By Kristin Luna

updated 4:26 p.m. ET July 17, 2008

Most celebrity relationships follow a distinct pattern: two A-list actors meet while filming the latest blockbuster, they engage in clandestine, off-screen rendezvous, and then tabloids catch wind of the budding romance. In no time, photographs of the hot couple are plastered across every gossip rag from Los Angeles to Sydney, but, for whatever reason, the celebs deny being involved. Eventually, of course, they're spotted on a romantic getaway—because the rumors were, in fact, true all along.

“Celebrities go on vacation for the same reason we do—to get away from it all. And that means getting away from Hollywood, the whole Tinsel Town scene, the paparazzi, and that’s why they choose these really exclusive high-end places,” says Delaina Dixon, celebrity reporter at OK!, the weekly entertainment magazine. “I think celebrities being spotted on vacation together allows them to say ‘we’re together’ without having to say it themselves. After all, a picture says a thousand words. So if they’re spotted together, you can pretty much make the assumption that they’re coming out, and they don’t have to be held accountable to it.”

In theory, it would seem that hopping a plane for an exotic locale is an easy way to keep a relationship under wraps. But paparazzi are found where you least expect them. In the case of Rihanna and Chris Brown, who still have yet to acknowledge any sort of budding romance, this happened earlier this year in Jamaica, after Brown was photographed holding the pop star—his face lingering just inches from hers—in a swimming pool.

"Chris and Rihanna ... can get away with the 'just friends' excuse in the celeb-dense nightclubs of New York, spotting them so intimate in such a remote locale was proof that something else was going on," says Melissa Cronin, reporter for celebrity weekly Star magazine.

Adds Dixon, “They’ve never actually come out and said that they’re together—they’ve allowed the picture to do the work for them—but it’s a good way to show that they’re off the market without having to admit it.”

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"It's hard to say why they do it," says Cronin. "Jen Aniston said that keeping her relationship with Brad secret was something special, just for them to share ... In essence, these couples bond together by working against the media. It could also be a preemptive measure for them to save face in the event that they end up splitting."

If you’re Tom Cruise, apparently not even a private getaway on one of the world’s most exclusive islands on the other side of the globe can keep the gossip at bay. After he split with Nicole Kidman, Cruise rented out an entire resort and invited his sister Lee Anne, "Vanilla Sky" co-star Penelope Cruz and others from the cast to take a break at Fiji’s Wakaya Club. The day after they arrived, Cruise’s publicist confirmed that her client and Cruz had been seeing each other prior to the trip.

Mandarin Oriental / AP While Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson were busy sharing kisses down the road, Wilson's "Marley and Me" costar Jennifer Aniston was enjoying a new fling with crooner John Mayer. The duo were seen relaxing (and kissing) poolside at Miami's Mandarin Oriental, the lovebirds could deny no longer.

“If you know anything about Wakaya, there’s a 60-day cancellation policy, so if you decide not to go within two months of your planned date, you lose your entire payment,” says Dixon. “Tom Cruise, even though he’s rich, is still a smart guy and maybe didn’t want to lose his payment for that fabulous island. He may have just said, ‘Well, you know, it’s already paid for, I might as well take my new girl along and enjoy it.’”

A sighting of Cruise on top of the Eiffel Tower alongside Katie Holmes in June 2005 proved that the superstar is unafraid to show his romantic side in high-profile urban settings.

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