Whether or not you’re a traveler, everyone’s life is a journey, and everyone has a story. Sometimes, it’s a tragedy, sometimes an odyssey, and sometimes – when we’re lucky – it’s a really good love story. Jessica and Chris of My Feet Will Lead Me have elements of all three, and they’re sharing their journey together, as well as many of the things they’ve learned from it, in the following interview.
What’s your story?
I was widowed in my 20’s when I lost my husband to cancer. As difficult as it was, this tragedy taught me to live life to the fullest. Following my husband’s passing, I redefined what I wanted my life to be about and traveled mostly alone for 6 months as part of my healing process. When I eventually met my current partner, he’d never really travelled before.
7 years later, we’ve visited over 20 countries together and can’t get enough of seeing the world. Chris has embraced this adventurous life of ours with such enthusiasm, sometimes it still astounds me how fortunate I am to have a second opportunity at true love. We are best friends and share such an excitement for life and the world around us.
As far as the my travel blog goes, Chris is the best supporter there is. He takes photos, comes up with ideas for shoots, and is constantly promoting my blog. As much as he tells people about it, he might as well be my agent. We are so grateful to be able to do life together and pursue this passion that has become such a big part of our relationship.
Do you have the same travel style or different travel styles? How does this impact your adventures together?
What makes our travel styles work so well together is our excitement for experiences and newness. We approach everything like it’s the first time and live in the moment. We’re both explorers and the excitement of discovering a new place is an adrenaline rush.
Admittedly, I do most of the planning and Chris doesn’t seem to take interest in any planning until we arrive. Then he enthusiastically dives into learning about a place and figuring out what we should see and do. We are high intensity travelers and are typically on the go from sunrise till bedtime, making the most of our time in a place.
Since we both have mostly full time jobs at home, we don’t have the ability to slow travel, so our time in a place is valuable. Very little down time or relaxation is fine with us. We relish sunrises and sunsets, finding great coffee and red wine, discovering local restaurants, and walking till our feet feel like they’re going to fall off.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from traveling as partners? What makes your partnership work on the road?
Luckily our relationship is very easygoing so traveling together has never been a challenge for us. We make it a point to try to be reasonable when it comes to disagreements. Most importantly, we’ve learned NOT to wait to choose a restaurant until we’re already “hangry” and that Google offline maps are gold. If we can avoid hangry quarrels or arguing over directions, it’s all smooth sailing.
What’s the best part about traveling as partners? And the biggest challenge?
The best about traveling together is I think we’re more adventurous when we’re together. I’ve done my fair share of solo traveling and still do, but sometimes it holds me back from doing things I really want to do. Together, we’re braver and more likely to explore the road less traveled.
The biggest challenge about traveling together is having to make small decisions like where to eat. I swear, choosing a place to eat is the biggest source of stress on our travels. Another challenge is just learning to go with the flow. Unexpected circumstances always come up in travel, and having to adjust to those with an open mind came be hard.
Based on your experience, what’s the best advice you have for couples who have just scheduled their first trip together?
Don’t plan too little and don’t plan too much. Don’t arrive with no concept of what you want to see and do if you don’t have a lot of time. But also leave room for improvisation and going with the flow. Start with small trips to test your travel styles: long weekend getaways, camp trips, etc. Have a sense of humor and most importantly, be patient with each other. You’ll learn a lot about someone just from your first trip together.
Share their story with your favorite travel partner!
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