travel of love

One Luggage To Destination

100 Love Travel Quotes to Inspire You For Adventure

Table of Content

Traveling and love share an incredible connection. Both journeys take you to places you’ve never been before, fill your heart with unforgettable moments, and create memories that last a lifetime. Love and travel intertwine like the threads of a beautiful tapestry, and the result is a life enriched by adventure, companionship, and discovery.

In this collection of 100 Love Travel Quotes, we’ll explore the profound ways in which love and travel intersect. These quotes capture the essence of exploring the world with a loved one, cherishing the shared experiences, and finding romance in the most unexpected places.

Love Travel Quotes

• “Adventure is always better when shared.”
• “Traveling with you is my favorite adventure.”
• “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown
• “Exploring the world with you is my idea of a perfect date.”
• “Love is the compass that guides us in our travels.” – Unknown
• “Our love story is written in the places we’ve been.”
• “Love knows no borders.”
• “With you, every destination is a dream come true.”
• “We’re not lost; we’re exploring together.”
• “Traveling with you is like a romantic movie.”
• “You, me, and the open road—what more could we ask for?”
• “Love and adventure are the best travel companions.”
• “In your arms, I’ve found my favorite place in the world.”
• “Together is our favorite place to be.”
• “Love and travel go hand in hand, for they both lead to unforgettable journeys.”
• “Our love is the greatest adventure.”
• “Every moment with you is an adventure of a lifetime.”
• “Traveling together is a journey of love.”
• “With you, every day is an adventure.”
• “Love and travel—two incredible journeys combined.”
• “Exploring the world is better when you’re holding my hand.”
• “Life is short; let’s travel the world together.”
• “You are my greatest adventure.”
• “The world is more beautiful with you by my side.”
• “Love grows as we explore.”
• “With you, every place feels like home.”
• “Our love story is a travel diary.”
• “Together, we’re writing the best chapters of our lives.”
• “Love makes every journey sweeter.”
• “My heart is always on an adventure with you.”
• “Love is the ultimate souvenir of our travels.”
• “Adventures are better when shared with the one you love.”
• “The best part of any journey is being with you.”
• “You are my favorite travel companion.”
• “Our love knows no boundaries.”
• “Love is the greatest adventure.”
• “Love and travel—my two favorite things.”
• “Exploring the world, one love story at a time.”
• “I’d travel to the ends of the Earth with you.”
• “Our love is an adventure waiting to happen.”
• “Our love story is a journey, and the best is yet to come.”
• “Adventure is calling, and love is leading the way.”
• “I love you more with every adventure we share.”
• “Our love is like a compass; it always points us in the right direction.”
• “With you, I’m at home anywhere in the world.”
• “You are the destination of my heart’s journey.”
• “In your arms, I’ve found my paradise.”
• “Together, we’re making memories all over the world.”
• “Love is the greatest adventure, and you are my favorite companion.”
• “Our love story is the most beautiful journey I’ve ever been on.”
• “Exploring the world with you is a dream come true.”
• “In every journey, love is our guide.”
• “Life is short; let’s travel often and love deeply.”
• “With you, even the longest flights feel short.”
• “Adventure awaits, and I want to share it with you.”
• “In your eyes, I find the beauty of every place we visit.”
• “With you, every day feels like an adventure.”
• “You are my favorite adventure.”
• “Love makes every destination special.”
• “Together, we’re collecting moments, not things.”
• “Traveling with you is the best kind of escape.”
• “With you, every sunrise is more beautiful.”
• “Exploring new places with you is the greatest gift.”
• “Love and travel are the keys to a happy heart.”
• “You are the map to my heart’s journey.”
• “In your smile, I find the warmth of every destination.”
• “With you, I’m on a perpetual adventure.”
• “Our love story is a journey that will last a lifetime.”
• “Love knows no distance.”
• “With you, every journey is a love story.”
• “Our love is the compass that points us to new adventures.”
• “In your laughter, I hear the echoes of our travels.”
• “You are my favorite adventure buddy.”
• “Together, we’re creating a lifetime of memories.”
• “With you, every moment becomes an adventure.”
• “Our love is the most beautiful journey.”
• “Adventure is calling, and I want you by my side.”
• “In your love, I find my home.”
• “Traveling with you is my greatest joy.”
• “With you, I’m living my dream adventure.”
• “Our love is the destination of a lifetime.”
• “Love and adventure make the perfect pair.”
• “You are my heart’s true north.”
• “Together, we’re making the world our playground.”
• “With you, every day feels like a new beginning.”
• “Our love story is an adventure I cherish.”
• “In your love, I’ve found my greatest treasure.”
• “With you, every place feels like a fairytale.”
• “Love is the greatest adventure, and you’re my favorite partner.”
• “Our love story is written in the footprints of our travels.”
• “Adventure is the spice of life, and you’re my favorite flavor.”
• “With you, every journey is a work of art.”
• “You are the reason I believe in love at first sight—of a new destination.”
• “Our love is like a well-traveled road, filled with memories and adventure.”
• “In your love, I find the strength to explore the unknown.”
• “With you, every journey feels like an epic adventure.”
• “Our love is the passport to a world of happiness.”
• “Love is the journey, and you’re my favorite travel partner.”
• “With you, every day is an adventure worth living.”

As we conclude this exploration of 100 Love Travel Quotes, we’re reminded that love and travel are the twin flames of life’s grand adventure. They push us to step outside our comfort zones, connect with others on a profound level, and savor the beauty of the world around us.

If you’re wandering through bustling cities, relaxing on sun-kissed beaches, or trekking through remote landscapes, may these quotes be a source of inspiration and motivation. Let them serve as a reminder that love and travel are not only destinations but also incredible journeys that enrich our lives and shape our souls.

So, embark on your next adventure with an open heart, create lasting memories with those you love, and let the magic of travel and love continue to inspire your life’s story.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an inspirational quote about travel and love.

An inspirational quote about travel and love might be: “Traveling with the one you love is like writing a beautiful novel together, filled with adventures, chapters of laughter, and pages of love.”

What does love to travel mean?

“Love to travel” means having a deep passion and enthusiasm for exploring new destinations, seeking adventure, and embracing the enriching experiences that travel brings.

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Passions and Places

A travel + outdoors blog

49 Couples Travel Quotes to Inspire Love and Adventure

January 11, 2020 By Jen Ambrose 31 Comments

Updated February 1, 2024

A meaningful quote can stay with you for a long time. It can be a reminder, an inspiration, a comfort, or a reality check. A quote can help you express something you struggle to put into words, or it can bring up a feeling or belief you didn’t even know you had. If you’re a traveler, you probably love travel quotes for these very reasons.

As two people who’ve dedicated our marriage thus far to exploring the world together, couples travel quotes hold a special place in our hearts. (And as two people trying to put our experiences into words, well, sometimes it’s best to leave it to the experts!)

We’ve read a lot of quotes about love and travel, and these are a few (well, many) of our favorites. Whether you need inspiration for your wedding vows or some couple travel captions for Instagram , one of these quotes might be just what you’re looking for.

The Best Couples Travel Quotes

The most romantic travel quotes, the best honeymoon trip quotes, inspiring quotes about love & adventure, my own love quotes about traveling together, puns & funny couple travel quotes, more quotes about traveling together.

Since we’ve been traveling together for so long , it can be too easy to lose sight of how incredibly precious this experience is. Taking a step back to reflect on one of these travel quotes for couples always brings us back to a place of gratitude.

“Let’s find some beautiful places to get lost together.”

“And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.”  – Pico Iyer

“Couples who travel together stay together.”

“Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.” – Anonymous PostSecret (commonly misattributed to Alice in Wonderland creator Lewis Carroll)

“Oh darling, let’s be adventurers.”

“We are the luckiest people in the world. How many couples get to travel together and spend quality time like we do?” – Lindsey Gormley

If you need inspiration for a love letter, anniversary card, or Valentine, look no further than these romantic travel quotes.

“I want to travel the world with you, go to every country, every city, take pictures and be happy.”

“I’m in love with you and with the world.”

“Here’s to all the places we went. And here’s to all the places we’ll go. And here’s to me, whispering again and again and again and again: I love you.” – John Green

“Kiss my lips and let’s run away together.”

“And we will travel together and just be in love forever.”

“I just want to hold your hand and wander the streets with you.”

“Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” – “ Song of the Open Road, 15 ,” by Walt Whitman

“Escape and breathe the air of new places together.”

Even if society doesn’t really approve of our lifestyle of long-term travel , it does approve of one thing: travel for newlyweds. In fact, society believes so strongly in the power of getting away together, it’s the first thing couples are expected to do after their wedding .

“Our honeymoon will shine our life long: its beams will only fade over your grave or mine.”  – Jane Eyre , by Charlotte Bronte

“These words are so sweet: honey, moon.”  – Kelly Link

“A wedding without a honeymoon is like a birthday without the cake.”  – Virginia Andrews

“A honeymoon is an opportunity to connect with each other and lose ourselves in blissful romance.”

“Traveling is the best thing any couple can do. That’s how we had the idea of the honeymoon. Newly wed couples going to a new place on their own so that all they could have is each other.”  – Salil Jha

The thing about traveling as a couple, though, is that it makes you realize the parallels between travel and love. Sometimes what we’re seeking when we travel is the same thing we’re looking for in another person or a relationship. If you ask me, these quotes about adventure and love say it best.

“I don’t want to be tied down to someone. I want to be set free with someone.”

“I’ve fallen in love with adventures, so I begin to wonder, if that’s why I’ve fallen for you.” – E. Grin

“Find someone who is a home and an adventure all at once.”

“You keep me safe, I’ll keep you wild.”

“Why should a relationship mean settling down? Wait for someone who won’t let life escape you, who’ll challenge you and drive you towards your dreams. Someone spontaneous who you can get lost in the world with.” – Beau Taplin

“What we find in a soul mate is not something wild to tame, but something wild to run with.” – Robert Brault

“As soon as I saw you, I knew you would be an adventure of a lifetime.” – Winnie the Pooh

“You’d be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, adventure fell in love with lost.” – Mary Oliver

“A couple who travel together grow together.” – Ahmad Fuadi

“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.” – Wind, Sand, and Stars , by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

As someone who’s inspired by travel, love, quotes about travel and love, and words in general, I thought I’d try my hand at writing some of my own sayings. And if you think one of them could make an Instagram caption for travel with love, feel free to use it – and tag us @passionsandplaces !

“Even if we stay in one place, being married to you is adventure enough.”

“When you love someone, you even love them when your luggage is lost.”

“Here’s to road trips, red eyes, and a lifetime of adventure together.”  

“Travel keeps you young and free, even when you’re an old married couple.”

“Take me anywhere; just take me with you.”

“Long drives feel shorter when they’re done in love.”

Not all couples travel quotes have to be serious. Here are some entirely terrible travel-inspired pick-up lines and super cheesy quotes to roll your eyes at. (Note: Ryan hates puns more than anything and wants to make it clear that he did NOT approve of including these.)

“I’d fly in the middle seat to get to you.”

“Did you overstay your visa? ‘Cuz you got ‘fine’ written all over you.”

“A romantic getaway? Alpaca the bags!”

“Are you a pilot? ‘Cuz you look pretty fly to me.”

“The only baggage in this relationship is our suitcases.”

“If you were a TSA agent, I’d be happy to get a body scan.”

Here are a few more of the best couple travel quotes to inspire you and your loved ones.

“I want to travel the world with two things in my hands: your hand in one and a camera in the other.”

“Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new, with someone you love.” – Marie Cribaillet

“In life, it’s not where you go. It’s who you travel with.” – Charles Schulz

“I would like to travel the world with you twice. Once, to see the world. Twice, to see the way you see the world.”

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m going. Are you coming with me?”

“No road is long in good company.” – Turkish proverb

“Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway

“I would gladly live out of a suitcase if it meant I could see the world with you.”

And there you have it! The top 49 couples quotes we could find about adventure, travel, and experiencing life together. Reading these quotes made us reminisce about our wedding and the most romantic trips we’ve taken. We hope they’ll do the same for you!

What are your favorite travel and adventure quotes couples for couples?

About Jen Ambrose

Jen Ambrose was born and raised in Montana, but has lived on both coasts and abroad. She and Ryan got married in 2016, and promptly got rid of their stuff, quit their office jobs, and left their Boston apartment to travel long-term. Now, they travel together (and occasionally apart) while working remotely, often housesitting along the way. Jen previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda and earned a Masters degree in International Development - both of which have shaped her passion for responsible tourism. She's also a yoga teacher and personal trainer, working both online and in many of the places she visits.

September 10, 2023 at 1:19 am

thank you so much ! 🙂

July 18, 2023 at 2:25 pm

Keep me safe, I’ll make you wild.

This fits me and hubby to a tee. I will use several of your quotes. Thanks for the inspirations. Travel on!

August 3, 2023 at 4:15 pm

Thanks Lisa, so glad you liked them – and found one that fits so well 😉

June 29, 2023 at 4:47 am

May 31, 2023 at 11:08 am

Passions and Places, your collection of couples travel quotes is a delightful and inspiring read. The quotes you have compiled beautifully capture the essence of traveling together as a couple, from adventure and exploration to shared experiences and deepening connections. It’s wonderful to see how travel can bring couples closer and create lasting memories. Thank you for sharing these inspiring quotes that remind us of the joys of traveling as a couple.

May 10, 2023 at 4:38 am

April 6, 2023 at 10:50 am

Great quotes thanks for sharing with us.

March 25, 2023 at 2:34 am

Amazing Travel Quotes. thank you for sharing this information

February 11, 2023 at 4:46 am

very sweet and unique quotes never ever read before.

