101 Love Tips

A few days ago on Romance Tracker we posted an article about visiting Hawaii, which is one of the most popular romantic vacations spots in the world.  And while a honeymoon or romantic getaway to someplace like the Hawaiian Islands would be great for your relationship or marriage, you shouldn’t ever lose sight of the fact that the amount of romance generated by a vacation has absolutely nothing to do with its price tag!   

 

Whether you have a million dollars to spend or an empty wallet, there are tons of ideas for romantic getaways that you and your sweetheart can take advantage of to spend a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days alone with each other.  Never let anyone else define what kind of romantic getaway should make you and your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband happy.  That’s up to you!

Remember: one couple’s nightmare destination could be another’s perfect romantic vacation idea.  Relationships are as varied and diverse as snowflakes, with dynamics, strengths and shared interests that are both unique and special.  Just because one couple’s idea of a great vacation is laying on a tropical beach doesn’t make your preference of camping or bowling or sitting together at home any less perfect.

In the end, the most important consideration in choosing your perfect romantic getaway . . . is you and your sweetheart’s own preferences! 

And if someone else doesn’t approve of how you and your significant other spend your time together, who cares?  Putting your relationship first—and not paying attention to what others think about your happiness—is part of adding some good old-fashioned romance to your life!     

Well I guess you could, but it would be tough!  We had a lot of blogs enter our Romantic Ideas Link Contest, and I was glad when the Hawaii vacation blog Go Visit Hawaii was randomly chosen as winner of the first prize.  It’s not hard to write a free review about a blog that posts on one of the most romantic vacation destinations in the word: beautiful Hawaii!

The gorgeous picture you see above may look like it was taken in Japan, but it’s actually the Byodo-In Temple in Hawaii, which was built to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to arrive on the island.  The reason I chose that picture was to illustrate the fact that Go Visit Hawaii does’t just focus on the cliche beachfront images and posts that you would expect.  I’ve looked through their posts, and am impressed to see that they’re a one-stop-shop for everything to do with the island, from food to beaches to anything else you’d want to know about Hawaii!

Go Visit Hawaii is run by editor Sheila Beal, a frequent visitor to the islands who knows just about everything there is to know about the place.  She prides herself on giving her readers completely independent and honest reviews of everything about Hawaii, so you can always be sure to get the real story about the best—and the not-so-good—things to do on a vacation to the islands.

And even if you aren’t planning on visiting Hawaii for a while, Go Visit Hawaii is still a great blog to bookmark to learn all you can about the islands for the day when you finally do take that romantic vacation you’ve been dreaming of. And before you go, be sure to email Sheila to ask her any last-minute questions about planning your trip . . . she’s great about returning messages!

A romantic vacation to a place like Hawaii can do wonders to bring you and your significant other closer, and Go Visit Hawaii is the perfect site for anyone who wants to learn all about the islands.  Go check it out . . . and add a little Hawaiian romance to your life!

It’s no secret that one romantic relationship is never exactly like another, and that the strengths and challenges present in your romance make it as unique as a set of fingerprints.  That’s why I don’t like the term “relationship expert.” The only real expert when it comes to your relationship is you and your significant other, and any advice you might find here or from similar sources will be useless unless it’s tailored to your relationship’s specific dynamics.

The importance of not having things in common

The uniqueness of your romantic relationship springs partially from external influences that you have little control over: your environment, the people around you, or even your health.  But the ingredients that play the biggest role in any romantic relationship’s success or failure are, without a doubt, the individual qualities of the partners themselves.

Have you ever really taken the time to identify the unique talents, quirks and interests that your sweetheart brings to your relationship?  Having things in common with your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend is very important to the success of a relationship or marriage, sure.  But letting your lover know that your appreciate and encourage their unique qualities–even if they are qualities that your will never share with them–can be just as important. 

Do you appreciate or tolerate?

Are you someone who understands and appreciates your sweetheart’s unique qualities, or someone who just tolerates or ignores those unique qualities?  A person is a conglomeration of each and every one of their interests, experiences, strengths and weaknesses.  Understanding those qualities, and appreciating how they have shaped the person you love, can give you much greater insight into how your relationship works . . . and how to improve it.

One of the great things about a romantic relationship is that a good partner inevitably broadens our horizons and makes us a more complete person.  Allowing yourself to learn from your sweetheart’s unique qualities and interests won’t just help you appreciate them more; it will also broaden your understanding and help you live a more fulfilling life.

Encourage individuality . . . and become closer!

And if your partner has are a few unique qualities or interests that you know you’ll never have in common with them, there’s nothing wrong with not joining them.  Even the perfect couple doesn’t have everything in common, and it’s healthy to have hobbies or pastimes that you can practice by yourself.    

Your sweetheart will inevitably have certain qualities or intersts that aren’t appealing to you.  But promise yourself to consider those qualities and appreciate how they make your lover who they are.  By helping your lover to be proud of their unique qualities, and by telling them that you appreciate those qualities, you’ll build a much more open, romantic relationship.

