Love stories from the road

A lot is said about failed relationships and romances between travelers, but here are 9 amazing love stories form the road.

They say summer love doesn’t last longer than a few months, but my experience has shown a totally different reality.

Most of the travelers I’ve met so far  found their better half on the road, when they least expected, some under really funny circumstances. Some turned into very long lasting and happy relationships or marriages, which supports my theory that love has more to do with finding the perfect match than your postal code or nationality.

Nowadays I firmly believe that “couples who travel together, stay together” Here’s what my fellow travel bloggers have to say about love on the road:

MY STORY

I was already traveling for a few years on my own and loving the freedom of not being in a relationship. I always thought relationships would tie me down to a place and I felt I was too young to settle somewhere.

After living in the US for two years, I decided to return to Europe. During that summer I met a lot of people and had a short summer fling with someone. A group of Polish guys who lived in Barcelona were coming to Lisbon to record their band’s album, they were friends of the guy I had the short fling with.

As a traveler who loves to meet people passing by, I went out of my way to hang out with them. And that’s when I set eyes on this really hot, sexy, tall Polish punk rocker  with the most beautiful turquoise eyes. I thought he was so hot! I spend 3 days hanging out at the studio (where we all slept over) and he won my heart over when he cooked vegan couscous and shared the yummiest baked potatoes with me.

Since he never made a move or showed any kind of interest in me, I though he’d probably had some girlfriend back home or maybe I was not his type. I tried my best to grab his attention and… nothing…  They all returned to Barcelona and I moved to London with a broken heart.

We exchanged a few emails and as a typical Leo female, I decided to pack my bags and fly to Barcelona. I liked him and had to try my luck. He hosted me for a week… Showed no interest, but was super friendly and polite.  My last weapon… I kissed him out of the blue and hoped there wouldn’t be an awkward feeling after that, but you know what? After that kiss we never separated again.

I packed my bags, left London behind and moved to Barcelona. We traveled extensively all over Europe without money for 4 months. I’ve learned so much with him during those months!

Sometimes you find love, when you least expect!

CHRIS BACKE FROM  ONEWEIRDGLOBE

I met the lady that’s now my wife through OKCupid while teaching in South Korea. After half a dozen e-mails, we met forsamgyeopsal (Korean bacon you grill at your table). It was a bit awkward at first – she’s an introvert, I’m an extrovert – but there was a lot in common. The second date went better, and we were traveling together for a weekend after our third date.

After a year of traveling around some of Korea’s most unusual / weirdest places, we got married at a small ceremony at Hongdae Park in Seoul. Didn’t arrange it ahead of time, just dressed up, walked to the park, tried to get Skype working so her parents could watch / listen in… Had an unpretentious (but still excellent) dinner 100 meters away. A week later, we flew to Thailand, moved to Bangkok, and continued the adventure. We’re now in Khon Kaen (northeast Thailand), traveling and working together…

My name’s Chris, and I would have never met the love of my life if it hadn’t been for traveling.

RACHEL JONES FROM  HIPPIE IN HEELS

 

I got my boyfriend on accident. I live in India on accident too. I think what happens is: if you travel looking for love or to move abroad it won’t happen- but when you say, “I’m over this- I am never dating again!”, you get a boyfriend. It really gets tricky when you say you probably won’t come back to India… you’re going to end up living there with your accidental boyfriend. I met Ben, my British boy, at a bar in Goa and that was it. We knew in a week that we’d stay together so I moved in with him. I’ve been in Goa now for almost two years and have a newfound love for India. I got a new job as a masseuse and love tagging along with Ben to his reef-building business. Love finds you when you stop looking… and it’s even better when it happen abroad (especially on a beach)!

 

DALE AND FRANCA FROM ANGLOITALIAN

 

“When we started travelling in June 2012 we’d been a couple for almost three years, lived together for two and shared many experiences but we were both still a bit nervous about starting a long term trip with an undefined end date, knowing that being together 24/7 could be a great challenge for our relationship. It could have either kill it or make it stronger, but without trying we’d never know.

Travelling as a couple and sharing every hour of your day with each other is something completely different from living under one roof. Before travelling we’d come home, share what happened during our day and enjoying each others company but we would still have our own time separate from the other.