November 26, 2022 at 12:13 am

April 28, 2022 at 10:17 pm

And…..this is pinned! and bookmarked, yes I am an old fashioned girl who still uses bookmarks. Thanks for this post

February 12, 2022 at 10:19 am

I loved your punny quotes. This one made me laugh “Did you overstay your visa? ‘Cuz you got ‘fine’ written all over you.”

February 13, 2022 at 7:17 pm

Haha! Thank you 😀

February 12, 2022 at 9:04 am

These are all such beautiful quotes to use. They would be great if you have a couple Instagram page!

February 11, 2022 at 11:16 pm

Great quotes! Thanks for sharing.

November 22, 2021 at 4:09 am

Thank you soo much for sharing this wonderful quotes. I love this.

November 22, 2021 at 3:25 pm

Thanks for commenting, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

September 24, 2021 at 5:23 am

Have read many travel quotes, but first time I am reading a collection of couple travel quotes. Nice collection

September 24, 2021 at 6:14 pm

Thanks, Seema!

December 12, 2020 at 12:00 pm

Travelling with your partners are the perfect to spend time with partner. These travelling quotes are great to ensure the love and adventure and also it increases the bonding in relationship.

February 1, 2020 at 11:51 am

Aww this is so sweet! I love finding good quotes, so this is a great collection of them 🙂

February 3, 2020 at 1:45 pm

Thanks Katie! 🙂

November 16, 2020 at 10:13 pm

this is really awsome.i love it very much

November 17, 2020 at 11:00 am

Thanks so much, we appreciate it! 🙂

February 1, 2020 at 3:14 am

Great quotes, I loved the “I’d fly in the middle seat with you” quote. That is true love! 🙂

February 1, 2020 at 3:34 am

Haha, right?! The ultimate test! 😀

January 19, 2020 at 3:42 pm

These are too sweet! Saving them for when I finally get a travel buddy…

January 19, 2020 at 8:54 am

I enjoyed much…! True!

January 26, 2020 at 2:54 am

Thanks Maria! 🙂

January 18, 2020 at 11:59 pm

I love this! Great graphics too. 🙂 I’m definitely pinning this for later.

January 19, 2020 at 6:43 am

Thank you so much!:)

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50 Best Travel Quotes for Couples (Love and Travel)

It’s always nice to read travel quotes because it pushes you to pack your bags and explore the world. There’s something about the wise words that triggers one to leave their comfort zones. But wouldn’t it be more fun to take on a journey around the globe with the one you love? That’s for certain!  Don’t you think?

Why should I travel with my partner?

Most of us know that traveling can improve our perspectives in life. It is safe to say that it is your ticket to your better selves.  Now, if you are traveling with someone else, chances are –  you would grow together, making your bond stronger than ever.

While some people will still choose to travel on their own because of its apparent advantages, being with someone you love has its perks too. You can split the travel expenses , for crying out loud!  🙂 But kidding aside, if you are still having doubts about traveling together with your partner, then perhaps these travel quotes should keep you both on the road.

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Table of Contents

1. “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.” — Mark Twain

2. “In Life, It’s Not Where You Go, It’s Who You Travel With” –  Charles Schulz

3. “never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – ernest hemingway.

4. “Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” — Pico Iyer

5. “Home is where the heart is, and my heart is wherever I am at the moment.” — Lily Leung

6. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart. “– Confucius

7. “You don’t choose the day you enter the world and you don’t choose the day you leave. It’s what you do in between that makes all the difference.” – Anita Septimus

8. “It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves.” – Andre Gide

9. “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” ― Anita Desai

10. “you develop a sympathy for all human beings when you travel a lot. “ – shakuntala devi, 11. “though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. “ – ralph waldo emerson.

12. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls” – Anais Nin

13. “When traveling with someone, take large doses of patience and tolerance with your morning coffee.” –  Helen Hayes

14. “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

15. “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb

16. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

17. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

18. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

19. “Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, “I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.” – Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

20. “Travel brings power and love back into your life” – Rumi

21. “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

22. “Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience “– Francis Bacon

23. “Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.” – Charles Kural

24. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman

25. “Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.” –The Dhammapada

26. “Half the fun of the travel is the aesthetic of lostness.” – Ray Bradbury

27. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” – Hilaire Belloc

28. “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.” –Mohammed

29. “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

30. “People don’t take trips – trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

31. “I get a friend to travel with me… I need somebody to bring me back to who I am. It’s hard to be alone.” – Leonardo DiCaprio

32. “If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.” – Cesare Pavese

33. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” –Seneca

34. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

35. “He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” – Chinese proverb

36. “Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind and fills your life with stories to tell.” – Paula Bendfeldt

37. “Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God.” -Kurt Vonnegut

38. “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus

39. “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake

40. “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

41. “The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine

42.  “I am a passionate traveler, and from the time I was a child, travel formed me as much as my formal education.” – David Rockefeller

43. “Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.” – Paulo Coelho

44. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd

45. “How you live your life is up to you. You have to go out and grab the world by the horns. Rope it before it ties you down and decides for you.” – Sarah Reijonen

46. “You develop a sympathy for all human beings when you travel a lot.” – Shakuntala Devi

47. “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

48. “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” – Barry Finlay

49. “Some people live more in twenty years than others do in forty. It’s not the time, it’s the person” – Doctor Who

50. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people” – Clifton Fadiman

With so many romantic travel quotes, I am sure you need a romantic destination to match. India is full of diversity and surprises – the palace hotels and forts of Rajasthan make for amazing backdrops for your romantic getaway.  So why not  book an exclusive Honeymoon Tour Packages to Rajasthan  to woo your better half?

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11 thoughts on “ 50 Best Travel Quotes for Couples (Love and Travel) ”

Amazing Quotes especially “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway. I really loved this. Great post with wonderful photos.

Glad you like it!

very nice collection of quotes. keep spreading the love.

Hi, your article is very amazing. Travel is my passion and all quotes are very nice. Thanks for Sharing this!

Great selection of quotes guys. Keep up the good work!

All of this love and travel quotes are really amazing, keep it up, thanks.

Ketty Aliace

Hi, Your articles attract me like a magnet. I keep going back to them. Best part being your choice of topics. Big thanks to you for delighting us with your work. Please keep writing. Cheers!

Hello Peter, Thank you so much and we’re doing our best to make our articles relatable and informative.

Those are some great quotes on Love and Travel. They make you look at travel in a different way… Great compilation.

Thank you Rob, we really want our readers to fall in love with traveling.

Great post! Totally useful! You have a wonderful website about Trips and stories. Good luck to you in the future

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38 Inspiring Travel Love Stories From The Road

If you’re in the mood for romance, or just love a good anecdote, these inspiring travel love stories from the road will have you captivated.

As in, booking a flight in search of your very own  Eat, Pray, Love  story.

Just to fill you in on how this project came to light:

A few months back I sent out an email to my community sharing my personal tips for balancing my relationship in NYC with my trips. The response was incredible, as people wrote me back sharing their own advice and romantic accounts.

With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of romantic stories from other nomads. To do this, I reached out to some of my favorite bloggers to roundup a selection of incredible narratives, from passionate trip flings to underwater engagements to Couchsurfing marriages and beyond.

Honestly, this was a really fun post to read and edit! I think you’ll agree.

After reading the following 38 love and travel stories, let me know in the comments if you’ve got one of your own to add.

And if you’re not sure where to go on your next trip, this free 10-question travel personality quiz can help you discover unique places tailored to your interests!

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Table of Contents

Come Travel #BeyondTheGuidebook

Before we dive into this incredible list of romantic stories from the road, I want to invite you to join my inner travel circle via my #BeyondTheGuidebook Newsletter .

It gets sent out once per month and features quirky travel news, inspiring adventures, conscious travel brands, and tons of fun content for curious nomads.

Once you sign up, reply to the welcome email and let me know where you’re heading to next or where you’d like to go. I always love connecting with people in my community.

On that note, let’s dive into the love and travel stories!

1. Love, travel and overcoming long-distance

“Long-distance relationships are not easy. After cutting ties with my crazy ex who stalked me from overseas, I tried my best to stay away from long-distance relationships.

But they say love will find you when you least expect it. Never would I have thought I’d meet the love of my life shortly after moving back to my home country, Taiwan .

It all started in the summer of 2011. A Canadian friend with whom I went to school in Vancouver paid me a visit in Taipei. She brought along her fellow classmates who came for a summer exchange. Among them was my now-husband, Kev.

No, we didn’t hit it off right away.

Actually, it was quite the contrary. I had no impression of him whatsoever; he just wasn’t my type. The turning point actually happened when his friend misdialed my number and invited me out — I guess to make up for the fact that he mistook me for someone else.

It was at that second meetup that his personality really shined through – I had never met a guy who was so witty and caring!

Because he doesn’t speak Mandarin, I volunteered to be his tour guide. We went out several times during his time in Taiwan. From the trendy XiMenDing district to the old town of Jiufen, we explored many parts of the country and made new memories together.

One month had passed and it was time to say goodbye. As much as I despised long distance, I was reluctant to end the friendship there and then.

‘Maybe this time will be different,’ I thought to myself. After all, this is a different person.

So, I decided to give it a shot and made our relationship official on the day he left.

Two years of long-distance.

10,080 km apart.

For 730 days, we fought through 15 hours of time zone difference – thank goodness for modern technology!

Yet the feeling of loneliness was inevitable.

In 2013, I made the bold move to relocate to Calgary, Canada – a city I had never visited before.

Despite having to deal with some serious culture shock, I am glad we could finally put an end to our long-distance relationship.”

-Cat from For Two, Please  

2. A romantic date via Instagram

“While in Thailand, a trip to the 7-Eleven is a must, am I right? I was entering a 7-Eleven in Koh Lanta when I saw this handsome guy looking at me.

‘He must think I’m cute.’

Yes, he was actually staring at me. He paid for his yogurt, gave me another look and, just before he drove off, he looked at me one more time. I was hoping he would say hi, but he didn’t.

Later that day, I got a reply to my Instagram story. Being a blogger , I try to share some travel experience stories on Instagram when I can.

It was a message from him saying, ‘Haha, I thought you looked familiar today at the 7-Eleven. Up for coconuts at the beach?’

He knew my blog.

In fact, he had known A Broken Backpack for several years. We found out later that he even invited me for a coffee when I was in Prague a couple of years back. He had left a comment on a photo where I was announcing I was going to Prague next.

I had declined his invite publicly on Instagram.

In February, we are going to celebrate our first year together. We’ve traveled to several countries since we met. We are both full-travelers and we both work online so the transition was smooth.”

-Melissa from A Broken Backpack

3. Overcoming language barriers

“In 2017 I was staying in a small town on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. On my last night there, right before I was scheduled to catch a bus down south, I met a very beautiful local girl.

The irony is that she only spoke Spanish and my Spanish skills were limited at best.

On the night we met, I said that I wasn’t fluent and that she would have to excuse my numerous mistakes. She laughed and didn’t seem to mind at all. We had a lovely evening together but I had to leave the next morning. Like, for good.

We ended up saying goodbye after having met only a few hours beforehand and it was a rather sad ordeal. I was really beating myself up over the circumstances.

Two days later, once I finally arrived and settled into my new destination, I decided to blow off all of my prearranged plans just to go back to that same town and spend more time with her.

Over the course of the next day, I canceled a tour, got a refund on my hostel, booked a new shuttle, and turned right back around for the five-hour return journey. I had been away for about 72 hours by the time my shuttle dropped me off in this town for the second time.

At that point, I had four full days left before flying back to the United States. As you might imagine, I spent almost every waking moment with my new friend.

I took her on a sunset sail tour and she drove me around on her motorcycle. On our last day together, we visited a nearby beach and spent the entire day lounging under the sun and drinking cheap Costa Rican beer while howler monkeys moved along the trees above us.

Although our travel romance only lasted for a few days, it was an extraordinary experience and I’m very lucky to have met her.”

-Michael from Passport Explored

4. Nurturing a relationship in South Korea

“Sitting at a bar rolling silverware at the end of my shift, a shy yet cute guy came up to me and asked to buy me a drink.

A couple of weeks later we started dating and Carl almost immediately asked me to move to South Korea with him. I barely knew the guy, so I told him no and broke up with him.

Carl showed up at my apartment and told me he’d rather have me than Korea and asked if we could try again. While I was hesitant, I said yes and we continued dating; however, six months later I was tired of living in our hometown in West Virginia — so we packed up our bags and booked tickets to South Korea!

We lived in Korea for five years together in one-room apartments and often sleeping on a twin bed. Learning to navigate life in a new country is hard enough, but our relationship wasn’t even a year old when we packed our bags.

In Korea, we started documenting our lives and fell into a community of bloggers and the rest is history!

Korea taught us how wide the world is and my life wouldn’t be the same if Carl hadn’t been bold enough to ask me to move with him.

Ten years after a boy asked me to move to Korea we have a two-year-old and blog about our new home state of North Carolina full-time!”

-Christina from NC Tripping

5. Meeting my soulmate in a hostel in Edinburgh

“When I went backpacking in Europe back in 2011, I expected to meet a handsome foreigner and have a whirlwind romance. Instead, I met a sweet southern US boy who swept me off my feet and became my soulmate.

My husband and I first met in a hostel in Edinburgh, Scotland. We had both chosen the same one because:

A) it was the cheapest one in town, and

B) it was housed in an old church which we both thought was very cool.

We happened to be put in the same dorm room. We had an instant connection and spent a few days exploring Edinburgh together, enjoying whisky, joining in the hostel pub crawl, and so on. It was amazing.

We kept in touch after that — thank you, Facebook — and eventually met up in London.

