Couples vacations and romantic passion and intimacy

Despite limited empirical support, vacations are marketed as beneficial for romantic partners. Using the selfexpansion model as a foundation, we tested how self -expanding (e.g., novel, interesting, challenging) vacation experiences are associated with passion, physical intimacy, and relationship satisfaction. Study 1 (n = 238 partners) found that higher individual self -expanding experiences on vacations predicted higher post -vacation romantic passion and relationship satisfaction for couples traveling with their partners, but not those that did not travel together. Study 2 examined 102 romantic dyads that traveled together and found that higher selfexpanding experiences on vacations predicted more post -vacation physical intimacy. Our findings advance self -expansion research and provide evidence for the tourism industry to design and promote self -expanding vacation experiences for couples seeking improved relationships and meaningful vacations.