I am in New York City for a few days. I saw a great sign yesterday here that said, “Don’t Honk — $350.00 Penalty.”

Now, how would they know who honked? What if four people honked all at once? Is that an instant $1,400.00 for the City of New York?

You got to love New York City. It’s the loudest city in the United States, and they think that one less car honking its horn will help.

Speaking of travel, let’s talk about traveling and dating . . .

So, you are dating somebody brand new, and you are really excited about them. You decide you are going to plan a weekend trip for the two of you to take together.

A weekend trip is so much fun, but do you know what is the most interesting thing about taking a weekend trip together? You are going to get to know this person better.

Let me tell you something. When you travel with someone, all the wrappers are taken off the candy.

You get to know all sorts of things about the other person you would not probably get to see at this point in your dating relationship. You get to know their bathroom habits. You get to know how long they spend in the bathroom. You get to see how they really look and act first thing in the morning.

Let me tell you something. People can’t pack all the stuff they protect themselves with at home. So on a trip, they expose themselves.

You get to know if they are grumpier in the morning than they’ve acted on those few nights you’ve spent together so far. You get to know more about what they are really like.

Traveling with somebody is the best way to get to know them.  It is something that I tell people to do all the time.  

If you are dating for a month, then go away for a night. Get them out of their home element. Get them to put their BlackBerry down. Take them out somewhere away from home.

After you’ve been dating someone for two months, go away for a weekend with them. Really get to know them more.

After three or four months of dating themsomeone, go away together for four or five days. Let me tell you, it is when you are away for this many days that all the shit really hits the fan.

You get to see them in all situations. You get to see them when they get frustrated at the airport. You get to see them when they’ve had a long and exhausting day. You get to see how they deal with all of those various “travel mishaps” that inevitably occur.

Traveling with somebody strips them down to their core, and gives you the opportunity to get to know them in all ways. I have had relationships in the past end after I took someone away for the weekend. Things would be great and then, all of a sudden, I’d be away for the weekend wondering who this monster was with whom I was spending the weekend.

So, one of the greatest things to do when you’re dating someone is to follow my travel schedule.  If you follow my travel schedule, you are going to get to know somebody very, very quickly.