Eight years and a lot of countries later, we’re married, running a couples’ travel and relationships blog together, and happy as can be.

We’re forever grateful for that fateful meeting in Edinburgh.”

-Amy from Two Drifters

6. Getting to know each other from a distance

“For the longest time, I thought long-distance relationships were impossible. I mean, how can you really get to know someone when you’re not living anywhere near each other?

But that all changed when I met Andy.

It was 2010, and I was living in Atlanta. I tweeted about having trouble setting up the hosting for my website, and Andy, who was living in Freiburg, Germany at the time, saw my tweet and responded with an offer to help.

Despite the six-hour time difference, he stayed up late to wait for me to get home from work, and he helped me with my blog.

It could’ve ended there, but I was intrigued by him. I started reading his blog and emailing him questions about his move from the US to Germany.

Eventually, we started talking on Skype more and more, and it didn’t take long before we started falling in love with each other from 4,000 miles away.

After four months of getting to know each other through Skype and emails, we finally met in person in Prague — a trip I had already booked before we even knew each other. Being with him there felt so natural, and it cleared up the tiny amount of hesitation still lingering in my mind about being in a long-distance relationship.

Over the next few months, I flew to Germany a few times to see him and see where he lived. Then in June 2011, we got married  outside of Atlanta, less than a year after that initial tweet, and a month later, I moved to Germany.

Now we live in Berlin, and we travel quite often. And taking a chance on a long-distance relationship was the best decision I’ve ever made.

Getting to know each other from a distance like that meant we had tons of time where all we could do was talk. If anything, our relationship went at warp speed because we spent hours talking, whereas in a normal dating situation we’d be sitting in silence at a movie theater.

So even though the majority of our relationship was spent on opposite sides of the Atlantic, it was absolutely the right thing for us, and I love him more today than I did the day we got married.”

-Ali from Ali’s Adventures

7. Enjoying a travel fling in Europe

“I absolutely love tour groups because they are the perfect way to meet new people.

The excitement of a fling while traveling is similar to the concept of summer love. It is fast, exhilarating, passionate, and because you know it is eventually going to come to an end there is no reason to hold back.

When experiencing a traveling fling, carpe diem — or seize the day — is key.

This past summer, I went on a 16-day tour from Rome to Lisbon. I was 25 at the time and living in the United States when I met this incredible Australian guy on my tour.

We hit it off right away and would spend hours talking with one another while traveling through the Mediterranean countryside. About halfway through the trip, in Barcelona, we realized that our friendship had developed into something more and wanted to continue traveling together.

We both pushed our flights back to continue our travels and spend more time with each other. We traveled to the beaches of Cascais, explored the gardens of Sintra and danced multiple nights away together in London.

As solo travelers, it was delightful to enjoy this beautiful world with each other and we still talk frequently!”

-Jill from Robe Trotting

8. Traveling with the one you love

“On a trip to Europe with a friend, we were invited to join a table of German guys for a drink. I hit it off with one of them after being intrigued by the tattoo of Argentina on his ankle and we talked about travel, culture and languages between tequila shots and German bars.

The next morning I left on a train to Switzerland and we vowed to keep in touch. Which we did on and off for the next few months when he asked if he could come and visit my new home in Italy. We hired a car and spent a week road tripping Italy and in the end, made our relationship official.

After six months of long-distance, I made the commitment to move to Frankfurt on the condition that we go traveling as soon as he finished his studies.

Two years later we embarked on a 20-month backpacking adventure, which involved a road trip through Eastern Europe, a month Couchsurfing Iran, attending the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, five months in India and Nepal, a couple of trips back to Germany and finally ended in my home of New Zealand.

We’re currently building our own tiny house on a trailer and planning our next travel adventure!”

-Rohan from Travels of a Bookpacker

9. A Southeast Asia love story

“I left everything behind in Canada to go to Australia solo for a year, ended up meeting my partner — he’s from New Zealand but was living in London at the time and was home visiting family when we met — and he moved back to Australia and we stayed in Australia for five years together!

We then moved to Bali together to start a new adventure, and have been based in Bali for two years with our rescue dog (our baby) Suka. Right now, we’re enjoying slow travel in southeast Asia together.

We are now engaged and planning our Bali wedding for early 2021.

Next stop for us will be to move to Spain for a few years to enjoy the slow travel life in Europe with our little Bali rescue dog!”

-Tia from The Caffeinated Expat

10. Unexpected romance in Cuba

“We didn’t intend to fall in love in Cuba. In fact, we hardly intended to say hello to each other.

We were there on a brief mission trip to host a sports camp for local area youth. Our focus was on the kids and the joy that we could bring them. Yet it seemed like at every meal as we sauntered in to eat, the last two places at the table were always next to each other.

Then there were the times when we were free to wander the streets and we kept running into each other taking pictures of the colorful doors and beautiful people.

It didn’t take long for me to ask her out.

On the last night in Cuba, while the rest of our team headed off for an early bedtime, I asked her to the rooftop bar overlooking Santiago and we shared mojitos together. There was something there. I could feel it. And I sensed this was just the beginning.

The next nine months passed like a blur as we courted, were engaged and then married on New Year’s Eve. We had met in the midst of a traveling adventure, so it would only be fitting that we marry on one, too.

The small island of Utila, 18 miles off the coast of Honduras, had a special place in my heart. And as my bride-to-be knew of this endearing place, she chose it as the place to exchange our vows.

Despite the late-afternoon rain, our pastor forgetting his notes and strangers who wandered into our wedding ceremony — because it happened to be at a seaside bar with the best view of the sunset — we were married as the sun sank into the Caribbean Sea.

The next morning we celebrated our marriage with a dive.

We now live full-time on the road, having just celebrated our sixth year of marriage. What began on the road now continues, for as long as the road will stretch before us.

-Chris and Lindsay from Called to Wander

11. Bonding through travel and photography

“Our love story began at a busy bar in Melbourne on a Monday night in 2016 — perks of being a traveler, Monday night parties!

Yet, it wasn’t until six months later that we started dating.

When we first met, it didn’t take long to realize we liked each other; however, Adam was traveling onwards to travel solo in New Zealand soon after and I was planning to stay in Melbourne. These were plans neither of us was willing to change.

Both Adam (from Oregon, US) and I (from London, UK) had been traveling solo for several years and loved the freedom that came with it, something we were both reluctant to give up.

But fate brought us back together; six months later we both found ourselves in Cairns, Australia, and arranged to meet immediately. We knew instantly that the connection we’d had was still there.

While we had loved traveling independently, we knew these feelings were something we didn’t want to give up. As our visas both reached their expiration in Australia at the same time, we realized we wanted to try this crazy travel life together.

We packed our bags and set off from Cairns to Bali together. We bonded through our passion for photography and love of travel. As we continued on from Bali to Singapore then to England and the USA — where we met each other’s families — we fell in love with each other.

Since then, we’ve traveled to around 15 countries together and across four continents.

Neither of us had expected to fall in love on the road, but that’s exactly what happened.

Without traveling, we would never have met each other or have developed the passion for photography which helped us bond at the beginning.

It hasn’t been without its difficulties, as with all relationships, but having similar interests has meant we’ve rarely had to compromise. Now, we couldn’t imagine traveling any other way.”

-Sophie from We Dream of Travel

12. I fell in love with a stranger through Couchsurfing

“Love crazy short stories ? I met my now ex-boyfriend on the second day I’d been in Santiago, Chile. He was a local, and, thanks to a mutual friend who had stayed at his place a few years previously, was letting me CouchSurf in his spare bedroom for the weekend.

I only stayed there for two days, but we immediately clicked.

It’s quite impressive to find yourself not running out of conversation with someone new — particularly when you’re speaking in a second language that you only have a cursory grasp of.

After that weekend, I headed down into Patagonia for a month, but we stayed in touch and he promised me there would always be space in his spare room if I needed it.

I passed through again on my way out of the country and what was meant to be a week-long stay evolved into a three-year relationship with both him and a country I now see as my second home.

Because of him, I became fluent in Spanish and was even commissioned to write the new Moon Chile guidebook, thanks to my knowledge of the country.

While we eventually broke up amicably — having learned that we didn’t want the same things in life — everything about my life changed because of that decision to take a chance on Couchsurfing with a stranger.”

-Steph from Worldly Adventurer

13. Meeting through Instagram

“Our love story is a bit of a modern one as we actually met via Instagram! I was drone- and travel-obsessed and Boyan ( @boyanoo ) is the best drone photographer from the Netherlands.

I saw his Instagram and was immediately in awe of his drone photos.

Fast forward and he was coming to London, so he sent me a message to see if I could show him around. I had never even seen his face at this point and had no intentions at all!

I had already booked a trip to Amsterdam not long after this and this is when we had our first date, as the London meeting had gone so well we spent the whole week together.

On our first date, we sat in a restaurant for hours while it poured with rain outside. After this, he asked me whether I’d like to travel around England with him in December. I hate the cold, and despite this, I had such a good time.

I knew he was special.

By March, we had both quit our jobs to travel full-time. Being a full-time nurse and Boyan’s video jobs abroad, it was hard to see each other and I had already started blogging part-time.

We now run the travel blog together, as well as a business doing videography and photography for worldwide clients.

We have escaped the European winter for Bali this year, which has been a dream of mine my whole life. It was amazing to finally find someone with as much energy and passion for travel as I do.

With our two suitcases, we now travel from place to place and every now and then pop back to see our families.

Since we met a year ago we have traveled to over 20 countries in Europe and Asia. He even convinced me to go to the Faroe Islands!

For someone who considers themselves solar-powered, a week in the Faroe Islands with nothing but rain and still enjoying myself says it all!”

-Hanna from SolarPoweredBlonde

14. Falling in love in Cuba

“Cuba will always have a special place in my heart. I don’t know if it’s because it was the first vacation I took sans parents, if it was the amazing weather and beaches, or (most likely) because it was where I had my first vacation love. Maybe a combination of them all!

When I arrived in Cuba, I didn’t expect to find love, but it happened.

I was on the beach when two gorgeous men walked by and started talking to my sister and me. Well, they tried to talk to us because they had very limited English and we didn’t speak much Spanish.

I really hit it off with one of the men. The language barrier wasn’t enough to stop us from hanging out together and we spent the rest of the day getting to know each other with my broken Spanish and his broken English. It was the first time I really realized that you don’t need to speak the same language to communicate with someone, and that body language is more than enough.

We spent the rest of our short five days on vacation together, exploring places in Varadero we would have never gone to without a local guide. It remains one of the best vacations I ever went on.

We exchanged emails, but our relationship eventually fizzled out. It was fun while it lasted and I’ll never forget him either.”

-Naomi from Eat Love Explore

15. Becoming digital nomads together

“When Couchsurfing just outside of Gibraltar in September 2015, I looked in a digital nomad Facebook group for my next host in Tarifa, Spain.

A German guy named Jonas answered my request for a piece of floor to sleep on for one night in a matter of minutes. I hitchhiked to Tarifa and met Jonas.

We fell pretty hard for each other over a game of durak and sharing our travel lore. I ended up staying with him in Tarifa for two weeks. After that, I hitchhiked to Portugal alone — but we kept in touch.

A week or two later, he decided to travel to Lisbon to meet me. As scary as that was, that’s where we admitted our feelings and decided to try to be together.

Two days later I was on a plane to Berlin with him and one month later we were in Gran Canaria waiting for our repositioning cruise to take us to Brazil. Essentially, we directly moved in with each other via our full-time traveling lives.

That was a whirlwind time.

I taught Jonas how to hitchhike, and he taught me how to become a digital nomad .

We started Digital Nomads Guides together and hitchhiked around South America — sometimes together, sometimes apart; I was too stubborn to get on a bus or plane, and Jonas didn’t always want to hitchhike. We never wanted to stop each other from realizing our own goals and dreams.

In 2017 after kayaking on lake Guatapé in Colombia, I shared my big dream:

To kayak down the entire Danube River in Europe.

Jonas happened to have a similar dream:

To do a long-distance kayak trip.

We would do it after I got out of student debt in 2019. We decided to paddle from the source in Donaueschingen to Budapest in 2019 and finish the other half to the Black Sea in 2021, spending the intermezzo in Asia, where we are now.

For four-and-a-half months, from spring till autumn, we were happily stuck together on the Danube River in an inflatable canoe named Zucchini .

Kayaking together and working on moving us downstream was really challenging, but something that brought us together even closer. The trip went so well that we continued paddling beyond Budapest and paddled 1,253 kilometers (779 miles) in total.

I’m thrilled to share more dreams and journeys with Jonas. Together we can do great things.”

-Iris from Mind of a Hitchhiker

16. From Jerusalem to Vietnam

“It was December 2016 in the Old City of Jerusalem. I’d just gotten back from my trip to Bethlehem, which I was evaluating as part of my job in the hostel I was working at.

I was sitting at the tour desk when a guy walked up and asked about the Bethlehem tour. I’d just had such a great time on the tour myself, so I confidently took over and told about my experience.

This guy was very engaging and I could see he was interested in booking the tour. After 30 minutes of him asking questions, which I eagerly answered, he simply gave a cold ‘I don’t think I’ll do the tour.’

As you can imagine, I was not happy. But I managed to tell him it was no problem, and that if he changed his mind the tour desk would be there.

From then on, this guy would come over to say hello or have a drink in the common area with me for a few minutes. We weren’t really hanging out but we would often greet each other around the hostel and in the bar area.

About two weeks later, he told me that he was leaving Israel to continue his trip towards Turkey. Since that day we would message each other to keep in touch once in a while. I even told him my next travel plans for June.

