Linda Dini Jenkins and her husband have traveled together for more than 20 years, so I asked her to share her suggestions about traveling with others. Even Mark Twain could have used her ideas. He once said, “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
Guest Post by Linda Dini Jenkins
Friends. Family. Partners. Spouses. Sure, we love ‘em, but sometimes traveling together can make for a few tense moments. For instance, I’m all about knowing exactly where my underwear is going to be every night on a trip, whereas my husband would be happy to go off with only a smartphone and a toothbrush in his pocket. But after 20 years of traveling together, we’re finally starting to work with the differences in a way that keeps us both sane. Here are my top ten tips for sharing your travels with others.
- Be flexible. Especially if you can’t drive a stick shift yourself! There might be something very cool around that corner . . .
- Keep shopping time down to a minimum. Sure, souvenirs are necessary, but you’ve got more important things to do, so pace yourself.
- Make time to do something the other person wants to do that you would probably not do if you were traveling on your own. You could be pleasantly surprised.
- Do a little research before you travel so you don’t miss the things you both want to see.
- Stop before you get cranky. This means taking ample time for meals, beverage breaks, resting along the way and knowing when to call it a day.
- When one person senses danger, trust them and go with their instincts. If it turns out that nothing’s really wrong, at least you’ve got a great story to tell.
- Spend a morning or an afternoon apart. I like to roam around and take photographs; my husband likes to get up really early and see the sunrise, then watch the early morning hustle-and-bustle in the town. Later, share your experiences.
- Make one night a splurge. Go to a good restaurant, drink good wine (if that’s your pleasure), and stay there long into the night.
- Have a sense of purpose, but leave time for serendipity. If you only see the things you already know about, you could read about it in a book and not have to spend all this time and money.
- Interact with the locals. Even if you speak their language like a 10-year-old, everybody appreciates your effort. See the place from their eyes, answer their questions about the U.S., have a real exchange. It can bring you all closer. And that, to me, is what travel is all about.
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is the author of Up at the Villa: Travels with My Husband and blogs about travel and travel writing at www.travelthewriteway.com.
She can be packed in five minutes and would love to be invited to speak to your organization or book club.
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