When you hear the words “Couples Retreats”, if what pops into your mind is a romantic holiday for two, I initially thought the same thing. Turns out, while couple retreats can be romantic, there’s a lot more to them than romance. In fact, many people who go on this type of holiday seek the benefits of couple retreats for strengthening relationships with their significant other.

Even the best couples retreats for romance are about more than rekindling passion. The goal of these retreats is far deeper. It’s about personal growth and relationship strengthening to further deepen the bond between partners. Although romance is certainly an important element, here are five non-romantic benefits of these retreats.

The 5 non-romantic benefits of couples retreats

1- Relaxing and getting away from everyday life stresses

Many couples retreats take place in private, serene, and cozy settings, allowing you to indulge in wellness environments. A peaceful environment helps to encourage relaxation, so you can unwind and release everyday life tensions, such as work, children, and daily chores and responsibilities. The goal is to focus on yourself, your partner, and your relationship.

Depending on the retreat, various activities may be introduced to help clear your mind and achieve focus, such as meditation, yoga, nature walks, spa treatments, etc. Relieving excess pressures and stressors can help to resolve arguments, petty differences, and other conflicts while restoring energy and boosting patience. When relaxed, you can concentrate on enjoying one another and building a deeper connection.

2- Reforging emotional connection through intimacy

Intimacy – not romance – is at the heart of the benefits of couple retreats for improving relationships. Rebuilding and strengthening the emotional connection you share with your partner results in greater understanding, empathy, and affection.

There are a number of activities that can be explored at a couples retreat to encourage emotional growth and intimacy. For instance, some retreats offer guided reflections, journaling, sharing personal stories, and so on. The purpose of the various activities that can help strengthen emotional connection between couples is to encourage openness, vulnerability, and trust.

3- The chance for new experiences

Just about every long-term relationship eventually falls into a routine. While this certainly isn’t a bad thing, after a while it can become monotonous, especially when everyday life stress has you itching for escape. Retreats can help you transform your normal routine that’s evolved into convenience back into commitment.

Like a vacation, a couples retreat shakes up your mundane reality. It gives you the opportunity to try something new and enjoy these new experiences with your significant other. Of course, the benefit of a retreat vs. a regular vacation is that a retreat is designed to revolve around your relationship and includes activities meant for you to participate in and enjoy together.

4- Improving communication

 Communicating more openly and honestly is encouraged on couples retreat. Many retreats include counseling opportunities. These opportunities give you and your partner the chance to educate yourselves on how to better relate to one another and learn new relationship skills.

Developing these skills (e.g., expressing feelings, understanding the other person’s perspective, resolving conflict, etc.) can help you to improve your lives together beyond the retreat by putting them to good use when you return to your everyday lives.

5- Personal growth

 As much as couples retreats are about better understanding your partner and strengthening your relationship, they’re also very much about individual growth. Self-improvement goes a long way in helping you understand your side of the relationship and how to bring your best self to the partnership.

Self-improvement benefits include gaining insight into your personal behavior, learning new strategies for coping, and exploring and being honest with yourself about your personal passions, desires, and interests.

Final thoughts – There’s more than one type of couples retreat

When choosing your couples retreat, consider the potential benefits that have been mentioned above. Some retreats may touch on each one, while others might make one or more of these benefits the primary focus. For instance, wellness retreats concentrate more on holistic healing and relaxation while adventure retreats are better suited to couples seeking to strengthen their bond through outdoor activities that require collaboration and teamwork

The bottom line is that finding the best couples retreat for you and your partner is about much more than simply finding the best couples retreats for romance. The ideal couples retreat is one that helps you to improve intimacy, communication, and your overall connection.