One day he told me that he’d like to meet me in Malaysia. I didn’t believe him but he showed up — flying all the way from Lithuania.

We then traveled for about a month through Thailand, parting ways in Chiang Mai about two weeks later.

Then I went to Cambodia, and a few weeks later he flew from China to meet me there.

After ten days, he left for China again as he was trying to see if he could make it his new temporary home.

A month after we parted ways, I was in Vietnam building my own new home base and, you guessed it, he flew to Vietnam to meet me.

That was September 2017. Two and a half years later, we’ve been to four continents and fifteen countries together. We are still traveling the world and working on our individual dreams together. “

-Mary from A Mary Road

17. A romantic story that began on a mountaintop 

“My partner and I met on top of a mountain in the Austrian Alps almost ten years ago. We were both snowboarding in Mayrhofen during the end of season festival called Snowbombing, which is a huge party.

We bumped into each other in an apres-ski bar and our groups ended up snowboarding — and drinking — together for the remainder of the festival week.

Hailing from Australia, when I first heard his accent I was hopeful for just a holiday romance, but then it transpired. He lived in London too, having moved there a few years earlier.

So after the trip, we met up and the rest is history.

Except not quite.

After 18 months together in London we decided to go traveling and become nomadic in the process. My partner already had a location-independent business but I started freelance writing work and also growing my travel blog .

During our two years traveling we spent a summer in Amsterdam house-sitting because it seemed like a fun place to live, with good Internet for our work, lots for me to blog about, and the chance to just stay put for a little while.

That summer changed our lives as we fell in love with the city and the way of life there.

We returned to Amsterdam a year later after more nomadic travel, putting down some roots in the form of signing a six-month rental lease for an apartment, which seemed forever at the time after staying in places only a few weeks or months.

Fast forward six years and we are still living in Amsterdam in a house we own and with our two young boys living there, too!

Having kids has absolutely changed how we travel — we definitely prefer to have a home base and long-term travel just doesn’t suit us — but we still enjoy discovering new places together. It’s just more likely that we go on a luxury family vacation .

Of course, we still make time for snowboarding trips in Austria — that’s where it all began — but we also really enjoy exploring the country we now feel so lucky to live in, the Netherlands.”

-Frankie from As the Bird Flies

18. A holiday romance in Uganda

“When I arrived in Kampala, Uganda, for a four-month volunteering stint in 2018, I was definitely not looking for love. I was, however, keen to make friends, and I thought one good way to meet people would be to go on Tinder.

Since I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, it didn’t really matter if I fancied the guys; they just needed to look fun to hang out with.

So when I spotted James (not his real name), it didn’t matter that he wasn’t my type. He was the same age as me and said he was also new in town. Maybe we could check out some of the amazing things to do in Uganda together !

On a Friday we met after work for a drink. He greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, smiled a dazzling smile, and BAM ! I was smitten.

That one drink turned into drinks, dinner, and dancing until late. The next day we met for lunch…

…and I didn’t go home until the end of the weekend.

We were both infatuated. We exchanged dozens of WhatsApp messages a day, both incredulous at our luck to have found each other so soon after arriving in a new country.

We made plans to go away the following weekend and spent an idyllic two days in Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria.

I’m a travel blogger and photographer, and James took to the role of Instagram husband like a duck to water, grabbing my camera to fire off shots at every opportunity (the photo attached is by him).

We started to talk about me extending my stay in Uganda. He invited me to visit his home country, South Africa . He sent a photo of us to his mum.

But like most whirlwind romances that start with fireworks, the spark burned bright but it also burned fast. James started to feel crowded:

It was too intense, he was a free spirit, he didn’t really want a relationship. When he finally ended things I was devastated.

It made the rest of my trip rather difficult. Kampala is a very small ex-pat community, everyone hangs out in the same few bars and restaurants, and by now we were firmly in the same friendship group.

Everywhere I went, there he was, flirting with other girls. Our group had even planned another weekend away, and since I was determined not to let this breakup limit my chances to explore the country, I went anyway, even though he would be there too.

I spent most of the trip trying not to cry.

I did have a wonderful time in Uganda and love the country, but I’m more cautious now. Something like that can really color your experience, and I wouldn’t want it to happen again.

That said, I’m passionate about travel, and am still hoping to meet someone like-minded on another trip.

Maybe next time I’ll be luckier.”

-Bella from Passport & Pixels

19. Love at first sight in South Korea

“When I took up a teaching job back in 2009, I never would have guessed that I would fall in love and find my wife. In 2009 I left my home in South Africa to embark on a three-year journey to Seoul, South Korea .

The reason for going was to get my second degree through correspondence and I needed money to support myself. South Korea beat my original choice of Japan due to many factors, but the biggest factor was that it paid more.

I had never been to Asia before and had no idea what to expect.

Six months into my stay in 2010 I went out with a friend on my birthday. She invited a mutual friend and when she walked into the room, time stopped and all went in slow motion, just like a cheesy RomCom. But for real.

Over the course of several years, our relationship grew from a spark to a flame, and that growth was instigated by traveling the country.

They say that you know if you are compatible with someone depending on how well you travel together. It’s the real proof that the relationship will last.

We would venture out to the far-flung corners of South Korea discovering the many islands, cultural differences, and foods of the country.

We lived for another year in Los Angeles, cultivating our relationship and finally getting married six years later, in 2016.

We still move between Cape Town and Seoul — and everywhere in between — and see travel as an integral part of our relationship. We always come back new, utterly refreshed and invigorated, after a stint of travel.”

-Cal from Once in a Lifetime Journey

20. Meeting the love of my life on the other side of the world

“I met my now-boyfriend pretty much exactly four years ago on a night out in Sydney. He is from the UK, I am from Germany, and it was only a few weeks before I had to leave Australia to start my working holiday year in New Zealand.

I never imagined anything serious to come from this, but after that first night, we spent every day together until I had to leave.

He dropped me off at the airport and saying goodbye was incredibly hard. We had no idea whether we’d ever meet again and I really did not want to leave.

He promised he was going to visit me in New Zealand but I didn’t know if he meant it or just said it to make the goodbye easier.

Only two weeks after I left though, he actually came to New Zealand to visit me. We spent a wonderful week together before he returned to Australia to rejoin his friends that he was traveling with.

Which meant we had to say goodbye. Again.

At this point, we decided to make it official and were committed to a long-distance relationship.

We were planning to visit each other and figure out everything else along the way. What I didn’t know was that he would come back only two days after he left to start his working holiday year in New Zealand with me.

He basically just went back to Australia to get the rest of his luggage and apply for the visa in New Zealand. You can imagine how happy I was when he told me.

From then on, we have been together literally 24/7. Don’t ask me how we are still getting along!

Two years into our relationship we started an online business together so that we could keep traveling. Which we did.

We have been to about 30 countries on five different continents together. We have had the greatest adventures and a life I could only have dreamed of before we met.

Now, four years later, we are in the United Kingdom planning to buy a house.

I never expected meeting the person I would end up with on a night out on the other side of the world only a few weeks before I had to leave the country. But that’s exactly what happened and I could not be happier!”

-Valerie from Valerie’s Adventure Time

21. Falling through a bridge on a first date in Thailand

“If you like short funny travel stories, here’s one for you:

I kind of sort of met Garrett in Thailand, but also kind of sort of met him online.

It’s a very weird and long story involving a creepy mutual friend who forced us to become Facebook friends “because we both liked traveling.” Little did I know Thailand and this creeper would have such an impact on my life.

Fast forward a year or so later, Garrett was living and working in New Zealand and I was happily chilling in Thailand working online. He was going on vacation to Thailand and since the creeper dude a year prior forced us to be friends online, he knew I was there.

He asked me a few typical questions and I told him to let me know when he came through so we could meet up.

And he did.

And we literally haven’t been separated since! (Okay, fine, we both have some random solo travels, but you get the point.)

The day after we met we went strolling along the bridge in Pai, Thailand. Kind of a first date, I guess?

I had literally just spoken about how funny it was that you always had to look down in Thailand because there’s always some obstacle — when I fell through a hole in the bridge!

I was rustling through my purse instead of looking down. Luckily, the hole was only big enough for one of my legs to fit through.

I still have a dent in my leg in that spot to this day and for some reason, Garrett’s still with me. He always makes sure to point out potholes, bumps, and cracks in the road for me now. How sweet.

So that’s how I met my boyfriend in Thailand and fell through a bridge on our first date.

It’s been over four years with countless adventures in between and more to come.”

-Nina and Garrett from Oregon is for Adventure

22. A Peruvian love lust story

“It all happened when I was solo backpacking in Peru. I had been in South America for close to two months at that time and had just recently arrived from Ecuador.

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to meet locals and get a perspective on their daily lives and culture. Naturally, I was on one of those horrible dating apps to meet some local Peruvians. I am not going to say which dating app specifically but let just make up a name.

Let’s call it Tinder.

So I was on Tinder in a small city in Peru called Trujillo. Trujillo is the home of the magnificent archaeological site known as Chan Chan, the biggest city from the pre-Colombian period. I matched with this girl and we started talking.

Let’s call her Maria. Things were going great.

Then one day I decided to eat some Anticuchos, a Peruvian street food of cow hearts on a skewer.

Well, the next day I was properly ill. Puking, nausea, fever — everything.

I thought I was going to die; but Maria took care of me for the whole week I was there, taking me to the hospital, to the blood tests, and everything. She even made me traditional Peruvian cuisine and that was when I knew I had something for her.

After I got better we started traveling Peru together, trekking up the Andes, visiting Machu Picchu, and walking down the cobblestoned streets of Cusco.

We were together for over a month until the day came when I had to leave Peru. Even though we said our goodbyes we planned to keep in touch.

But sometimes distance doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder.”

-Sean from LivingOutLau

23. Getting engaged underwater

“Alya is from Russia and I am a South African. We met in a small surf town in the Philippines, sleeping in neighboring beds in a dormitory and were together 24 hours a day since the day we met.

Both of us were traveling around Southeast Asia for a couple of months and came to San Fernando in the Philippines to surf.

We shared a tuk-tuk to a surf beach every morning and day trips evolved into traveling around the Philippines together for two months.

It was an amazing time. Both of us love hiking and diving and we were always searching for amazing mountains and beaches.

After traveling together for more than two years I asked Alya to marry me underwater while scuba diving from Nusa Penida island in Indonesia. While on the road, I had a couple of traveling jobs as a scuba instructor and Alya did some English teaching.

On a trip down the Amazon River, we decided to start a travel blog .

It has been four years and our successful travel blog, Stingy Nomads, allows us to work together while traveling full-time and doing things we love.”

-Campbell and Alya from Stingy Nomads

24. Finding love in Argentina

After getting a postgraduate degree in the south of Spain, interning in Barcelona and a year-long stint working in the Caribbean, I had my eyes set on Argentina.

I moved to Buenos Aires —where I luckily already had a group of friends installed and waiting.

“I’ll stay here for two years, tops,” I said to myself.

Four months into my Argentine life I was out at a club when I saw him. I’m not exactly a club-goer, and later I’d find out neither was he. We were just meant to meet there, out of our comfort zones.

We immediately made plans for an actual date two days later and have been inseparable ever since. It’s been ten years.

I never thought I’d still be in Argentina, let alone that I’d have fallen head over heels for an Argentine. My friends were right; he stopped me in my tracks. He’s also obsessed with travel and spent time in Australia and Thailand.

We travel as much as we can together but have our roots here in Buenos Aires. We’re having a baby this year and are excited to see what the future holds!”

-Erin from Sol Salute

25. An around the world travel romance

“When I decided to move abroad, I put my dating life on a shelf.

I figured I’d worry about my single status when I got back, though, in the back of my head, I couldn’t help think that at 28, going abroad for a long period of time was only going to prolong the long journey of finding love.

But…I wanted to travel.

After nearly 15 months of being abroad, I landed on the island of Koh Phi Phi, Thailand for the last four days of my trip.

I didn’t know a soul, so I booked myself into a notoriously social hostel. I happened to join a flip cup game on the beach when I noticed the tall, handsome guy next to me.

When I told him I was from the US, he replied cheekily, ‘I know. There’s only one place in the world that does dental work like that.’

And what can I say? I fell for him.

He was from The Netherlands and we spent the rest of the night talking. We mentioned meeting up the next day but unfortunately, my phone had suffered a casualty on a boat trip and the only thing I could give him was my Facebook.

By the afternoon, I hadn’t heard from him so I sent him a Facebook message inviting him to dinner with a group of people and still never heard back.

I ran upstairs 10 minutes before dinner to check my computer, only to find that he still hadn’t responded. I was a little dejected, but when I got back down to the beach, there he was, waiting for me.

We were inseparable for the next three days and then I finally flew back home.

Two months later he came to the US to visit me and we decided to do a long-distance relationship. We met up in Italy, vacationed in Croatia , introduced our families, found a ring in Ireland and got engaged in The Netherlands.

About a year and a half after meeting, we got married and he moved to the USA. We’ve been here ever since!”

-Ashley from Jetset Jansen

26. A Roman love story

“My husband and I first met in the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum in 2001. I’d picked up a job as a tour guide there, and he was a tourist on one of my co-worker’s tours.

We chatted briefly, and a few days later he showed up to follow one of my tours. He’d been captivated by the city just like I had and decided to stay and become a tour guide .

So, we became colleagues and good friends.

Our mutual love of travel was what we initially bonded over. Both of us were pretty new to travel but dreamed of exploring the whole world, and we would spend hours in bookshops poring over guide books.

We even planned a three-month overland trip through the Middle East together, just as friends. I was a bit nervous about visiting that part of the world as a solo female traveler , so I invited myself along on his trip from Cairo to Istanbul.

