Japanese men and women reveal the fears they have when taking their relationship to the next level.

Once you’ve been dating someone for a while, it’s only natural to want to take things to the next step by going on a trip together.

When is the right time for that to happen, though?

That was the question put to 500 men and women aged from their teens to 50s, in a recent survey by Webster Marketing in Japan. The survey also asked respondents to reveal some of the fears and worries they had when going on their first trip with a new partner, and the results revealed a number of shared concerns…and some individual ones.

Starting with the question, “How long since you’ve been dating is it ok to go on a trip with your partner?“, the most popular response was “two to three months“, as indicated by 43.2 percent of males and 39.2 percent of females in the survey.

In second place was “four to six months“, (26.5 percent of males and 30.2 percent of females), which indicates the overwhelming majority (69.4 percent of males and 69.7 percent of females) were in the two-to-six months camp, suggesting it’s better to wait awhile rather than jump straight into a trip during the initial stages of dating.

On the other end of the spectrum, however, 14.1 percent of women believed anytime within the first month is a good time for a trip, along with 12.1 percent of males. This was followed by a jump over to “seven months to a year” (12.9 percent of males and 12.2 percent of females), and back to the other extreme, with “Anytime is OK“, were 5.3 percent of males and 3.5 percent of females.

▼ 0.5 percent of women ticked the box for “A year or more” and 0.3 percent of women ticked “Other”.

With the majority of respondents agreeing that two to six months was the sweet spot, it appears that a certain level of familiarity with each other is ideally required before going on a first trip with a new partner.

A large number of responses indicated that the third month of dating is “the time when feelings of love settle in“, so it’s a good time to go on a trip and appreciate each other in a new light. By this stage, you also have a good of your partner’s personality and their likes and dislikes, which should make for smooth sailing during the trip.

As for concerns people have when going away together for the first time, the top fear for women was the possibility that a mismatch in personality and values might be revealed. One woman pointed out that spending an extended amount of time together can reveal a side of your partner that you haven’t seen while on a date, for example if they were rude or arrogant to hotel staff.

In second place, with 67 votes, was the fear of being seen without makeup, and in third place were self-conscious worries about snoring and the way they sleep, with teeth-grinding given as one example. In fourth to seventh place on the list of fears for women were: the possibility of an argument occurring, feeling ill or tired, going to the toilet, and whether travel plans would proceed smoothly.

As for the fears of men, in the top spot was the same overwhelming fear for women — that a mismatch in personality and values might be revealed. In second place were fears about their snoring and sleeping habits, while in third place was the concern that their partner might not have a good time. In fourth to seventh place were: the possibility of an argument occurring, feeling ill or tired, whether travel plans would proceed smoothly, and bearing the burden of travel expenses.

According to the survey, it seems that both women and men share similar concerns about wanting to be liked and wanting to like the person they’re going away with. So it makes sense to wait a little while before taking a trip together, because by that stage you should hopefully feel a certain sense of security within the relationship and have a better sense of your partner’s true personality.

If you’re looking for a happy in-between to test the waters between dinner date and travel partner, though, you can always go on a hike together.

Source: PR Times
Featured image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso, PR Times, Pakutaso (2)
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