My ideal travel partner

That first big trip together to Paris

Traveling is something that should be shared.  Many people travel on family vacations or backpack with friends and loved ones.  Even those who love solo travel enjoy connecting with people they meet in their travels.

My travel partner

For me, my best travel memories are with people I have traveled with and people I have met.  One of my best trips, a month long tour of 6 countries in Europe, was a solo trip.  Even though I was on a tour, it was one of the loneliest trips I have ever taken.  Ever since then, I haven’t traveled again on my own.  I wasn’t intentional about not traveling solo anymore.  It just worked out that way – in a wonderful way.

I pledged my love and commitment to my travel partner for life 5 years ago today.  And while there have been ups and downs (like any relationship), it’s bee a great ride.  She is my best friend and a great mom and there is no other person I would rather hang out with.  We have a lot in common and many of the same interests.  We have seen many countries and states together and I look forward to more travels together – close to home and far away.

Travel adventures – the good and the bad

This isn’t say traveling together has been easy.  Our first big trip was our honeymoon in Kauai.  That was as enjoyable of a trip as it gets.  We stayed in a beautiful house on a secluded part of the beach where our bedroom wall facing the ocean was a window to the waves.  We hiked, enjoyed some time on the beach, cooked meals at home, and had one of the best vacations I’ve ever had.

One of my favorite vacations ever - Kauai

After coming back home, we decided we would go to Paris for Thanksgiving – two months into our marriage.  Since I had been to Paris before, I was leading the trip but she was frustrated that I wasn’t communicating with her as she felt she was being dragged along and left behind.  We had our first big night in front of Notre Dame.  How romantic!

In the Louvre, we had another fight.  However, we learned that we go through museums at different paces.  I like to read and look at everything while she goes to the pieces she wants to see.  She would always finish before me and I felt rushed.  Finally, we accepted that we went at our own pace and she would wait patiently for me to finish.  By the time we got the Musee D’Orsay, all of our museum issues were settled.

We’ve had other frustrations when traveling together – not able to find each other after my trip to the Olympic museum in Barcelona on the day we were leaving for La Coruna, getting angry at each other in Salema (I don’t even remember why), and yet another disagreement in Krakow (again, I don’t remember what that was about either).

Then, there was our side trip to Toledo from Madrid where I got off at the wrong station, took nearly an hour to get to the bus station, and then neither one of us knew where the other was.  I decided to go to Toledo not knowing what to do.  She headed back to the hotel in Madrid – without a key to get in.  The next day, she went to Toledo and I stayed in Madrid.  Looking back, that story is somewhat amusing… now.

With all the frustrations and disagreements, we’ve had some great moments as well.  Visiting Seattle, Arizona, and our trips to Tahoe have been great.  We’ve bonded quite nicely when having to deal with shared frustrations while visiting family.  We’ve had great moments together in Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, and many other places as well.

Traveling through life together

Like all relationships, traveling together has produced its share of ups and downs as well.  However, there is no one else I would rather travel with.  When I am frustrated, she remains calm.  At times, I am horrible with directions while she is very good.  She is just as good, if not better, at planning and researching than I am (she researched and planned every detail of our trip to Spain and Portugal).  And traveling with her has taught me so much about myself – the good and the bad.

As I look ahead, I am sure there will be more frustrations and lessons learned – especially when we take our young sons on trips overseas.  Through it all, my wife remains my ideal travel partner – at home, abroad, and in life.

Today we celebrate our anniversary as a family to one of my favorite places – Apple Hill.