It was just a couple of months before we left for that trip that our relationship took a romantic turn.

And for the first few years, we spent more time together traveling than staying in one place. In between trips, we did a few more stints as seasonal tour guides in Rome to save up money, and six years after we met we returned there to get married.

It was a small, intimate wedding with 30 or so of our closest friends and family, and it was the best day of our lives. We arrived in Rome just 10 days before the wedding and managed to throw it all together in time, even if some aspects were a bit unconventional.

Instead of the usual wedding reception with cheesy music and dancing, we all had dinner together at  our favorite Roman trattoria .

Over the past 20 years or so we’ve traveled to more than 100 countries on all seven continents, and we still make it back to Rome as often as we can.”

-Wendy from The Nomadic Vegan

27. Falling in love on a semester abroad

“When I was in college, I took my very first plane ride to my first international destination:

Studying abroad in Costa Rica for my last semester of university.

I had never been abroad before, but I was excited and open to new experiences in this beautiful, lush, tropical country — and little did I know it would eventually become my heart’s home.

I stayed with a local Costa Rican family and spent much of my free time getting to know them, practicing my Spanish and learning about the way Costa Ricans lived and connected.

I often invited the youngest son who still lived in a nearby house on outings and trips with us, and we usually ended up being the only two who didn’t cancel. We grew closer, spending a lot of our time together, and as you probably expected, eventually had a fling.

At the end of the semester, we both decided we could probably not continue to date long-distance from abroad; but as soon as I got back home, we would chat on Facebook and Skype nearly every day and eventually we could not keep up with the rouse so we gave in and started dating.

That winter, we traveled together to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, then took a bus to the border of Panama, walked across the bridge over the river of Sixaola, and spent the weekend traveling around the islands of Bocas del Toro .

We traveled well together, which doesn’t always work even with friends no matter how much you enjoy each other’s company. To stretch our money further we stayed in hostels, cooked in the kitchens, and took public transportation.

It was gritty and authentic and we absolutely loved it.

We dated for nearly two years like this, visiting each other in our home countries, traveling around and enjoying every moment of it.

Eventually, I landed an internship in Costa Rica, and after living only an hour away from each other for a few months, we knew this was what we wanted. So, we got engaged and planned our wedding in Costa Rica.

Now we have been married for nearly four years, going on a lifetime. Our favorite thing to do together is travel; how fitting for a marriage formed out of it!

I never expected for travel to change my life, but it did in many ways. I met my lifetime partner, and fell in love with travel itself while on the road.”

-Michele from Adventures Abound

28. Meeting my fiance on a press trip for travel bloggers

“I met my now fiancé on a trip to Menorca , Spain. The trip was a conference and press trip for travel bloggers and influencers , and we were both invited to participate. It wasn’t until the end of the trip that we really began to talk and realized that we had much more in common than our jobs.

We continued to date after the trip. I was living in London at the time and he had already been nomadic for several years.

Our early relationship involved meeting up in random places — including Estonia, Scotland, and London — when he had breaks from assignments and I could convince my boss to let me work remotely.

Around five months later, I quit my job in London to take my own blog full-time and we have been traveling together ever since.

We’ve now been together for nearly three years, living nomadically in countries such as Georgia, Mexico, Greece, and Japan.

Last year, we decided to set down some roots and bought a new-build apartment in Portugal. I’m from the UK and he’s from Canada, so it’s nice to find a place to make ‘ours’ after traveling so many countries together.

We’ll be moving to Portugal to start the next chapter of our life together this summer and we’re getting married just down the road from our new apartment next spring.”

-Jodie from Ala Jode

29. From Europe to the United States to the world

“Our love story began back in 2013 in the horse capital of the world in Lexington, Kentucky.

My husband, who is Russian, and I, being Ukrainian, were destined to meet not in our neighboring countries in Europe but on the opposite side of the world in one of the least touristy cities in America.

At that time, I (Anya), while living in Washington DC, was looking for various jobs that could help me relocate, let me travel and pay well. Mark (my husband) was living in Kentucky, working in the hospitality business but wanting to have a change, move somewhere new and experience other parts of the US.

My desire to move to another state brought me to Kentucky for one year where I came to work for Marriott Hotels and where I met Mark. Not much time passed after our first acquaintance, as we realized we wanted to travel and try to live in other states.

We took a leap of faith, packed our bags and moved together across the country to Los Angeles to spend three and a half years there just to understand that we actually wanted to see the world.

So we took another risk and packed again.

We left part of our life behind and set off on the most adventurous journey both of us could have ever dreamt about.

Today, two and half years later, after we left the United States to travel the world, we are location-independent and working online , living in different countries around the world, constantly traveling and exploring one region at a time.

Is it easy?

But this is the life we would never trade for anything else.

We are grateful to the United States for bringing us together, letting us catch this travel bug and helping us understand what type of life is best for us.”

-Anya from Road is Calling

30. Love in Bangkok

“At the age of 22, I booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand and embarked on my very first solo travel trip through Southeast Asia and Australia. I never imagined that this trip would change the course of my life and that I would meet my current partner one fateful night in Bangkok.

I was enjoying an evening with other travelers in a small bar on Bangkok’s bustling Khao San Road when Rick and I crossed paths for the first time. We didn’t exchange each other’s numbers that evening, but as fate would have it we bumped into each other in the busy streets of Bangkok the next day!

Rick told me of his plans to travel to the beautiful island of Koh Tao the following day and invited me to join him. Unfortunately, I declined his invitation due to already having the train tickets for my solo trip to Malaysia booked for the next day.

He still held out hope and told me exactly where to meet him if I happened to change my mind.

To this day, I still don’t quite know what made me go and cancel my train ticket to Malaysia and meet him at the bus station. His face lit up as soon as he saw me walking toward him and that’s when I knew I made the right decision.

We spent one week together on Koh Tao and then due to pre-arranged travel plans, went our separate ways. We sporadically kept in touch via Facebook and a full year passed before we saw each other again.

My travels eventually brought me to his home city of Perth, Australia and that’s when he invited me to stay at his house and the rest is history. I found myself applying for a partner visa so that I could stay in Australia and telling my family back in Canada that I wouldn’t be coming home!

Fast forward eight years later, we recently got engaged in Tallinn, Estonia on our summer travels through Europe and we are now planning our wedding for 2021 in Canada!”

-Ann from TheRoad-IsLife

31. House-sitting across the world together

“I’ve met and become friends with many people thanks to my travel blog and social media.

I met Mark through Twitter over three years ago and learned we had a lot in common. We both loved to travel and it turned out we were both nomadic house sitters.

Over the years we ended up meeting a few times while house sitting in the same city. Twice for lunch and once for breakfast. We also chatted here and there as we moved around; we exchanged stories of the pets we were caring for and talked about the city we were staying in at the moment.

Then last summer we were both going to be in Miami for a few weeks.

We ended up spending more time together and we realized we really liked each other. We knew that a relationship together would have to start off as a long-distance relationship because we both already had a few things scheduled.

However, we wanted to give it a try. We talked every day and eventually, we were able to start house sitting together.

We have been on the road together now for a few months and already have house sits scheduled together through most of 2020. We’re so happy that our love of travel brought us together and are excited to continue to travel and explore new places together.”

-Vicky from Buddy the Traveling Monkey

32. Discovering a new road to travel

“I met my husband when I was on vacation in New York City . I was on a long multi-month trip around the world, catching up with friends, traveling and eventually making my way to Rio, where I was planning to stop and get a job teaching English.

Instead, two weeks before I left the United States for five months in Canada, I met Kevin.

We spent those two weeks wandering through the Met, having brunch at Balthazar’s, lazing around on the Hudson River, and having dinner in the East Village. New York is an easy place to fall in love!

In my five months traveling the width of Canada by rail, Kevin came to vacation with me three times.

A week soaking up the breathtaking scenery on the Rockies, another week kayaking and cycling around Salt Spring Island near Vancouver, and a final week freezing together in a Montreal winter!

Well, in the end, my journey south to Rio never happened. Instead, when I left Canada, we both moved to Australia for three years, then eventually back to New York, where it all began.

Since then, we got married and celebrated by playing tourists in our favorite city, drinking champagne at sunset on a sailing boat in New York Harbor.

We still live in NYC and I still travel, but I’ve substituted a nomadic existence for twice-yearly trips with my husband, sampling different locations all around the world.

So, I fell in love on the road, ended up down a different road altogether, and now travel a new one together with my husband.”

-James from Travel Collecting

33. Getting together through Couchsurfing

“It was a rainy rainy day in January in the mountains of Vietnam and I had just left my motorbike partner behind in Phong Nha after riding with him for 15 days as I needed some me-time.

Partway through the ride to Ninh Binh, it struck me that I wanted to keep riding and find some nightlife and enjoy myself.

It was a 330-mile ride and it was raining hard, so I couldn’t read the signs and was on a car-only highway. The police forced me to stop and turn around and get off the highway to go back to the regular roads, meaning I had to stay in Ninh Binh for the night.

The next morning I was up bright and early again, peddling through the rain until I finally reached Hanoi midday. Full of energy and eager to explore the city, I found myself on one of the best travel apps :

Couchsurfing .

Little did I know that by getting on the app that day it would forever change my life.

There was a group of 12 Couchsurfers from all over the world getting together for drinks and food and sharing travel stories. Inna and I were seated across from one another but not saying much, though we couldn’t help but feel a connection so strongly and deeply to one another.

After we left that spot the group got smaller, and continued to get smaller after each stop on our night out. Inna and I got to know each other a little more each time — until we ultimately ended up walking around Hoàn Kiếm Lake until the sun came up.

Unfortunately, she was scheduled to leave Vietnam two days later to go back to Ukraine and I was leaving Vietnam in two weeks to start my tour through Europe. After the longest week of our changed lives, we decided Inna would join me traveling, as well!

Two years later we are still traveling together. We’re engaged, fully in love, and still treat each and every day as though it’s our last!”

-Jim & Inna from Executive Thrillseekers

34. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas

“Travel brought me and my now-husband together.

We were living in separate cities in the United States — I was a college student in Chicago and he had just moved to New York for work — and had both traveled to Las Vegas with friends to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

I was playing the slot machines at the casino at the hotel we were both staying at. He sat next to me and we talked and gambled for about an hour until I had to leave.

A few hours later and shortly before midnight we ran into each other again at the casino and shared a kiss at midnight on New Year’s.

We hung out and talked for a few more hours until we said goodbye since we were leaving Vegas the next morning. We did not make plans to see each other again, but we exchanged phone numbers.

We kept in touch by phone until he came to visit me a few months later and we decided to start dating long distance. Since we both were living with roommates and loved to travel we found it more convenient to meet in different cities in North America for weekend getaways.

Eventually, after a few years of dating long distance and traveling to see each other, we got married with a destination wedding in the British Virgin Islands.

We have been married for over 10 years and now live together in Chicago with our two kids and beloved yorkie.

They say “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” but for us, that was definitely not the case!”

-Matilda from The Travel Sisters

35. A Mexican romance

“When I first met my boyfriend during a study abroad program in 2010, romance was the last thing on my mind.

I was determined to spend my 10 months in Mexico becoming fluent in Spanish so I could travel Mexico worry-free while simultaneously gaining enough college credits to graduate on time.

Meeting Héctor was not part of the plan.

We first met at a party I was hosting with my study abroad cohort (how else do you meet people in college?). We had an immediate connection and while the people around us shotgunned beers we fell into a conversation about one of our shared passions:

I know it sounds super cheesy, but I felt something inside me shift. He was different than anyone I’d ever met before. Maybe it was just because he laughed at my dumb jokes? I can’t say for sure.

Naturally, I was bummed to discover that he was moving away to Mexico City to study music in just a few weeks.

We kept in touch, IM-ing about our favorite bands and discussing whatever poetry I was reading for my literature classes, and I regularly begged him to play me Enrique Iglesias songs on his guitar. He refused.

Soon, an opportunity for me to visit Mexico City presented itself, and we went on our “first date” — a Shakira concert at Foro del Sol. It was amazing!

What followed was a whirlwind, semi long-distance (I lived five hours away) romance that ended when my study abroad program did.

Over the years we kept in touch as friends, and each of us had relationships come and go. For years, there didn’t appear to be future for us.

Then, in 2017, I finally had the chance to return to Mexico. I asked Héctor if he wanted to join me for a beach vacation in Playa del Carmen and he agreed.

From the minute I stepped off the airplane it was like no time had passed. We fell into conversations about music, making taco puns, and me requesting that he sing me Enrique Iglesias songs. At the end of the trip neither of us could deny that the feelings were still there.

Within a few short months, we’d both quit our jobs and relocated to Playa del Carmen to be together for real.

And now, three years on, we’re living back in Xalapa, Veracruz where we first met 10 years ago. We still talk about music, we still make taco puns, and he still won’t play me an Enrique Iglesias song.”

-Janine from Janine in the World

36. A Nigerian princess meets a Wyoming cowboy

“If you think this is a fictional story, you will be wrong. It is a true-life account of how I met the love of my life.

My twin sister and I left everything we knew in Nigeria and journeyed to a little town called Laramie, Wyoming, in the United States.

We knew no one in the town or neighboring state, and with a population of about 28,000 people, it was a huge culture shock for us since we had lived in a town of over 1 million people. Quickly, we got acclimated though, frankly, we had no choice.

I started working and taking college classes and made new friends. One of my coworkers, Zeb, used to think my sister and I were the same person and would complement how hardworking I was since I “worked all the time.” Until he realized that there were two of us.

Zeb was a nice guy, but I didn’t really think much of it.

