Emily and Aaron’s relationship started with an adorable meet-cute, and quickly transformed into a deep connection cemented by travel, and everything they learned about the world and each other along the way. Now, their shared experiences fuel their blog, Two Dusty Travelers, and their never-dull life together. And now they’re sharing their hard-won advice and experiences with us!
What’s your story?
We met 13 years ago (it doesn’t feel that long!) when I (Emily) injured my ankle training for a half marathon and started going to a water aerobics class to rehab it – Aaron was the instructor! Generally water aerobics is for older folks who can’t handle weight-bearing exercise, so I’m sure I looked pretty good in comparison!
Our first big trip as a couple was to Kenya, and we’ve been adventuring together ever since. Travel (especially getting off the beaten path in developing countries) reveals so much about a person – how they see the world, how they handle stress, what is truly important to them, how they interact with people who are different from them… I can’t think of a better way to learn so much about your partner in such a short period of time. Traveling together was a huge part of what made us realize we were compatible. We both wanted to have adventurous lives and not follow the typical path.
After living in Tanzania for five months, we realized that we were never going to “settle down” and we wanted travel to be a constant part of our lives. As a nurse and a teacher, we both also have skills that allow us to lend a hand in places we visit, and we wanted to encourage others to travel in ways that support local communities as well. We started our blog to inspire people to visit places they might think of as scary or intimidating, and to think about the environmental and social impact of their travels.
Do you have the same travel style or different travel styles? How does this impact your adventures together?
Most of the time our travel styles are perfectly matched! We both love to get off the beaten path, seek out adventures, and appreciate the natural world and local culture. We also both get a kick out of planning trips ahead of time, but we balance that with leaving time to relax and be spontaneous. And it’s important to both of us that we direct as many of our tourist dollars as possible to supporting local communities and sustainable tourism.
Aaron grew up very active in the Boy Scouts (while I grew up more often taking beach vacations) so sometimes he gets more adventurous than I do. He’s been known to climb a mountain and build a snow cave to sleep in for the weekend (a trip that I was happy to sit out in favor of a roaring fire and wine at home!). And since I’m a nurse, sometimes I’m able to travel for humanitarian work or disaster response, so he holds down the fort at home when I’m gone. I love that we are perfect travel partners together, but we also allow each other the freedom to travel solo.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from traveling as partners? What makes your partnership work on the road?
We’ve learned to rely on each other’s strengths. For example, I’m great at budgeting and organization, while Aaron is a people person. So you’ll find me setting up our room and planning our itinerary while Aaron is meeting our AirBnB hosts and chatting them up for local recommendations. After 13 years together, we automatically know who’s going to do what in any situation.
Our partnership works on the road because we support each other. If one of us is feeling tired or stressed, the other always picks up the slack. We both get extra enjoyment from seeing the other person having a fantastic time – neither of us wants to drag the other on an excursion they have no interest in. We will always sit down and talk out a compromise to make sure we’re both happy on the road.
What’s the best part about traveling as partners? And the biggest challenge?
The best part is that you always have your best friend next to you to share amazing experiences with! When I travel alone, I sometimes find it hard to come home and talk about my trip with people who weren’t there. Of course they don’t want to look at a thousand photos or relive the same memories over and over. But traveling as partners means we have a constantly-growing collection of shared experiences that we talk and laugh about over and over, and it never gets old. I love that we can be walking down the street at home and smell something that reminds us of Tanzania, and we’ll look at each other and know we’re thinking the exact same thing.
The biggest challenge is honestly just scheduling! As a teacher, Aaron has specific breaks during which he can travel, while my schedule as a nurse is much more flexible. We’ve never found the actual traveling together part to be challenging at all!
Based on your experience, what’s the best advice you have for couples who have just scheduled their first trip together?
Eat regularly! This sounds silly, but the only time we snark at each other on the road is when we haven’t eaten. We often get so caught up in all the adventures we’re having, that suddenly it’s 3 pm and we haven’t eaten since breakfast. Nobody can navigate public transport in a new city or explore a local market on an empty stomach! We try to pack a snack in our day bag for those moments when we start feeling annoyed. We always love each other again after we’ve both eaten a granola bar!
Any additional thoughts or words of wisdom?
If traveling is an important part of your life, make sure you discuss that before making a serious commitment! It may not seem as important as talking about money or kids, but it all depends on what’s essential to you. Neither of us could have a healthy partnership with someone who hated travel.
I think many people believe that they’ll travel when they’re young and get it “out of their system”, then be ready to settle down. That never happened for us. We communicated about wanting to prioritize travel and to do what we can to make the world a better place, over having a more typical life and kids. We’re incredibly lucky to be in a time when people are encouraged to live their lives the way they want to – just make sure your partner is on board!
Don’t forget to share the wisdom!
A wonderful day on the water: Kayaking Seneca Lake with Summit to Stream Adventures
