Reece Meyer and Nadia Jaftha sporting a sun-kissed glow on their recent trip to the Maldives.
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To determine how resilient you are as a couple, try putting yourselves to the “turbulence test”.
Let's explore this growing travel trend, where couples use trips to gauge their compatibility with one another.
Travelling with your partner can profoundly deepen your connection as you learn to collaborate as a team. Moreover, navigating unexpected travel mishaps - whether on local soil or foreign shores - reveals much about each other's unique strengths and weaknesses.
Unexpected itinerary changes, food poisoning or missed flight connections are travel realities that can occasionally arise.
Ultimately, the success of your journey and the strength of your bond are defined by how you navigate these challenges and support one another.
We caught up with Mzansi’s favourite couple, Nadia Jaftha (NJ) and Reece Meyer (RM), to find out how they successfully navigate their adventures.
The duo seems to have mastered the art of travel dynamics, particularly after leaving fans completely in their feels with their engagement earlier this year. As co-founders of Ace Labs, an agency helping brands and creators scale their businesses, they effortlessly manage to both work and unwind together.
We posed several questions to the pair to discover their secrets for balancing partnership with the high-end travel aesthetics that leave their followers swooning.
When travelling with her other half, Reece Meyer, Nadia Jaftha brings the vibes.
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RM: That one is easy. I am the planner. I will have the itinerary, the bookings and a backup plan for the backup plan before we have even left the house. It is the same instinct that runs through how I build at Ace Labs. I like structure, and I like knowing the numbers.
I will admit that we do have an incredible travel agency (Take Off Travel) that makes our lives 1000% less stressful.
NJ: And I am very much the 'let's just see what happens' one. Some of our best memories have come from me throwing the plan out of the window and following a feeling. Reece builds the map, and I am the one who insists we wander off it. Somehow it works.
NJ: Lol, Reece will always have his phone or laptop with him. The one time we were snorkelling in Bali, he jumped out of the water and jumped on a work call on the boat. So for me it’s knowing that work is a part of our lives even when we are snorkelling in the middle of the ocean.
RM: For me, it is letting go of the schedule altogether on certain days and making sure I have all of the camera gear charged and ready to go. I have learned that a blank, unplanned day with Nadia usually turns into the best part of the trip, so I now build 'no plan' days into the plan. It feels like a contradiction, but it keeps us both happy.
RM: I am on the hotel and logistics crisis straight away. That is my comfort zone. Give me a phone and twenty minutes, and I will have us sorted, usually somewhere better than we had originally booked.
NJ: And I would be handling the lost luggage, because I would somehow charm the airline staff and turn the whole disaster into a story we are laughing about by dinner. He fixes the logistics, and I manage the morale.
NJ: Reece checks and re-checks everything. Passports, bookings, the time, the gate, about fifteen times. It used to drive me up the wall, but I have made peace with it because when he doesn’t, we miss flights.
RM: Nadia packs as though we are relocating permanently, and never for the weather we are actually going to get. I have stopped questioning it. I have simply accepted that half the suitcase is 'just in case', and honestly, she is usually the one who is prepared for the surprise cold night.
When travelling with his fiancée, Nadia Jaftha, Reece Meyer gladly handles the logistics.
Image: Supplied
NJ: Definitely swimming with the turtles off the coast of a small island in Bali. The peace under the water was something special.
RM: I lean towards the adventure. Being on the move and exploring the unknown.
NJ: And I would happily never leave a beautiful resort. My ideal is barefoot by the pool with zero agenda. So we meet in the middle. A few days of his adventure and a few days of me doing absolutely nothing. The combination is actually perfect.
RM: A long, slow journey through Japan for me. The culture, the food, and the contrast between the buzz of Tokyo and the calm of the countryside. I would want weeks, not days and maybe even a sneaky ski session or five.
NJ: Funnily enough, Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to go and experience the culture. I need no convincing for an island moment.
RM: I would definitely say losing cabin pressure one and a half hours from take-off over the ocean and having to make an emergency landing with 15 hours of fuel still onboard.
NJ: And my sense of humour to keep us both laughing so we do not spiral. That is how we survive it as a couple. He handles the practical fix, and I handle the mood. We have learned not to panic at the same time, which is basically the secret to travelling and to working together.
NJ: One hundred percent me. Luckily, Reece knows the signals land makes sure we eat long before I get to my hangry state.
RM: I would love to argue, but she is right. Learning to see the hangry signals is essential when we travel.
RM: If it had to be one place forever, I would keep coming back to somewhere that has both the ocean and a bit of adventure. Cape Town will always be home base, but for a repeat escape, I would choose somewhere coastal.
NJ: I would choose a place with warmth, water, and great food, somewhere I never feel rushed. Wherever it is, as long as we are discovering a corner of it by accident, I am happy. That has always been our travel love language.