Then I realized we had the same major when we met in class the next semester in a smaller class size. We worked on a group project together, and a good friend, Noelle, kept saying, “I think Zeb likes you!” She was great at reading people, and she was right.

Zeb had finally summoned the courage to ask me out on a date. I was clueless about dating, as my academics were my main priority, but I decided to give Zeb a chance.

As the saying goes, “The rest is history.”

I had asked God for three things in the person I was going to marry:

• The person’s family has to love my family and me as we are (the good, the bad, the ugly),
• he must have faith in God as Christians,
• and he has to be an excellent cook since I dread cooking.

Every day, I thank God for giving me the best gift I have ever received, my husband, Zeb.

Like in all relationships, it is not always smooth sailing from cultural differences to personality, but it has been worth it.

Now, we are on a quest to journey the world together, starting with  traveling in Africa . “

-Lydia from Africa Wanderlust

37. Finding love in India

“Some places that we travel to leave their mark more than others. We like to think that every place we visit changes us in some way, but in some countries that change is much more profound.

In the case of my travels to India , they have completely changed my life.

Before my trips to India, I would get nervous. Family and friends were never particularly understanding of why I insisted on journeying halfway across the world to solo travel India.

But once I settled into the chaotic peace, I would find myself more and more at home in India, learning to live by the moment and surrender just a little bit of that hard-wired need to be in control.

In 2017 my travels took a turn for the unexpected as I experienced what would become one of my favorite stories of India to share.

A day before I was due to leave after a month of traveling there, I met Ravi in his hometown of Mumbai. Over chai and wandering around Colaba, posing for touristy shots in front of the gateway, we discovered a connection we knew we wanted to grow.

I didn’t see him again for another four months.

Fast forward two years and we’re living on the other side of the world in Toronto, Canada. We’ve traveled many places in India and around the world that are new to both of us, and we’ve been able to see places differently through each others’ eyes.

Finding love in India has shown me that the typecasting around gender roles in patriarchal societies — which India is considered — are not always true. Both of us are a long way from home — in many senses — which has taught us to be kinder, more flexible, and more understanding.

I have learned a lot about what it truly means to be close to ones’ family, even at the end of a phone, and Ravi has learned to make the perfect poha (a flattened rice dish).

I have learned that far from trying to scam people — which is the traveler stereotype — most Indians are incredibly kind.

Back in India we have been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who accept us openly as a mixed ethnicity couple, vs the number of people who judge for breaking the mold.”

-Ellie & Ravi from Soul Travel Blog

38. Falling in love in Barcelona

“In 2015, a good friend from university and I decided to have a little trip to the south of Europe during our semester break.

Since we were working full-time during most of our time off from university, we only had two weeks before our classes would start again, and we wanted to make them count.

So we booked several busses and flights starting from Madrid. After we visited Porto and Lisbon, we planned to stay three days in Barcelona before heading to Paris and returning home to Germany from there by bus.

Since we were students at that time, we tried to travel as cheaply as possible using Couchsurfing in most of the places we visited.

While my friend went to bed earlier during our first night in Barcelona, I stayed awake for hours talking to our host, Eduardo, in the living room of his flat. From the beginning, we felt a great connection sharing the same stupid kind of humor and a passion for traveling.

When we left Barcelona two days later, I was sure I would never see him again, even though we promised each other to stay in touch.

Little did I know that just 10 days later, he would take a flight to visit me in Germany, spending a whole week with me. Since I had classes to attend during the week, we went on a memorable little weekend trip to Amsterdam which became the first of many trips together.

The next three months we spent visiting each other once a month; however, for my last semester of university, I had a semester abroad coming up in which I had to spend three months in the Maldives.

It wasn’t easy not being able to see each other for three months in such an early stage of our relationship, and my WiFi-connection was awful, which made it almost impossible to video chat.

Anyway, when my internship was finally over, I flew right to Barcelona to live with Eduardo in the same flat where we first met.

Fast forward to today, after exploring more than 15 countries together, we are currently traveling around South America on a seven-month honeymoon!”

-Vicki from Vickiviaja

Romantic Travel Video

A note from Jessie:

While I personally didn’t meet my fiance traveling, we did say “I Love You” for the first time during a trip to Savannah, Georgia.

You can see the video from that special trip above.

Seriously, the atmosphere combined with the many things to do in Savannah makes it such a romantic trip!

Do you have any inspiring love stories from the road to share?

Bonus short travel stories.

Looking for more of the best travel stories ? Check out:

20 Embarrassing Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh & Blush

25 Crazy Travel Stories You Need To Read To Believe

23 Inspiring Travel Stories Sharing The Kindness Of Strangers

16 Short Funny Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud

Sexual Assault Stories From The Road (& What I’ve Learned)

8 Crazy NYC Subway Stories That Will Make You Hail A Cab

A Host’s Perspective: My Worst Airbnb Horror Stories

17 True Short Adventure Travel Stories To Inspire Your Next Trip

11 Epic Travel Fail Stories From The Road

18 Scary Travel Stories From Haunted Hotels To Creepy Cabins

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About jessie festa.

Jessie Festa is an New York-based travel content creator who is passionate about empowering her audience to experience new places and live a life of adventure. She is the founder of the solo female travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and is editor-in-chief of Epicure & Culture , an online conscious tourism magazine. Along with writing, Jessie is a professional photographer and is the owner of NYC Photo Journeys , which offers New York photo tours, photo shoots, and wedding photography. Her work has appeared in publications like USA Today, CNN, Business Insider, Thrillist, and WestJet Magazine.

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15 Comments

We found love in a hostel place! Who knew that the Couchsurfing app could be good for finding some romance?? Love this!

Awww, these are too cute! Thanks so much for sharing these – it’s always good to read about happy experiences on the road, as well as the more practical tips!

These are such amazing and inspiring stories. It gives me hope for finding a travel soulmate one day! 🙂

Gosh this was such a fun read! I loved reading all these stories. I think A Broken Backpack was my favorite – so unexpected! Great idea, Jessie ♥️

Loved these fairytale stories.Very well put together Jessie.

Thank you for sharing your information.Really i love this article.

These stories are so awesome. I really loved reading 🙂

very informative articles or reviews at this time.

This is so informative, thanks alot or sharing. love your blog so much

This was a lot of fun to read! All of these stories were fascinating to read. it was so unexpected! Excellent concept

These are really adorable! Thank you so much for sharing these – it’s always nice to hear about enjoyable road trips as well as practical advice!

Loved reading these, some made my heart melt! As if we need more reasons to travel! Thanks for sharing

Thank you so much for sharing this blog i really loved it. it’s so nice to get more information about road trips. thanks again, i really enjoyed reading your article.

These Love Stories are so adorable. Loved i.

What sweet love stories these are. I adored this lovely pair.

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50+ Romantic Couples Travel Quotes (Love and Adventure)

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Sigh…..quotes about love and travel. Sweet, romantic couples travel quotes. Could there be anything better? 

I am a sentimental gal and I love words with all my heart. Since I also love travel and I love my husband, I’m especially partial to beautiful and romantic quotes about traveling together.

I love words and literary quotes; phrases that perfectly capture love and adventure. That’s why I’ve decided to create this list of couple travel quotes which includes some of my all-time favorite travel quotes AND some of my favorite relationship and couple quotes! PS: The first inspirational quote by Pico Iyer absolutely tops the list when it comes to travel partner quotes!

I’ll add to this list as I find new quotes and phrases, but for now, enjoy the words of travel writers, novelists, and more below, all made to inspire and illuminate your voyages as a couple.

The Most Romantic Couple Travel Quotes

These couple adventure quotes are not just quotes about traveling, but are totally romantic and love-focused as well. After all, travel and love truly do go hand in hand.

“And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” – Pico Iyer

How can you not be obsessed with this gorgeous quote? It perfectly epitomizes travel and love, in my opinion. Check out all of his beautiful books on Amazon .

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

The Alchemist is chock full of incredible “travel together quotes” as well as countless inspiring quotes and words of wisdom. It’s an amazing book and you’ll want to bring your highlighter along with you as you read.

“Love, like everything else in life, should be a discovery, an adventure, and like most adventures, you don’t know you’re having one until you’re right in the middle of it.”- E.A. Bucchianeri

“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”- David Viscott

“Love is never hurtful; It’s never about forgetting who you are, it’s about exploring yourself more.”-  Ankita Singhal

“In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.”- Charles Schulz

This Charles Schulz quotes is one of those travel buddy quotes that is a classic. Everyone knows how important it is to pick the right travel partner. In fact, for romantic couples, it could mean the difference between relationship success and failure.

“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, “I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.” – Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

“Being driven is not the same as being passionate. Passion is a love for the journey. Drive is a need to reach the destination.”-Simon Sinek

“Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

“Travel brings power and love back into your life”- Rumi

 “Here’s to all the places we went. And here’s to all the places we’ll go. And here’s to me, whispering again and again and again and again: I love you.” – Anonymous

This is such a lovely sentiment: one of my favorite couples quotes.

“Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.” – Lewis Carroll

“To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be.”– Anna Louise Strong

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world & the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.”- Robert Louis Stevenson

“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.”-Vera Nazarian

I would like to travel the world with you twice. Once, to see the world. Twice to see the way you see the world.

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” – Pico Iyer

Another stellar love quote from Pico Iyer. He is just the master.

Read Next: Our Best Tips on Traveling Together as a Couple

“Why should a relationship mean settling down? Wait for someone who won’t let life escape you, who’ll challenge you and drive you towards your dreams. Someone spontaneous who you can get lost in the world with. A relationship, with the right person, is a release not a restriction.”– Beau Taplin

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“What we find in a soul mate is not something wild to tame, but something wild to run with.” ― Robert Brault

You keep me safe, I’ll keep you wild.

Be with someone who is a home and an adventure, all at once.

Simple and Sweet Romantic Travel Quotes

They say couples who travel together stay together . Do you agree? These short love quotes are just so pretty and memorable; ideal for pairing with an Instagram photo or using on a card for a traveling couple you know and love!

It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.

“Love cannot be forced, love cannot be coaxed or teased. It comes out of heaven, unasked and unsought.”- Pearl S. Buck

Oh darling, let’s be adventurers.

Let’s travel together and get lost in beautiful places.

“Love is meant to be an adventure.”– Gordon B. Hinckley

Love, travel. Both amazing, incredible together.

“Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.”– Thomas S. Monson

Hold my hand, and I’ll go anywhere with you.

I’d love to travel the world with you by my side.

The best things in life are the people you love, the places you’ve seen, and the memories you’ve made along the way.

The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along. -Rumi

“Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” -Walt Whitman

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.”– Antoine Desaint-Exupery

 “Home is not where you are from, it is where you belong. Some of us travel the whole world to find it. Others, find it in a person.” –Beau Taplin

“I love your feet because they have wandered over the earth and through the wind and water until they brought you to me.”

-Pablo Neruda

What we all want in life: to fall in love, travel, and be happy.

I want to travel the world with two things in my hands, your hand in one and a camera in the other.

And we will travel together and just be in love forever.

Home is wherever I’m with you.

“Love me and the world is mine.” — David Reed

“I’ve learned two things in my life. One that love is the beginning and end of all meaning. And two that it is the same thing whatever shape our souls have taken on this journey. Love is love. Is love.” – Clive Barker

I’m in love with you and with the world.

Where you are is where I want to be.

I wanna travel the world with you, go to every country, every city, take pictures and be happy.

“With our love, we could save the world.”-  George Harrison

Cute & Funny Couple Travel Quotes

Some of the best travel quotes for couples are the humorous ones! These not-so-serious love quotes might just give you a laugh. After all, both travel and romance can be incredibly messy and ridiculous at times.

“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.”-Mark Twain

You’d be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, adventure fell in love with lost” —Mary Oliver

Never go on trips with anyone you do not love. – Ernest Hemingway

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” -John Steinbeck

“When traveling with someone, take large doses of patience and tolerance with your morning coffee.” – Helen Hayes

Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way. – Emma Chase

Travel only with thy  equals or thy betters ; if there are none, travel alone. —The Dhammapada.

We hope you enjoyed this list of love and adventure quotes! Do you have a favorite romantic quote we missed? Share it with us in the comments. Happy traveling together! XOXO

You might also like:

• Why Couples Who Travel Together Have Better Sex
• Couples Travel Quiz – Are you Ready to Travel Together ?
• How to Avoid Fights While Traveling as a Couple
• 50 Inspirational Marriage Quotes
• 77 Powerful Quotes about Trust in a Relationship
• 35 Romantic Valentine’s Day Quotes for Him (for some strictly romantic love quotes)

Amy Hartle   is the author of Do You Love Me? How To Stop Seeking Reassurance in Relationships , a book on reassurance seeking and relationship anxiety. Both her book and this blog are born of personal experience; Amy shares expert relationship advice from the lessons learned during her own 10+ years with her husband, as well as couples travel tips and romantic getaway recommendations, all gleaned while traveling the world together.

33 Beautifully Romantic Travel Quotes for your “Love”

by Jeanine | Feb 11, 2022 | 20 comments

Beautifully Romantic Travel Quotes, just for the one you “Love”

I must admit I love a good quote, if it has a travel connotation well you have me hooked. Furthermore, letting you in on a little secret. I’m an absolute sucker for a beautifully romantic travel quote. Where someone’s words just sing to me & reflect my thoughts and feelings. This is why I put together this list of 35 of my all-time favourite beautifully romantic travel quotes.

There are many instances where travel quotes are somewhat inspirational. Furthermore, there are occasions they can be used as affirmations to your travel hungry soul. Which is what these 33 Beautifully Romantic Travel Quotes for your “Love” are to me.

