When you are on a Solo Adventure, you can do whatever you want at your own pace. But when you are traveling with someone else, there must always be a little bit give and take. I have two main travel partners, my husband and my daughter. They are very different to travel with because Maggie and I have similar travel styles whereas Mark and I have very different styles.
Traveling with my Husband
How fun it is to travel with my husband. This year we will be married 30 years and are celebrating with a another trip to Europe. Although he would be just as happy to stay at home, he travels because he knows it makes me happy. I sign him up to see places he didn’t even know he wanted to see (Lol) and he ends up loving the experiences!
Our styles are different because I am head on into any adventure and he is a bit more reserved, but comes along anyway. I push myself beyond my comfort zone to do things I may never do again. love heights and crazy bridges, and he waits for me where it is safe! If I want to explore a museum (duh I always want to explore museums) or tour a cathedral he comes along and learns something new.
Oh he had some rules (similar to Gremlins)
- Feed him often
- Buy him an adult beverage now and then
- Find time for him to take an occasional rest or nap
- Let him buy a gray t-shirt (all his t-shirts are gray, lol)
On the other hand, he knows I get anxious before big trips. So when I am fussy about his driving he just blots out my noise and carries on. I also hate to be late, so he tries to get us there on time. He remains calm and grounded.
My favorite Markism is when I am on the fence about doing something I think is too expensive while on a trip and he says “It’s only money, and we will make more tomorrow.”
The most important thing we do is always remember we are a team! Even when faced with difficult circumstances, remembering that if we stick together instead of fighting with each other, we will always prevail. Compromising is also important. Even though I am generally the planner, I like to present options for him to choose from and not control every aspect. I try to get him involved in the process…..heck he picked the destination for our trip last fall to Hawaii. He is getting good at this!
Traveling with my Daughter
We do our best to have a Girls Getaway adventure every year. Sometimes it’s as simple as a 4 hour drive to Traverse City for wine tasting, beach bumming and foodie finds. Other times we hop on a plane to explore somewhere we have never been.
She and I enjoy many of the same things so it is easy to travel together. On our last trip, I had her plan our dining experiences. I must say that I was really impressed. She had done the research and knew exactly where she wanted us to go. She had even made brunch reservations at a lovely restaurant in downtown Portland, Oregon for us on Mother’s Day.
The hardest part for us is usually choosing where to go and we do best when we have a rough plan and if we don’t let ourselves get hangry! She tolerates my early morning perkiness (I am obnoxiously perky in the morning). I try to be patient while she gets ready for the day because I am always chomping at the bit to get to our adventures.
I am looking forward to our trip this year to Arizona!
Travel Style
On occasion, I do travel alone and it’s fine. But I really prefer to travel as a team. It’s so much more fun to share the adventure. Traveling as two (or even more) is awesome, you just always need to have each other’s backs, let everyone participate in the planning and be willing to make a few compromises!
Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with someone else?
Dream, Plan, Save, Adventure!
The World According to Dev 