When the world, in general, thinks of travel bloggers, a lot of images come to mind. Many of them feature early 20-something ~digital nomads~. But one of the lovely things about this community is how it continues to grow in all kinds of diversity. Natalie and Steve of Curious Campers aren’t exactly recent college grads, but they’ve been road-tripping together since they got engaged. Now that their kids are out of the house, they’re footloose and fancy-free, taking the world by storm – and telling us all about it!
What’s your story?
One of the conditions I gave Steve when he proposed to me was that he would come with the kids and I on the around Australia trip I had always dreamed of. Fortunately he agreed, and we set off on a 7 month adventure. This trip created a love of travelling our country and now as empty nesters we are back exploring all that Australia has to offer.
Do you have the same travel style or different travel styles? How does this impact your adventures together?
Most of the time we are on the same page when it comes to travelling. We have travelled in a caravan, camper-trailer and (briefly) a tent. We quickly realised a tent wasn’t for us! The other main difference is my preference for an ensuite and Steve being content with a long drop toilet!
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from traveling as partners? What makes your partnership work on the road?
- Patience is the key! Steve has patience when I get us lost and I have patience when he can’t back the caravan onto our site. And it helps if you can laugh when things go wrong too. That always helps keep the trip more relaxed.
- Our travel partnership works because we are both very organised and love planning our trips in detail – the planning is half the fun.
What’s the best part about traveling as partners? And the biggest challenge?
The best part of traveling together is having someone to share in the excitement of a new location, sight or experience. Not only is it great sharing the experience at the time, but it’s also nice having someone to reminisce with when the adventure is over.
As travelling is sometimes tiring and your energy levels fluctuate from day to day, it’s good to help pick each other up on those difficult days.
Based on your experience, what’s the best advice you have for couples who have just scheduled their first trip together?
Know that things will go wrong and no trip is perfect. Bad weather, flat tires, missed flights and booking errors… Be prepared, so that when things don’t go to plan you can take it in your stride. Life on the road can be a bit different to life at home, so give yourself some time to adjust and you will have an amazing experience!
Any additional words of wisdom to share?
Sometimes travelling as a couple requires compromise when it comes to what you see and do in location. I like sitting in a bird hide for an hour as much as Steve likes walking around a market. But, we do it knowing the happiness it brings to the other person and being able to share that with them.
Share their story with your favorite travel partner!
This Seat’s Taken interview series: Suman & Doulos of Nomadic Shoes
