In the early stages of making your travel dreams a reality, you try to plan for every situation. You set your budget, make an itinerary, read travel blogs, and make your “bucket list”, so to speak. No matter how much planning you do, there will always be bumps in the road, and issues that you can’t plan for. For instance, I’m currently writing this blog post on our bus ride back to Bogota, and the bus may very well be broken down. Fingers crossed that it starts back up! Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and you just have to sit back, and wait for it to straighten out.
During all of this meticulous planning, most people never ask, “can we spend this much time together?”. Most couples, no matter how close, do not spend every waking hour together. The majority of our days are occupied by work, for at least 8 hours, not including commute time. We cherish the quality time we have with our partner after work, and on the weekends. I love Johanna, and she loves me, but even when we had jobs, we could still drive each other a little crazy at times.
Every moment of your travels will not be consumed with adventure. Some days your plans will get rained out, and sometimes you have to sit back and wait on one of those curveballs to straighten out. No matter the reason, you need to know how to keep yourself from having a “travel partner overdose”.
While traveling, you will not be surrounded with the same support systems you had back home. You may not have a television, or Wifi, and your family and friends will not be around the corner.
When you do not have those outlets, it is very important to make time for yourself each day. Go for a walk, take a run, find a cheap gym, read a book, write, watch mindless television, meditate or do some research. Find your outlet. Making “me time” can keep your relationship healthy, and keep you from committing murder abroad. Life is a series of unforeseen events, and they are a lot easier to face with a partner. Don’t overdose, and remember “a happy me equals a happy we.”
Update: the bus is now running but we will be without air-conditioning for the next 8 hours. Check your local listings to see how Johanna fairs on Locked up Abroad.