Star Trek-themed polyamory? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it...

Fancy a six-week ‘marriage sabbatical’? Or how about ethical non-monogamy? Now is the perfect time to reinvent your relationship, says Franki Cookney

Franki Cookney explains why 2024 is the year we stop letting other people tell us what it means to be in a relationship (Shutterstock/Willrow Hood)

For the past year I feel like all we’ve talked about, all anyone’s asked us about, is if and when we’re going to move in together,” my friend Holly* tells me. “And at some point, we sat down and went, ‘Wait a minute... do either of us actually want to live together?’”

Holly and her boyfriend are in their thirties and have been dating for a few years, so moving in together seemed like the obvious next step. But they realised that, rather than being something to look forward to, it had become a source of anxiety. “We were stressing ourselves out about when we ‘should’ move in together, and actually, we’re happy living apart.” Instead, the couple have decided to find other ways to show commitment, including spending more time together, planning more trips, and consciously talking about the future as something they plan to share.

As we inch into the mid-2020s, experts reckon we’ll be seeing more of this kind of attitude. According to sexual wellness brand Lovehoney, people are thinking outside the box; they are consciously shifting their dating strategy to prioritise their own goals, personal growth, and opportunities for self-discovery.