“Do they not see how God originates creation, then reproduces it: surely that is easy for God. Say: Travel through the Earth and deeply observe how God originate create; then God produces the next creation; surely God has power over all things” 29:19-20
This is one of the many verses in the Qur’an that speaks about travelling and going on a journey. ❤️
Credit: Giphy
And if God has blessed you with enough rizqi, we suggest that you bring along half of your deen with you (by that we mean your wife or husband) on a road trip. ? If you're not convinced, here’s 5 amazing reasons why:
1. Get to know your spouse
Contrary to popular belief, travelling can be stressful. Between navigating unfamiliar territories and reaching your intended destination in good time, a road trip sets the perfect stage for you to truly get to know your spouse. ?
We’ve been in a relationship for more than 4 years before we tied the knot. We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs in those years, so we were pretty confident about being great travel buddies even though we’ve never travelled together before. However, even that didn’t spare us from the realities of a road trip with your spouse. ?
Like how I’ve learnt that missing a meal will result in a dangerously hangry wife, and she has noticed that I get very irked when our luggage is not packed neatly. ?
But we’ve also discovered each other’s strengths through our road trips. My wife remembers landmarks effortlessly making it easy for us to retrace our steps while I have no issues navigating while driving. ?
Ultimately, you’ll learn to embrace the difficult moments, accept your partner’s more challenging traits and build on shared memories together. Your love and appreciation for each other will grow and you’ll realise there’s no other person you’d want to do a road trip with. ?
#HHWT Tip: Start planning the road trip way ahead of time with your significant other, at least 6 months in advance. Secure your preferred flights and accommodations first, you can secure the car a little later as there is no short of car availability.
2. Learn to work as a team
A road trip imposes the concept of teamwork with your spouse. And for the both of you to work effectively together, there needs to be a level of trust and dependence. If you’re the driver, the other will definitely be navigating. And if you’re packing, the other will probably be planning for the next day’s journey.
You’ll realize this very quickly if you guys end up quarrelling and arguing about something (trust us, we’ve been there). And in order to move ahead with your road trip, you’ll learn to resolve your differences quickly, develop patience towards your partner, and communicate better with each other. ?
Another test of teamwork while you’re on a road trip is when your partner falls ill. ? The early wake-up calls, long drives, missed meals and the weather conditions overseas can make it easy to fall sick. And you’ll wish that you can take a flight back to the comforts of your home. But you’ll also realize that you can depend on your spouse to nurse you back to health while still taking most of the lead during the trip. ❤️
When it's just the two of you in a foreign land and you have a long drive ahead of you, you only have each other to depend on.
#HHWT Tip: Although it may be a little more expensive, we suggest renting an SUV for long rides as we found it the most comfortable and reliable, especially while we were in Iceland.
3. Be open to change
Going on a road trip allows you to make spontaneous changes in how you want to manage your day. You’re only limited by the country’s weather, the location of your next accommodation for the night and the fuel in your vehicle. ?
Watch the sun rise over that beautiful landscape long before tour buses arrive or even the sunset when the throng of tourists leave. Which brings us to this next point ??
4. Take swoon-worthy couple photos
With a car at your disposal, you can get to all the beautiful landscapes before the sun rises (which is no problem considering you get up for Fajr prayers anyway), while the rest of the world still sleeps. ?
You’ll get to pick and choose that perfect angle and coupled with beautiful sunlight, it’ll make for very lovely couple photos without other tourists filling up your frame! ?
You can choose to stop at any point along the route which you think will make a great photo. ? We got a lot of stares for the photo below ??, but we thought it’ll be such a cool photo op!
Of course, if you’re there for the sunset, then you’ll be one of the privileged few to stay behind and watch the stars appear while others get shepherded back to their hotels on tour buses. ✨
Not forgetting the random stops along the route which will allow you to capture unique and captivating photos too! ?
#HHWT Tip: If you’re looking to start out in photography, we suggest getting a mirrorless camera with a 50mm f1.8 prime lens – this is a budget friendly set up that can produce very beautiful photos.
This brings us to our last point.
5. Share precious moments on your drive
Being in a vehicle for long drives will grant you hours of time alone with each other. So you’re bound to talk to each other a lot. You’ll also notice each other’s endearing quirks along the way. ❤️
Finding out intimate secrets about each other, sharing your hopes and fears about life, feeding each other snacks while the other drives, and probably singing along to your favourite songs along the drive... doesn't that sound like a dream? ?
We can go on and on filling up this list, but we won’t. Because we want you to experience it yourself - going on a road trip with the love of your life and making a lifetime of beautiful memories. So, go on! Plan that road trip and experience God’s creations in each other’s arms at your own pace. You won’t regret it. We definitely didn’t. ?
Credit: Giphy
P.S. The locations in these photos were accessed by car. You’ll also notice no one’s in our shot because we were either there really early, really late or it was a completely random stop! ?