By Caitlin
We left Chicago almost exactly 6 months ago today! It also happens to be the birthday of my favorite travel companion and So in commeration of those two things, I thought people might be curious--How is it spending 24-7 with one person for 6 MONTHS STRAIGHT? By and large we have done pretty well. I am lucky to have the best travel partner. At the risk of mushiness, the following list of why Jed makes a fantastic travel partner is also instructive on what it takes to survive so much time with one other person.
1. He is almost never cranky or irritable and is very tolerant when I am. (Which can be often and is subject to temperature comfort, hunger/hanger level, hours of sleep, length of time wearing full, backpack, et al.)
2. He does a bulk of the pre-planning and he enjoys it! Plugging in countless possible flight scenarios to Kayak.com or combing through hundreds of AirBnBs for the best deal makes me irritable (see #1). This man loves a spreadsheet and for this I am very appreciative.
3. He is always down for a nap/pastry/coffee break. Yeah, we do a lot of those.
4. He is very good at diffusing arguments. Inevitably, we argue. However, without the ability to compromise and/or make me laugh at the right time, I might still be annoyed about something from two months ago.
5. In a crisis, he is calm and decisive. I learned this the hard way after fainting and ending up in a Polish hospital last week. That is a separate blog post, but lets just say I'm glad he was there. (Special thanks to Jamie and Dan for the assist).
6. He is always game for new experiences. Whether its hitchhiking in Africa, trying a horse burger in Slovenia, or hot air ballooning in Cappadoccia despite a fear of heights, he is willing to challenge himself for the sake of a new experience. Not only do I appreciate this but it inspires me and I hope to always emulate it.
Happy Birthday! Here's to the 2nd half of the trip!
1. He is almost never cranky or irritable and is very tolerant when I am. (Which can be often and is subject to temperature comfort, hunger/hanger level, hours of sleep, length of time wearing full, backpack, et al.)
2. He does a bulk of the pre-planning and he enjoys it! Plugging in countless possible flight scenarios to Kayak.com or combing through hundreds of AirBnBs for the best deal makes me irritable (see #1). This man loves a spreadsheet and for this I am very appreciative.
3. He is always down for a nap/pastry/coffee break. Yeah, we do a lot of those.
4. He is very good at diffusing arguments. Inevitably, we argue. However, without the ability to compromise and/or make me laugh at the right time, I might still be annoyed about something from two months ago.
5. In a crisis, he is calm and decisive. I learned this the hard way after fainting and ending up in a Polish hospital last week. That is a separate blog post, but lets just say I'm glad he was there. (Special thanks to Jamie and Dan for the assist).
6. He is always game for new experiences. Whether its hitchhiking in Africa, trying a horse burger in Slovenia, or hot air ballooning in Cappadoccia despite a fear of heights, he is willing to challenge himself for the sake of a new experience. Not only do I appreciate this but it inspires me and I hope to always emulate it.
Happy Birthday! Here's to the 2nd half of the trip!