8 Tips for Planning a Couples Retreat at Home

Finding time to truly be alone together isn’t easy for any couple, which is why many partners are willing to pay thousands of dollars to attend a couples retreat, even if it’s only for a weekend. Unfortunately, not all of us have that kind of money to spend, and even if you do, not everyone is up for the other activities that may be involved, from group therapy with complete strangers to sleeping in cobweb-cluttered cabins in the middle of nowhere.

Here’s the good news — you can create a couples retreat right in your very own home. It’s cheap, it’s fun, and when it comes to building a healthy relationship, it’s definitely worth it. Use these tips to do it yourself:

1. Clear Your Calendar. Obviously you can’t have a couple’s retreat if one of you is at work or babysitting your nephews. So get together and block out a weekend when you both can commit FULLY to each other.
2. Tackle Your To-Do List. A couples retreat is all about focusing on each other — not the laundry or the bills or that weird stain on your bathroom ceiling that seems to keep growing. Take care of these things beforehand so they don’t distract you later.
3. Unplug So You Can Unwind. Let your friends, family and even your coworkers know you won’t be answering texts, calls or emails. Then put your devices somewhere where you can’t even see them. This time is for you two, and no one else.
4. Pitch a Tent or Build a Fort. Shaking up your routine can help you get out of a relationship rut, and changing how you sleep is one easy way to do it! Try pitching a tent in the backyard or building a fort in the middle of your living room — it’s the perfect place to enjoy your Netflix marathon!
5. Spring for Good Eats. You’ll hear it more in nutritional articles than you will in lists of relationship tips, but you really are what you eat. If you want your partnership to be passionate and romantic, eat a meal together that makes you feel that way! Red wine and lasagna, chocolate-dipped strawberries, or whatever food gets you in the mood — spring for the good stuff and have all of your ingredients on-hand so you don’t have to interrupt your couples retreat for a grocery run.
6. Ban Stressful Topics. Where are the in-laws staying when they come to town next month? How will you pay down that high-interest credit card? What’s wrong with politicians these days? These topics and ones like them WILL NOT be discussed during your couples retreat. Create a list of the things that stress you out, write them down, and agree NOT to talk about them during your retreat.
7. Be Bold in the Bedroom. Have you been thinking of trying out some new sex positions? Using flavoured lube? Seeing what it’d be like to tie up your partner or have them blindfold you? Your couples retreat is the perfect time to experiment. So buy some new toys, request a free sample of a new formula of Astroglide, and think outside of that bedroom box!
8. Don’t Forget to Play. Above all, your couples retreat should be fun. So do what makes you smile, whether it’s playing Halo or watching cheesy horror movies. You can even spice things up at the same time by adding a sexy twist to your favourite activities — try writing sexy dares on the sides of Jenga blocks or playing an old-fashioned game of strip poker!

The best thing about having a couples retreat at home? You can do it over and over again — so don’t feel pressured to make everything perfect on your first try. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t as you go, and you can use what you learn to make each couples retreat you plan even more awesome!