Ironically, by encouraging a certain amount of individuality in your romantic relationship, you’ll quickly discover that you and your sweetheart have more in common than you ever dreamed!                 

So you’ve already learned the secret to watching romantic movies with your significant other . . . but you don’t know what movie to pick for a fun date or a special, romantic night together?

Look no further! Romance Tracker’s extensive poll on the most romantic movies of all time is finally complete, and the top ten picks may surprise you. It’s a pretty diverse list; some good-old classics, a few of modern titles, and multiple genres to boot. But all of them have a few important things in common: great writing, great originality, and great romance.

So look through the list, pick out a couple that sound good to you, and curl up on the couch with your sweetheart for a great night full of old-fashioned romance. Your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband will thank you for it . . . just make sure you don’t forget the popcorn.

And if you have your own opinion on a romantic movie you think should have been on our list, why not let our readers know by leaving a comment below?

The Top Ten Most Romantic Movies of All Time

1. Casablanca

The most romantic movie of all time has more than just romance; there’s also murder, mystery, patriotism, bar fights, and . . . dead Nazis! It just doesn’t get much better than that. And the final scene, when Rick gives Ilsa the famous “hill of beans” speech before sending her off with Victor, is probably the greatest example of selfless love in cinema history. If you don’t know what “we’ll always have Paris” means, you need to go rent this movie now.

2. Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton has made some pretty weird doggone movies, but Edward Scissorhands is an amazing modern romantic fairytale. Everyone can relate to the story of a person whose heart aches for someone who they could never have, but Edward’s character embodies “so close, yet so far” like no other. How the heck can you hold the person you love when you have razor blades for fingers?

3. An Affair to Remember

Hollywood has rewritten this one a few times in recent years, but there’s still no substitute for the original. The final scene, when Nicky Ferrante sees his painting and realizes that Terry is paralyzed, is one of the greatest in cinematic history. If you make it to the credits without at least feeling some twinge of emotion, then you’re officially a sociopath.

4. The Princess Bride

This 1987 fairytale classic gets a little silly at times, but even with the bad jokes and midgets in rat costumes it still ranks up there as one of the greatest romance movies of all time. I don’t know if true love can really bring a man back from being “mostly dead,” but this movie sure makes you think it’s possible. As you wish!

5. Cyrano de Bergerac

Okay, there have been about a million movies made out of this classic, tragic story, and I’m sure they’re all pretty darn good. Even Roxanne, the modern version that stars Steve Martin as a big-nosed firefighter, isn’t too bad. But My favorite is the 1990 French version starring Gerard Depardieu, and if you can stand reading subtitles it’s one heck of a date movie.

6. Somewhere in Time

Okay, the idea of some dude using self-hypnosis to travel back in time is kind of lame, but once you get past that, this is a great romantic date movie. The idea that a person’s one true love might exist in a different time is pretty original, albeit depressing, and Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymore are great on screen together. And if Richard hadn’t left that damn penny in his pocket, they might have stayed that way.

7. Romeo and Juliet

Come on, I had to include this one on the list. It’s another romantic classic that has been done countless times on the big and small screen, with the most original probably being the modern version with Leonardo DiCaprio where everyone was walking around with automatic firearms. But the Romeo and Juliet on this list is referring to the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli version, so rent that one.

8. Braveheart

Yah, there’s a lot of blood and guts in this movie, but remember: William Wallace cut up all those Englishman because they killed his one true love. That, along with the fact that this is such an awesome movie, gives it a secure spot on the list of the most romantic movies of all time. So what if the title sounds like a Care Bear?

9. The Quiet Man

Not a lot of our generation has seen this movie, but believe me, they’re missing out. Just like “Casablanca,” “The Quiet Man” is more than just a romance movie; it’s also hilarious, has some great drunken brawls, and is about a boxer who is trying to run away from a past he’s ashamed of. And you can chalk up the kiss between John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, during the windstorm on in the field, as the best ever.

10. The African Queen

Yup, that’s two Humphry Bogart movies on this list, but he deserves it. “The African Queen” lets us watch as the pious Rose Sayer reforms hard-drinking Charlie Allnut with her love . . . and they go on to totally sink a Nazi battleship together! Toss in some awesome rapids and a cool scene with leeches, and you’ve got a top-notch date movie.

There are few better ways to add some good old-fashioned romance to your relationship than taking your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend out on a thoughtful, exciting date. Whether it’s your first date or you’ve been together for fifty years, an original, special romantic date will refresh your relationship and help you and your lover fall in love with each other all over again.

Luckily, the possibilities for unique romantic date ideas are endless. Regardless of where you live or what your circumstances are, fresh romantic ideas for dates surround all of us. What might seem commonplace to one person can, with a little old-fashioned romance, be turned into an amazing, exciting idea for a date with your special someone. (more…)