There are numerous places you can find all sorts of quotes & plenty that are travel related. Though there are only 33 here as they were most significant to me when finding those that were beautifully romantic travel quotes. To find those that can sing to your soul I recommend BrainyQuote or GoodReads . You can do a search for your chosen topic & I am sure you find some.

Travel Quotes just for the one you Love

The first 15 of our beautifully romantic travel quotes are specifically relating to the one you love.

• “Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new, with someone you love.” – Marie Cribaillet

This first one is my song I am filled with so much joy when we are planning trips together. Especially looking for the  things we both love to do.

• “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway

Now I don’t know about you but for me this could be partner, family & friends. For me personally its a must as they are the only ones that would put up with my weirdness. Ha Ha

• “I’m in love with you and the world.” – Anonymous

What a beautifully romantic travel quote, see just sings…the words just say it all.

• “In life, it’s not where you go. It’s who you travel with.” – Charles Schulz
• “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” – William Shakespeare
• “I would like to travel the world with you twice. Once, to see the world. Twice to see the way you see the world.”-Author Unknown
• “Be careful who you make memories with. Those things can last a lifetime.” – Ugo Eze
• “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m going. Are you coming with me?” – Anonymous

I truly believe your travel companions especially those you love can make a trip so full…

To expand if traveling as a couple, family, or group you have each other. Although, even if you are a solo traveller, you meet those companions along your road. They have great capacity to contribute richness to your travels as you do to theirs.

• “I just want to hold your hand and wander the streets with you.” – Anonymous
• “I want to travel the world with two things in my hands: your hand in one and a camera in the other.” – Anonymous

These are so us, we wander the streets of every city we go to hand in hand. Never caring about any comments or wolf whistle & we’ve had a few.

To travel as a couple for us, make our trip more exciting & rewarding. Yes, I know I believe I am an incurable romantic, who knew…

• “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”— John Steinbeck
• “Travel keeps you young and free, even when you’re an old married couple.” – Anonymous

Oh wow are these two so correct, whilst travel does keep you young and free. As soon as you think you are in control the wheels fall off & go rolling down the road at break neck speed…

Though as we add in our article 6 steps to create your perfect itinerary … Number 5. is ‘Just Breathe’.

• “I would gladly live out of a suitcase if it meant I could see the world with you.” – Anonymous
• “When you love someone, you even love them when your luggage is lost.” – Anonymous
• “Take me anywhere; just take me with you.” – Anonymous

The last in this section of our beautifully romantic travel quotes & I do love these. You are probably going to read that again. Though, I can honestly say every quote in our collection I love & chose because of that.

These last three of this section, especially have special meaning.  Where we have stood together waiting for luggage. I am always saying I don’t care where you go ‘just take me’. Finally, I would gladly live out of a suitcase if we were doing it together.

Travel quotes for your Adventure love

The next section of our beautifully romantic travel quotes are for your Adventure love. Now you may ask how does adventure travel & love quotes fit together? I have to ask how does it not? But let e show you.

Here we have 7 that are specifically relating to your adventure love.

• “Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.” – Lewis Carroll

I have to say what girl wouldn’t be happy with a lifetime of adventures, I know I wouldn’t be.

• “I’ve fallen in love with adventures, so I begin to wonder, if that’s why I’ve fallen for you.” – E. Grin
• “Here’s to road trips, red eyes, and a lifetime of adventure together.” – Anonymous

How could anyone deny number 17 doesn’t belong in our beautifully romantic travel quotes… ‘sigh’

I also have to add many of our road trip, red eyes are due to late nights sitting chatting. Though, it may also have a little to do with what’s consumed, whilst chatting. But adventures together are the very best.

• “Oh darling, let’s be adventurers.” – Anonymous

How could anyone refuse an invitation like that I ask… I think this is one that goes into the ‘favourites’ box… It just make me tingly.

• “Find someone who is a home and an adventure all at once.”— Anonymous

Now this one has a fine quality in it, who doesn’t want to find that one person. That has the ability to ignite the adventurer in them, whilst being their home base or lodestone.

• “As soon as I saw you, I knew you would be an adventure of a lifetime.” – Winnie the Pooh

Now who could doubt the Pooh Bear in this, he is obviously a visionary with his sage words of wisdom. But truly have you ever met someone & just thought ‘I would follow them anywhere’ .

• “You’d be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, adventure fell in love with lost.” – Mary Oliver

Travel quotes for your Love Together

These last sections are of our beautifully romantic travel quotes are for your Love Together. In addition to some that just didn’t fit above, but I liked them so they were added.

So 11 left in our set of beautifully romantic travel quotes for your love.

• “The only baggage in this relationship is our suitcases.” – Anonymous

Everytime I read this I smile as it’s true we just don’t have any other baggage, we got new bags…haha.

• “Escape and breathe the air of new places together.” – Anonymous
• “I don’t want to be tied down to someone. I want to be set free with someone.” – Anonymous

We love to just wandering about soaking in whatever atmosphere is surrounding us. Sitting in a café watching the world pass by even for just a moment. It always so freeing to be together & be free to be YOU…

This next one makes it to my favourites list & I seriously couldn’t leave it out. It fits in perfectly with this selection of beautifully romantic travel quotes.

• “Let’s find some beautiful places to get lost together.” – Anonymous

• “A couple who travel together grow together.” – Ahmad Fuadi
• “Long drives feel shorter when they’re done in love.” – Anonymous
• “Here’s to all the places we went. And here’s to all the places we’ll go. And here’s to me, whispering again and again and again and again: I love you.” – John Green

Many can relate to travelling & growing together, learning each others passions for a place or area. I do love 29 I feel it should be in an old film in a smokey bar…

• “Love is the food of life, travel is dessert.” — Anonymous

We do love finding local foods in our travels & it really is the icing on the cake. Being able to explore the globe, trying different foods & seeing all the marvels they have to offer.

• “I have found out there is no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”— Mark Twain
• “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”– Tim Cahill
• “We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Anonymous

It truly is, travelling together for us that makes it the grand bold adventure it is. I had to end with the last as it doesn’t matter if you travael for 1 year or 50yrs. The memories last a lifetime.

I do hope you enjoyed our beautifully romantic travel quotes, as much as I did putting them together. If you have a have a favourite pop it in the comments I would love to hear it. Alternatively you can find us on social meadia, we’d love for you to find us.

20 Comments

Your 30th is my favourite and it couldn’t be more true! Travel is the sweetness of life:). And the 8th would be applied all the time in an ideal world…

I love them all, but yes it is especially sweet that one

Great romantic quotes! I loved “a couple who travels together goes together”. I couldn’t agree more. It opens your eyes to so many new things about your partner when you experience new things together in a different location.

It’s one of my very favourite quotes and I agree it’s very illuminating…ha ha

Great collection of quotes! Looking forward to travel again for sure.

Aren’t we all I can’t wait to get on my first plane overseas…

I am so loving these travel quotes! I just wished my husband will say some of these lines to me. Never too old for romance.

No you aren’t but then never to old to take the lead also… says some to him…

Great quotes, I love reading them and I will keep these in the collection. Thank you for sharing!

You are welcome…I love quotes so will plan more as sometimes life needs a bit of light reading… thank you for reading..

Be careful who you make memories with, those can last a lifetime! WOW! I’m really going to think on that awhile!

Ha Ha…it’s deep but true memories last a lifetime

“Travel keeps you young and free, even when you’re an old married couple.” – love this one!

They are all favourites.. but this one made me think of my grandmother at 67 she was still taking off to Japan with my Grandad…I hope to be travelling well past that …

I’m saving this for our family vacation this fall 😉

ha ha… you can print some out and post them around the place….

“Travel keeps you young and free,” But I’m LAAAAZYYYYYY 😅🤣Haha

Ha Ha … and I’m old but still love travelling… it is freeing you should try it ha ha

These quotes are so inspiring! Who we choose as our travel companion is as important as the destination. I love travelling and I love desserts so the one saying “Love is the food of life, travel is dessert” sounded like home.

It is even when travelling in a group…I love that one also it’s quite fitting I think

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10 Reasons I Love Traveling (and Why You Will, Too)

• August 2, 2023
• 6 minute read

It’s no secret that most people desire to travel much more often than the normal 9-to-5 gives them time for. Traveling is a transformative experience that enriches our lives in countless ways. From discovering new cultures to pushing the limits of our comfort zones, the thrill and adventure of traveling offers an escape from the ordinary.

In this blog post, I’ll share ten compelling reasons why I love traveling, and I’m certain that these reasons will inspire you to embark on your own adventures.

Here are the top 10 reasons I love traveling!

Affiliate links are used in this post. for more about affiliate links, check out my disclaimer policy ..

1 || We get to experience new cultures

This is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of travel. Sadly, it’s lost on many people, especially nowadays, as social media is flooding with people just looking for a good photo or to be able to say they’ve been there. Don’t be that way! Actually immerse yourself in these new cultures and you will absolutely fall in love.

It also teaches you empathy and increases your overall social intelligence. Embracing different cultures broadens your perspectives in unimaginable ways and fosters a deeper sense of appreciation for the diversity our world has to offer. These encounters not only introduce you to new customs and traditions practiced around the world, but also creates lasting memories that will shape your understanding of the world and the people living in it.

• This one is a large reason why I loved my time at Oxford, England . Immersing myself in their way of life for 5 weeks really grew my appreciation for slow travel, whereas before, I was a 100% advocate for fast-paced travel.

2 || It takes us out of our comfort zones

We all have our familiar boundaries that we feel safe in, and once we reach adulthood, and get into a routine, we don’t often stray outside of them. However, living this way leads to remaining stagnant, to getting comfortable and not continuously trying to grow. Stepping outside the bounds of our familiarity is where our personal growth happens. Even if you don’t realize it, we all have more growing to do. It never, never stops!

Travel only enhances, and often speeds up, this growth! It challenges you to face the unknown and forces you to face uncertainty. Perhaps you travel to a country with a language barrier, or head to an adventure capital like New Zealand to bungee jump . Whatever you end up doing, it’s the act of embracing these challenges that ultimately fosters personal growth. This can result in increased resilience, adaptability, and confidence.

3 || Traveling hones planning and organization skills

This is definitely one of my favorite reasons I love traveling! Planning a trip requires meticulous organization and attention to detail. Sure, you could wing it by not creating an itinerary, doing little to no research, and leaving bookings for the day off, but that’s asking for chaos. While you might enjoy the trip, things will inevitably go wrong, and you’ll hit constant bumps along the way.

For me, I plan as much as I possibly can. My guides here on the ErickaRheanne blog (such as my guide to visiting Massachusetts ) are so in-depth to avoid any problems or complications. And so many trips have gone perfectly because of this intensive planning and attention to detail.

From crafting itineraries to booking accommodations, transportation, and activities, traveling sharpens these planning and organizational skills. The ability to research, budget, and prepare for a journey not only ensures the overall travel experience goes as seamlessly as possible but also proves invaluable in terms of our personal and professional lives.

• My continuously growing planning skills are evidenced through my extensive, comprehensive travel guides, such as this one on Alaska .

4 || It teaches us skills applicable in life and career

Building upon what I said earlier, traveling teaches us valuable life knowledge and skills that can help us greatly in other areas of our lives. Traveling teaches you how to improvise, communicate effectively, and adapt to a variety of different situations.

All of these skills are transferable and will continue to benefit you for the rest of your life. This also boosts your confidence and assurance in further ventures you might pursue.

5 || It boosts our happiness and gives us something to look forward to

Anticipation is an extremely powerful emotion. It can literally impact your mental health even in the worst of times. Travel fills our hearts with excitement and joy.

The mere thought of exploring new destinations, indulging in local food, and immersing ourselves in breathtaking landscapes can instantly lift our spirits and add happiness and worth to our lives.

Planning a trip also gives you something to look forward to and keeps your mind off of areas of your life that cause you stress, anger, or sadness. Travel can also be a selfish activity (in a good way!) that forces you to think about yourself and put your desires first even if you’re the type to put everyone else ahead of yourself.

6 || It frees us from the constraints of regular life and allows us to escape reality

Sometimes, the routine of daily life can get monotonous. Or, for some, daily life might not be anything like what they imagined for themselves. Traveling can liberate you from the demands of work and responsibilities by offering a reprieve via escapism.

As you immerse yourself in new surroundings, you’ll experience rejuvenating freedom and return to your daily life with more energy, or perhaps a new outlook.

7 || Traveling opens us up to new friendships and romantic connections

Whether you’re traveling with friends or family, or going solo, visiting new places can open you up to reconnections or new connections. Whether it’s a romantic encounter in a charming city or a meaningful friendship forged during a group tour, these connections can enrich your life in ways you never imagined.

8 || It helps us reflect and get in touch with our feelings and emotions

There’s something about travel that really gets us in touch with our innermost thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, we end up confronting and reflecting on things we didn’t even know were festering deep inside.

Traveling offers us a unique opportunity to disconnect from the hustle of everyday life and reconnect with ourselves in meaningful ways. This times allows us to reflect on ourselves and our life, then reassess how to approach our lives and direct our potential futures when we return.

9 || It lets us experience rare, inspiring moments of awe and adrenaline

One of my absolute favorite feelings from travel is the awe I feel at the truly amazing beauty of some destinations. The feeling is best when it’s completely unexpected.

This occurred when I hiked Arthur’s Seat while I was in Edinburgh, Scotland . I actually was not too thrilled about the idea leading up to it, because I figured it was “just another hill” and what could be so great about the view from up there that I couldn’t get in the United States? Boy, was I wrong! It ended up being my FAVORITE part of my 5 weeks of travel throughout in the United Kingdom .