Travelling changed everything. We share everything and though at times we need to take a break from each other, we’ve never been so close. We still have our little issues and fights sometimes, but travelling has definitely brought us closer than ever. We learnt more about each other deeply and saw ourselves in situations we would have never experienced if we stayed at home, that taught us a lot about who we really are, what we are capable of and revealed ourselves completely. We now feel like there aren’t any secrets between us two.

Travelling these past two years feels like the best we could have ever done, not only to learn about the world and to enrich our experiences, but also for what it’s given to our relationship. We have changed a lot as individuals and together, and for the best in our view!”

MICHELLE FROM MINTY LEMONY

It was the summer of 2011. I was having a tough period at work, with overtime hours every day. My sister and her boyfriend were organizing a trip to France, to the Calanques, for some intense climbing. Though I was missing traveling and the rock climbing really bad, I was too stressed out to take some time-off, I was going to have loads of stuff at work when I got back…But my sister kept insisting each and every hour that I should come with them, so I finally gave in. And it was the best decision of my life.

I met him in France. He was a friend of my sister’s boyfriend. He had arrived a couple of days before us so when we got there, he came to the airport to pick us up. The moment I saw him going out of the car, I was already in love. We spent the five days climbing, looking at each other shyly and fantasizing over one another.

Back home, he invited me out for a movie and we’ve been together since. We got married last year and I moved to the US with him. We love to travel together as we have the same traveling style and we’re interested in seeing the same places. Which is, the entire world J.

My advice to the world: Do travel as much as you can! There are so many surprises out there….even the spouse you’ve been looking for all your life :).

NIKKI FROM SOMETIMES I GO PLACES

 

I was nannying in Australia when the kid I watched started going to daycare. The first day he was there, the family asked that I stick around so if he freaked out I could take him home. I hadn’t set up a bank account yet, so I went in to get that sorted out. The guy who helped me needed my number to get the account set up, but I had only been in the country a few days and didn’t know it. He had me call him and got my number that way. We chatted a bit and he was fun to talk to. That night I decided to text him (because I had no friends and he was nice) and he agreed to hang out. We started dating two weeks after that and are still together!

 

JIME SANCHEZ FROM LA VIDA DE VIAJE

 

The first trip I made by bike was the Ushuaia-La Quiaca path. I’ve walked through Argentina from tip to tip, starting from Tierra del Fuego to Jujuy, two provinces separated by thousands of miles. I didn’t do it alone: I traveled with my boyfriend, although I was not really sure how this was going to work out. We would be together 24 hours a day for 1 year. It would be a challenge. But, do you know what happened?

I left with someone I ended up rediscovering each mile we crossed, I thought I knew him well back home, but I had to make an adventure of 6600 miles to see his essence, discover every piece of him like a puzzle, discover that side of him that made me fell in love. And so I did. I managed to get rid of prejudices and judgments. Although we are physically the same people today, our souls embraced beyond all my expectations and dreams..

 

ALOUISE FROM TAKE ME TO THE WORLD

I consider myself a travel enthusiast, and in September 2008 I went on my first solo trip to Europe. I spent a few days in London and then I went on a Contiki tour. They’re a popular tour company for young adults, and most people probably associate Contiki more with parties and late nights than with romance.

Our tour guide dubbed the tour I went on “the tour of love.” Why? First there were just a lot of couples on the tour to begin with. Most of the couples were just dating, but there were two married couples, including a couple of newly weds who flew to London to get on the tour right after their wedding reception. Two of the couples that were dating got engaged on the tour. One couple got engaged on a gondola ride in Venice. Another couple got engaged in Paris. If that wasn’t enough two of the single people from the tour ended up dating after the tour and got married a few years later (an impressive feat considering the ratio of single girls to guys on our tour was about 15 to 1). So while I can’t say I found love on a Contiki tour, or when traveling I know it’s possible.

 

SHARON FROM WHERE’S SHARON?

 

 

I am a total travel addict and this has ended many relationships. My adventurous spirit seems to be part of what attracted guys to me but once we were together they suddenly expected me to change and not want to travel anymore. It was quite frustrating. I would try to change and not travel so much, but it just wasn’t possible.
Thankfully, I am now married to a wonderful man now who is supportive of my travel dreams. We have travelled a lot together, but he also allows me time to travel alone. It is a constant negotiation as we have kids and we are not rich, but it is nice to be with someone who takes my needs seriously as well.

My advice is not to settle for a partner who doesn’t understand what travel means to you, but one who wants to share and support your dreams. It is possible to find people like that!

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