And was thrilled to finally have a boyfriend to bring on a family vacation. I still decided to go without him.

A woman preparing for a July family vacation to the Outer Banks says she was the only single person in her group, where most relatives were couples staying at the rental house. After meeting Joe on an app a few months earlier, she imagined bringing her first adult boyfriend as a “plus-one,” even earning support from her aunt by text. But despite Joe’s commute from New York City and meeting her parents at a coffee shop, she ultimately chose to go on the trip alone, wanting family time without added relationship pressure. The relationship, she says, grew stronger after she returned.