Would you go on vacation with someone you just met?
A recent Booking.com survey discovered that nearly 37% of people are willing to go on multi-day vacations with potential partners to test their compatibility, with an additional 32% saying that they are open to the idea. These vacations have been dubbed “turbulence tests” by the people who do them, and they are specifically designed as a way to fast-track relationships.
“Travel introduces unpredictability, like delays, unfamiliar locations, following directions, day-to-day expenditures, and more,” Kimberly Miller, a relationship expert and chief divorce educator at PartWise, said to Vogue. “These things can quickly reveal conflict resolution challenges and communication differences.”
Resorts and hotels across the US have started to take notice of this new trend, and have begun offering premiums and bonuses for those who book a “turbulence test” with the resort. At the Loutrel hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, couples who book a “turbulence test” stay receive a $100 credit to the hotel’s cocktail bar and a deck of conversation cards to help get things started.
“We wanted to lean into couples’ curiosity about their connection in a way that felt both playful and intentional, offering guests not just a relaxing stay, but an experience that could deepen their bond or help them gain clarity,” said Karl von Ramm, general manager of the Loutrel. The Loutrel offers some other bonuses to couples who make it through the turbulence test. If they are still dating after one year, then they get 27% off their 2027 stay. If they get engaged a year after their turbulence test, then the Loutrel will throw the couple an elopement experience on the hotel’s rooftop terrace with a wedding cake, completely for free.
The people who prefer this method of getting to know someone say they do this so they can more easily judge a potential partner’s character before becoming blinded by feelings. Latifah Al-Hazza, a freelance journalist, is one of these people, and usually takes potential partners on a trip within the first month of dating them. “I want to get it over with, to be honest. I don’t want to fall for someone and travel with them six months in and realize they are prejudiced towards other cultures, they’re rude to certain ethnicities, they can’t handle mishaps in travel plans, or they get frustrated easily,” she says. “I would rather find all of this out immediately before my feelings get in the way, or as they say, before the possibility of seeing things through rose-colored glasses.”
While Kimberly Miller does concur that this might be a good idea to help some couples determine their compatibility, it definitely should not be a one-size-fits-all approach. For some personality types, it could add some unnecessary strain on what would’ve otherwise been a budding relationship.
“People may put too much pressure on themselves or potentially find meaning, or form opinions on compatibility based on typical travel frustrations. Who doesn’t find relational stress with travel? My advice is to use turbulence tests only to gather information and not as a definitive pass or fail exam,” she says.
