There’s this funny thing that happens when you decide, very intentionally, to build a life around travel. People clap for you. They tell you how lucky you are. They say things like, “Wow, I wish we could do that!” And hey — we get it. We are grateful. We know this life is a privilege, a choice, and honestly? A whole lot of work behind the scenes that most folks never see.
But there’s another side to this life that we don’t talk about as often. The part where you look around and realize… it’s just the two of you. Everywhere. All the time. And as romantic as that sounds — and most days, it really is — there’s also this little ache of wishing more of the people you love could (or would) be on the journey with you.
We call it being a “solo couple.” Traveling as two… because no one else can keep up.
Don’t get us wrong — we love being together. It’s our superpower. Put us in an airport, a night market, a 12-hour train ride, a random roadside taco stand in the middle of nowhere — we’re good. Better together. Always.
But sometimes we picture what it would be like to share these experiences with friends who are wired the way we are. The ones who say “yes” easily. The ones who don’t need every detail planned. The ones who don’t think moving around the world is “crazy” but instead say, “What time do we meet at the gate?”
We’ve tried making travel buddies. We’ve invited friends on trips. We’ve floated big ideas and small ones. Weekend trips. Group getaways. “Come join us in Mexico! We found a deal you won’t believe.”
And yet… life for most people just doesn’t bend this way.
Jobs. Kids’ schedules. Budgets. Fear of the unknown. Wanting comfort and predictability. We get it, truly. Everyone has their own season. Their own needs. Their own version of “thriving.”
But for us? Thriving looks like boarding passes, packed bags, new cities, shared adventures, and a rhythm that feels more like breathing than planning.
Sometimes we sit at dinner in a new place — maybe somewhere with palm trees, or mountains, or rain hitting a tin roof — and we look around at groups of friends laughing, talking, clinking glasses. And for just a moment, we feel it: that little tug of longing. That desire for community that travels.
Then we look back at each other.
And we remember: we chose this. And we’d choose it again. Because the gift of traveling as a “solo couple” is that the world forces you closer. You talk more. You grow more. You depend on each other in ways you didn’t even know you needed. You build memories that are yours alone — a secret little scrapbook no one else fully understands.
Would it be amazing to have friends who roam the world with us? Absolutely. And maybe one day we will. We do have a few couples friends with which we’re getting closer to doing just that, if we all can slow down just a bit to schedule together!
But until then? We’re out here — the two of us — exploring, learning, laughing, and living a life that feels authentically ours.
Better together. Even when it’s just us.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.