Mental Health

Can a Final Vacation Save a Crumbling Marriage?

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Aug 08, 2013 06:51 PM EDT

An increasing number of troubled couples on the brink of divorce are taking a final vacation together in an attempt to save their marriage.

Psychologists Harriet Lerner told the New York Times that these "save-cations" are becoming more popular partly because "a divorce can be much worse economically than going away for a few days together."

While some couples benefit from taking one last trip together, having a "save-cation" may actually backfire others because the closeness and romance of these one-on-one getaways may feel unnatural.

Jaclyn Sienna India, co-founder of the New York-based Sienna Charles Travel Agency said she has noticed an increase in the number of "save-cations".  She said she has planned them for at least ten clients in the last few months.

She said that these trips help relationships because "If you can't get it together in the Maldives or Bali, then where can you?" according to the Daily Mail.

Relationship experts Elly Klein told Cosmopolitan that "getting away from it all" provides an opportunity to unwind and concentrate on nothing but each other.

"It's a time for desperate couples to unplug, unwind and concentrate on nothing but each other. Getting away from it all (work, family, the list goes on...) can help re-ignite your passion for one another because there are no distractions," she said.

However, couples thinking about saving their marriage should know that a save-cation will not solve all their problems.  Experts say that taking a trip together may only provide a temporary resolution to problems that will ultimately surface again in the future.

"It's highly unlikely that a vacation can be a magic cure-all - it might only be a temporary Band-Aid," said psychologist David M Frost, according to the Daily Mail.

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