However for a couple who are struggling in their relationship or marriage, a trip where they are forced to be alone with their partner 24/7 can be their worst nightmare.

The "save-cation" or "Hail-Mary-Moon" is an emerging trend for many people with relationships on the rocks.

Like the names suggest, these mini-breaks are often a last ditch attempt to rekindle the fires of a flailing relationship. It's a trip with a very specific goal, forcing couples to be together without the distractions of their daily lives.

New York graphic designer, Michelle Kennedy and her banker boyfriend, Joey booked a trip to salvage their four-year relationship, which had been slowly deteriorating.

"We were in a bad place, so our travel agent suggested Iceland as an active destination where we wouldn't be able to just sit on a beach and bicker for six days," says Kennedy.

"It almost felt like I was a teenager being dragged on holidays with parents but I had a credit card and I knew if all hell broke loose, I could always hit the road."

Together, the couple spent five days scaling glaciers and sightseeing, worlds away from their stresses of Manhattan life.

While on a horse-riding tour, Kennedy's eyes began puffing up and she started having trouble breathing – she had no idea she was allergic to horses.

"Joey was like my knight in shining armour, taking total control of the situation," recalls Kennedy. "He whisked me off my horse, rushed me back to the hotel, put me in the shower and went to track down some antihistamines."

Between her boyfriend's gallant efforts and a champagne-filled romantic night spent gazing up at the Northern Lights, the trip proved to be exactly what the couple needed to rekindle the magic between them.

"We became like magnets, but right side up this time, and on the plane back to New York, we recommitted to staying together. Although, I still don't have a ring on it," laughs Kennedy.

Couples today are faced with an overabundance of extenuating factors that can prevent or make it difficult to spend quality time together.

When we cease investing time into each other and the relationship, the emotional and physical connection naturally declines, which has been found to be the major contributing factor in most of today's relationship breakdowns and break-ups.

Which is why counsellors and therapists highly recommend the save-cation or Hail-Mary-Moon. It has become an effective tool for many couples trying to rescue their moribund bond.

While one trip may not necessarily fix a troubled marriage or relationship, it can act as a catalyst for the discovery and realisation for a couple that that they still have something worth saving.

Psychologist Harriet Lerner, author of Marriage Rules: A Manual for the Married and the Coupled Up, has noticed a significant increase in her clients taking save-cations or Hail-Mary-moons.

"Real life is messy and complicated. Paradoxically, in our most intimate relationships we're least likely to be our most mature and thoughtful selves. Because we humans are primed to flight and flee, even the best relationships will get stuck in anger or distance," says Dr Lerner.

Dr Lerner also links the rise of these trips to belt-tightening: "In reality, a divorce can be much worse economically than going away for a few days together."

Of course it doesn't work for all couples, especially those who may be experiencing deeper issues such as infidelity or long-time incompatibility, but for many it can provide a positive turning point.

Divorce or separation is always a difficult and painful option. For couples in a relationship rut, a save-cation or Hail-Mary-moon could make all the difference between goodbye and happily ever after.