Want To Find Out If He’s The One? Take Your Love On The Road

For the second year in a row, Ford and YourTango have teamed up to poll more than 1,000 people about the relationship between love and driving. What we discovered was that a staggering 90 percent of couples who have taken a road trip together say it strengthens their relationship!

The best reason to take a road trip together is not the destination, say 44 percent of couples we surveyed, but the fun and adventure of the trip itself — the journey. More than 40 percent say the quality time they get to spend together is far and away the best reason to take a road trip.

And while the destination may not be so important, the type of vehicle that takes you there certainly is, according to survey results. For almost half of those asked, the car of choice for road trips with a significant other is a sedan, such as the new Ford Fusion.

"More and more couples are taking road trips due to the high cost of airfare and because it gives you the opportunity to take your vehicle with you to explore new places," says Samantha Hoyt, Fusion marketing manager. “We’re excited most couples choose a sedan to travel in, and we’ve designed Fusion to meet the needs of couples who enjoy getaways. [It] has a great entertainment and navigation system available with Ford’s standard, industry-leading SYNC® technology. And of course, it’s among the best in fuel economy for midsize sedans in America.”

When asked to list their top three favorite on-the-road activities, almost 80 percent of respondents report they like to talk and catch up on each other’s lives; 70 percent enjoy blasting their favorite music; and nearly 55 percent take in the sights and enjoy some quiet time.

There's one thing nearly all respondents agree on: their best conversations happen on the road. Of the kinds of conversations they have, more than 65 percent say their discussions are serious, meaningful talks.

But talk isn’t all they do — romance plays a big part for couples on the road, too. According to the survey, 74 percent hold hands and smooch at red lights.

YourTango used SurveyMonkey to survey 1,011 people between April 25, 2013 and May 10, 2013.

But that's not all! We asked our readers to share their funniest road trip stories — and boy did y'all deliver! Here the five hilarious winning entries:

1. "My romantic husband of 30+ years and I love our times together in the car, and the music we listen to is a big part of the experience. We sing at the top of our lungs and sometimes even pull over and dance. Once, one of our Motown favorites was on the radio. We hopped out of the car a few blocks away from our house to dance to the music. Our daughter's soon-to-be-boyfriend was driving by. He texted a picture to her: Look at this old crazy couple! This picture is one of our favorites." 

More love stories on YourTango:

• 120 Cute & Creative Ways To Say 'I Love You'
• 15 Ways Guys Say 'I Love You' Without Ever Saying A Word
• 5 Ways To Stop Complaining And Appreciate The Life You Have

2. "On a road trip last summer, we stopped at a rest area to use the restroom. After I was done, I was walking back to the car when I watched my husband, checking email on his iPhone, walk to a car similar to ours and attempt to open the door. Inside there was an older woman with a look of panic on her face. She immediately locked her car and reached for her cell phone. My husband finally realized he was at the wrong car, apologized and ran to our car." 

3. "In Costa Rica, we were heading back to the airport and decided to spend our foreign money but later approached an unexpected toll. Because we had no money to pay they made us back up on this huge highway. We pulled over to the side of the road and agreed we’d either ask someone for the money or miss our flight. So my husband is running up to cars yelling 'stop stop, I'm an American' and I’m yelling 'baby be careful, don’t get hit!' This is so our love life ... very adventurous!"

4. I still laugh at leaving my husband in the gas station restroom and driving off. Don't know how we didn't know he wasn't in the car! Had to back track to get him and he wasn't very happy about it.

5. Driving through Colorado, we got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, on a snowy mountain road, with no cell phone service. We then discovered that our spare tire was flat. It was literally one of those moments where nothing was going right, but instead of being terrified we chose to bundle up and take a scenic hike together. Instead of freaking out, we enjoyed the walk and in a few miles came across a pay phone to call AAA roadside assistance. It just proved the power of partnership in the worst of times!