I took my girlfriend on a 10-day multi-city trip for our first vacation together. The risky choice paid off.

• I took my girlfriend on a 10-day trip through Spain as our first vacation together.
• Neither of us had been on vacation with a partner previously.

My girlfriend and I have always enjoyed traveling. Although we'd been on vacations with family and friends in the past, we'd never traveled abroad with a partner until recently.

After dating for a few months, I planned our first official couple trip: a 10-day multi-city vacation in Spain.

We'd spent a couple of weekends away in hotels here in the UK, but our first real trip together would be our longest and most ambitious yet.

Many people we spoke to about it were surprised by its length. In the UK, a more conventional first trip abroad as a couple might be a weekend in Paris or Venice or a few days in a laid-back resort.

I was also aware that going on a grand vacation like this early in a relationship can go poorly.

Fortunately, our trip went better than I could've ever imagined.

I planned the vacation as a birthday gift, though we were both apprehensive

I began planning the trip after seeing an ad for a Spanish music festival near Málaga. Some of our favorite artists were on the lineup, and it began on the last day of August, a few days after my girlfriend's birthday.

Tickets and a trip seemed like a cool birthday present. Plus, we were both quite familiar with Spain, and I could speak some basic Spanish after studying the language in school.

Although I usually try to be a little more frugal, I bought two tickets to the festival on the spur of the moment.

When booking flights and hotels, I also reserved train tickets and added an extra leg onto the trip to see Barcelona, a city my girlfriend loves. Overall, we'd spend five nights in Málaga and five in Barcelona, with a train ride in between.

Leading up to the vacation, I think we both had our worries about how we'd fare.

In this new environment, we'd essentially be living together for the best part of two weeks. There's also the potential for conflict on any vacation, particularly one that includes a lengthy train journey with transfers.

Luckily, going on this 10-day trip was the best decision we could've made.

Our Spain trip ended up being the first of multiple vacations together

As fantastic as the trip was, it wasn't always easy.

Lugging heavy suitcases in the heat, running to change trains, missing buses, and waking up with hangovers from hell never put anyone in a good mood.

Although we were stressed at times, we showed that we were on the same wavelength and could work together as a team. We didn't direct our stress at each other when things went wrong. Instead, we tackled whatever situation was at hand.

At the same time, there was plenty of give-and-take. At the festival, we watched artists we both like. We took turns choosing bars and pubs to try. I found we were just as happy enjoying cocktails on the beachfront as we were sitting outside a café reading our books.

Three months later, we were abroad again, heading to Sofia to see the holiday markets in the Bulgarian capital.

Of course, a first vacation as long and intense as this one might not be the best choice for every new couple. But it worked for us and was the perfect test to see if we could handle traveling together.

I'm excited for us to see more of the world together, and we often talk about where we'd like to go next.