick, and I can come home whenever I please. There’s a lot less packing, and the cycle to make it back to the right frame of mind comes much quicker.

Why should you travel when things start to get stale?

1. It reminds you of the things you miss.

Traveling takes you out of your normal frame of mind for a while and lets you focus on something new. If you’re traveling somewhere you’ve never been before, the trip brings even more newness. When you travel with your partner, you’re likely to see her in a different light, too – and if your relationship is growing a bit routine, this new light can help reignite the passion between you.

2. It enriches your sense of adventure.

Adventurousness is almost like a muscle, in that neglecting it will make it wither away. If you’re not feeding into your adventurous side, you’re going to lose it! Keep that fire inside alive by taking a spontaneous trip every now and then, and don’t be in such a rush to use the GPS.

3. Trying new things together brings you closer.

There’s always something special about sharing a first with someone, and while your first time going to a conservation park won’t be quite as magical as your first time having sex together, it’s still going to be pretty great. The more new things you try together, the more you’ll bond over each new activity.

4. Traveling gives you a story to tell.

Stories are an amazing way to bond with almost anyone. In fact, it’s been said that if you go on a road trip with your girlfriend and you don’t break up, you guys have got what it takes to last. Of course, this is a generalization – but the test of the road trip is sure to give you some precious memories, even if the relationship doesn’t survive it.

5. Traveling gives you a story not to tell.

Let’s face it: One of the best things about traveling somewhere new is having sex in somewhere totally different from where you normally have sex. There’s motel sex, car sex, bathroom sex… Naturally, you’ll need to pay attention to the laws in the area, but assuming where you want to get it on is legal, have at it!

6. It makes you appreciate your own bed.

I don’t know if you’ve ever spent an extended period of time away from your “home base”, so to speak, but it’s a completely different world when you get back. Those pillows you took for granted are now the softest pillows you’ve ever felt in your life, and the corner of your night table (you know, the one you’re always kicking in the middle of the night) is something that you missed more than you expected you would.

7. Since you appreciate your bed more, you want to spend more time in it.

And I think we all know what “more time in bed” means to a committed couple.

8. It’s a vacation!

Even if you’re going somewhere totally boring, the road part of your road trip is going to be an exciting new experience. You get to try the local cuisine, visit all the native hang-outs, and act like a tourist – at least until you get to your destination. (If you’re traveling for fun, feel free to continue snapping pictures and fondling monuments once you reach where you’re going. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.)

9. You’re spending quality time together.

It’s almost never a bad idea to spend more time with your partner, especially if you’re going through a rough patch. While you should be careful not to spend too much time together (a lack of personal space can make your rut grow deeper and wider), spending a few days cooped up in a car together will force you to either talk out what’s on your mind, or revel in the blissful silence.