When I met my fiancée she was just a girl in the dog park. We spent two hours chatting that morning before I asked her out and much of that conversation was about traveling. She was intrigued to hear that I was a travel writer, as she was passionate about seeing the world.

Ever go on a romantic getaway with that special someone, only to find yourself ready to wring his neck or on the verge of a breakup? You’re not alone. Traveling together can bring you closer together — but it can also put your relationship to the test.

It does seem like a fantastically thrilling idea. There you are, surrounded by lush nature and the sweet sounds of sing-songy birds and really, aside from pitching the tent and undertaking the sometimes challenging task of getting the fire pit hot enough to cook a few burgers on, you don’t have anywhere you have to be and nothing you have to do. But, sex in a tent — is it really such a good idea?

It all started with a dog. Maggie the dog, actually. To be perfectly frank, I didn’t want a dog. I had no desire to scoop poop, stomp through winter storms for walks or pick out a selection of bones and squeaky toys that I’d likely trip over in my teetering heels.

There are few times in a woman’s life more jam-packed and fraught with worry than pregnancy. For traveling dames, it can be especially difficult. Will being thousands of feet in the air harm the baby? According to Elizabeth Stein, a U.S.-based women’s health expert, it’s important to do your research first in order to make your travels the safest they can be.

The only thing worse than reading about the travels of others when you’re travel-starved is seeing albums filled with happy-day snapshots and scenes so spectacular, you question their existence. Indeed, something happened on the way to consciousness today.

Planning a European getaway? Great news — traveling Europe is easy to do solo or with fellow travelers. But how do you decide? We went to the experts at Rough Guides for some expertise on the subject. From how to pick a travel buddy, tips for getting along on the road and the benefits of solo travel, this excerpt, compliments of First-Time Europe from Rough Guides, has you covered.

For every travel lover, there is a single place that captures the heart unlike anywhere else. Sure, as travelers, we’re destined to fall in love many, many times over — falling hard sitting alongside the Seine eating French baguettes, breathing the fresh, exhilarating mountain air in B.C.’s interior and feeling the invigorating Mediterranean sea splash against the skin.

Oh, celluloid romance, where would we be without you? Possibly a whole lot happier in our relationships. But, if it weren’t for the picture-perfect on-screen couples dousing our eyes and ears with an impossibly large amount of gooey romance, perhaps we’d just be cracking open a beer and stretching out on the living room recliner, sans sweet nothings and sugary kisses.

First comes chemistry, then love, soon followed by travel. But if you drive each other bonkers, get off the bus before it’s too late and you can’t get your damn money back. Sadly, for love that goes the distance, you have to have more than smoking-hot chemistry.