Any kind of adventure that spikes my adrenaline is also a big reason to love travel. Whether you are standing on the glass of the Skywalk at Grand Canyon West, or bungee jumping in Queenstown, New Zealand, or whitewater rafting in Colorado, adventure awaits you everywhere.

All these experiences can leave you breathless with excitement and wonder, and what better feeling is there than that?

10 || Traveling aids us in personal transformations and allows us to live out our dreams

Ultimately, traveling has a transformative power unlike anything else. It can truly make you more open-minded, adventurous, and fulfilled. The memories you make while traveling will continue to shape who you become, and will give you the additional courage you need to chase after your dreams, and the life you desire.

It can also simply just give you a sense of purpose and renew your vigor for life.

And those are 10 reasons I love traveling and why I think you will, too!

Through travel, you can experience self-discovery while also creating unforgettable memories. These experiences can teach you invaluable skills that encourage growth in your personal and professional life while also increasing your mental health.

There’s so many other reasons I love traveling that I didn’t list here. And if you’re ready to bite the bullet and find your own reasons to love travel, I’ve got tons of information on planning your upcoming travels.

• Ericka Rheanne

Hi! I'm Rheanne, a travel addicted booklover from the midwestern US. So far, I've explored 49 U.S. states (only Hawaii left!), and a few other countries. One of my favorite parts about travel is the planning, but I know it's not for everyone! It can often be overwhelming and stressful. I aim to provide you with as much ready-to-use travel information and trip planning as possible to alleviate some of your worries!

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Why I Love Travelling – a personal story about how travel changed my life

Aug 6, 2022 | Feature | 0 comments

If you’re still wondering why I love travelling so much, then read on for my personal story about how travel changed my life! It’s hard to imagine where it all began because I wasn’t raised to see the world. But once the floodlights switched on and I had a taste of travel, there was no coming back. Travelling has opened my eyes to new cultures and different ways of life and shown me an endless amount of natural beauty. It has changed me as a person for the better and given me experiences that I will never forget.

There are special memories in life, like when I met my wife for the first time, my kids were born, and we bought our first house and truly felt like adults. But for me, some of my most cherished memories are from my travels. I love the adventure and excitement that comes with planning a trip, not knowing what lies ahead but being confident that it will be amazing.

Hey, not that my wedding day over 16 years ago and the day my kids were born don’t top the list; of course, they do. However, there is something about getting away from every day and exploring our big beautiful world.

From the first time I stepped foot on a plane as a young adult, I was hooked. I loved everything about flying; the anticipation of takeoff, the views from above, and finally touching down at a new destination. The sense of freedom and adventure that comes with travel is unlike anything else. And I knew that I wanted more.

So, why do I love travelling? For me, it’s all about the experiences. Each new place I visit presents an opportunity to learn something new, see things from a different perspective and make memories that will last a lifetime. 

Whether watching the sunset over the Himalayas in Nepal, I was hiking the jungle in Borneo or enjoying a coffee in a Bali cafe. While travelling, I will always create memories that I will treasure forever.

The sunrise from Chisapani in Nepal.

Why do I love travelling, and how did it change my life? Let’s go back a bit before I even saw another country outside of Australia. By the end, you’ll understand why I love travelling and how I can’t stop.

Unless a virus takes control of the world, naturally.

I never travelled internationally growing up.

I don’t think I am alone in this because international travel is undoubtedly more convenient in modern times than in my youthful years in the 80s and 90.s. But my family never went on holidays overseas, except for domestic trips to Sydney from Melbourne. That was fine, Sydney was superb, and the memories were strong, especially the beachside area of Manly. Yet, international travel remained a mystery. 

However, going overseas was a pipedream growing up. It all changed when I got my first real job and joined the Australian Army.

My first overseas trip came about a deployment in the Army.

On my first overseas trip, I didn’t even have a passport. I didn’t need one getting deployed to another country with the Army, so that’s always a remarkable fact I like to mention from time to time. How is this for a little fun fact?

Anyway, my deployment was peacekeeping in East Timor, and I was there for just three months. It was a fantastic experience and one that changed my life in so many ways that I am forever grateful for.

However, it wasn’t a holiday. Besides being based in the hills of Bobonaro with fantastic views near the Indonesian Border, there wasn’t a lot of time to be a tourist.

Visiting South Korea is when travelling truly opened my eyes.

Okay, my first real trip overseas with an official passport happened in 2005 when I visited Seoul, South Korea, with my Korean girlfriend. Spoiler alert She became my wife, and we’ve been married 16-plus years now, so happy ending and all that.

But this is where I had what I like to call my ‘travel epiphany’. I hadn’t given travel much thought, but being in Korea and seeing the sights of Seoul, exploring the city region and seeing impressive palaces and temples and so forth was genuinely fantastic. I loved it; I was beginning to get the travel bug.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace must be on your list during your vacation in Seoul.

A travelling Halt as Marriage and Kids took over.

Unfortunately, a trip to South Korea would be the last trip abroad for eight years, that’s right, eight years! Because we got married, had kids and bought a house, the critical stuff required in adulthood. Which is excellent, I love being a husband and father, but the travel itch was still there. I often researched for trips, but timing and financings were not there.

But why do I love travelling? Especially when I barely touched the surface in the travel stratosphere.

It’s hard to explain why I love travelling so much because it is an indescribable feeling whether you travel a lot or not.

But as circumstances changed, kids grew older, and we had a bit more money, we finally started to travel again.

And I haven’t stopped since!

Travel restarted with a trip to Fiji.

Suppose I ever think about why I love travelling. In that case, the paradise islands of Fiji in the Pacific stand out because it was here on the beaches of Fiji that I realized that I wanted to travel more. That I needed to see more places and explore this big wide world we live in.

However, it was not only the stunning beachside resorts and cocktails that helped too; the locals were the kindest people I had ever met. They had this unique way of life and culture that I wanted to learn more about.

If a tiny island country could get me enthusiastic about the rest of the world, I was keen to see what other countries had in store.

I was visiting a boutique island in Fiji.

Then Asia came calling again, and I never looked back.

Fiji got the blood pumping for travel. Therefore it was time to travel more frequently. With Asia being the most affordable place to travel from Australia, it became my haven for a trip.

Over the years following Fiji and before the virus hit the world, which took travel to a halt, I visited terrific destinations.

I return trips to South Korea, expanding further than Seoul and seeing beautiful destinations in Muju, Busan and Jeju. I had several trips to Bali, Malaysia and Thailand. I’ll never forget my tenth wedding Anniversary in Koh Samui, Thailand, where it became the Island of Love.

I became well-travelled in Asia, but what stands out the most was two adventures of different kinds. Firstly, in 2017, was the volunteering experience I had in Vientiane, Laos, where I tried my hand at teaching English to school kids and monks.

The second unbelievable experience was hiking in Nepal, just outside Kathmandu, and seeing the unbelievable Himalayas with my two eyes. It was better than any picture I could see on social media or television.

The continent of Asia is spectacular for many reasons, and I’m excited to see what else is out there in this big wide world. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll conquer Europe or even Africa! And that’s why I love travelling, it changes you as a person, witnessing experiences of different cultures in different destinations.

Happy and smiling from a high vantage point in Koh Samui in Thailand.

My most memorable trips to this date

Hiking in Nepal, volunteering in Laos or having a wedding anniversary in Koh Samui all stands out, but what indeed is the most memorable trip. Well, I can tell you, it’s none of the above.

• Kyoto in Japan – Japan is incredible, and Kyoto is a beautiful city to get lost in for a few days. I saw the best tourist attractions, the Fushimi Inari-Taisha and the Kinkaku-Ji, to only name a few best places to visit in Kyoto. The temples, the food and the culture make this place very special to me.
• South Korea – Whether it’s Seoul, Busan, Jeju, or Gyeongju, there’s an excellent reason I’ve returned to Korea on numerous occasions . It’s a beautiful country with something new, whether the food, the nightlife, or just exploring a new neighbourhood.
• Nusa Lembongan in Indonesia – The beautiful island of Bali, Nusa Lembongan is the perfect place to relax and escape the hustle and bustle of city life. With its turquoise waters, white sand beaches and coral reefs, it’s easy to spend a few days on the island and cherish life and what is around you.

Paradise awaits any traveller on arrival in Nusa Lembongan.

How my love for travel opened my world to travel writing

The love of travel inspired my blog, Fair Dinkum Traveller, which started in 2016. It’s a place where I share my personal travel stories, itineraries and tips to help others explore this big wide world we live in.

I have visited some unique places as a travel writer and influencer through writing. I’ve written about travel destinations, especially my immense love of Asia and my home country in Australia.

I’ve been very fortunate to have articles published in well-known travel publications, giving me more opportunities to quench my thirst for travel.

But why do I write about travel? I want to inspire others to get out there and explore this big wide world we live in. I want others to know that seeing the world is possible, whether you’re from a small town or city.

And that’s why I love travelling, because it changes you as a person, witnessing experiences of different cultures in different destinations.

How did you catch the travel bug? Please let me know in the comments below.

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Love and Travel

Stories of fervor and friendship, hope and heartbreak—all made indelible by the places where they happened—to make you fall even more madly in love with travel.

From Roman Holiday to Eat Play Love, the best travel narratives are so often linked to romance. And what is true in art is also true in life. For Condé Nast Traveler ’s global Love and Travel package—a collaboration between our seven editions around the world—we explored the relationship between the two and unpacked its many forms. It could be the love of a place, as beautifully captured by Booker Prize nominee Elif Shafak on her deep adoration of Istanbul, a city that shaped her life but somewhere she can no longer return. Or the unexpected real life romantic moments that knock you off your feet when traveling to distant locales, like an engagement on Italy’s Stromboli volcano. We even report on growing destination wedding trends, highlighting the top places to say ‘I Do’ for 2022 and beyond as well as providing useful tips for guests flying in for the vows. If nothing more, let this celebration of love on the road inspire your next adventure with the people closest to you. Who knows what magical moment may happen—or who you may meet—along the way.

Rick Steves on the Uncomplicated Romance of Paris

Author Elif Shafak on Her Love Affair With Istanbul

Turning Grief Into a Life on the Road

Poet Ada Limón on Raising a Glass with Old Friends in California Wine Country

For Writer Colm Tóibín, Memories of Travel Are Clearer Than Any Photo

The Best Places to Throw a Destination Wedding, From a French Chateaux to a Puerto Rican Beach Resort

The Best Places to Honeymoon All Year Long

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Editor’s Letter: Travel as an Act of Love

The 10 best places for solo travellers to find love

Feb 4, 2020 • 6 min read

Exploring the world on your own can be exciting. You have the freedom to go where you want, when you want, and no one can tell you otherwise. That said, solo travel can also be challenging, and at times can certainly get lonely. Here are the top 10 most romantic destinations for solo travellers to help connect you with other wanderlust-filled explorers as you travel the world, and maybe even find romance along the way.

Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Amalfi Coast  in Italy is the perfect setting for a romantic adventure. Picture yourself zooming through the Italian countryside on the back of a moped, arms wrapped around a gorgeous local. Imagine indulging in the world’s best pizza, pasta, and gelato beneath the sparkling lights of a terrace overlooking cliffs dotted with colourful towns.

For the solo traveller in search of a bit of romance, base yourself in one of the towns along the coast, perhaps Sorrento or Positano , and take local buses to explore a different town each day. Don’t be afraid to venture away from the tourist sites and head to the public beaches where you can strike up a conversation with a local, and get them to show you some lesser-known destinations.

Veer off the beaten path and take a stroll through residential neighbourhoods: Sant’Agnello, just outside of Sorrento, is a charming option. The most exciting things happen when you wander outside your comfort zone – you never know what you’ll find or who you’ll meet! 

Cuzco, Peru

There are few things more enchanting than the mystery of a remarkable ancient city laden with age-old history and a rich local culture. In Cuzco , Peru , you will find yourself transported backwards through time in one of South America’ s most exotic destinations.

Climb the hilly cobblestone streets of Cuzco to a charming bar and enjoy a traditional pisco sour as you take in panoramic views of the city by night. Book a day tour to nearby Rainbow Mountain for a breathtaking hike through the stunning Peruvian landscape and bond with fellow solo travellers making the trek.

Just a stone’s throw from Cuzco is one of the most incredible sites on earth, Machu Picchu. Located on a lush mountaintop surrounded by clouds, otherworldly Machu Picchu is the perfect destination for solo travellers seeking adventure and romance.

Bali, Indonesia

If your solo travels bring you to Bali , one of Indonesia ’s most popular islands, be prepared for a dreamy experience. Between vibrant rice terraces, gorgeous cliff-side temples, lush rainforests, and fantastic beaches, there are endless opportunities for solo travellers to enjoy a romantic encounter.

If surfing is your thing, head to Canggu to catch some waves with sun-kissed travellers and locals alike. For a more laid back vibe, spend your time in Ubud , a yogi’s paradise, where you will inevitably meet like-minded travellers and maybe even split a nasi goreng or organic acai bowl. Find your lover on the dance floor in Seminyak ’s La Favela nightclub or spend the day drinking Bintang beers at the W Bali hotel’s sultry poolside bar.

Paris, France

Is there a city on earth more romantic than Paris ? From world-class wine to the  Eiffel Tower , it’s no question that the City of Light is one of the world’s most alluring destinations. With infinite features to explore, solo travellers will effortlessly discover romance in Paris.

Meet expats and fellow travellers by signing up for a French language class or attending conversational meetups throughout the city. Experience the culture of Paris on a group tour of the Louvre or attend a wine and cheese tasting event to meet others in a more intimate and relaxed setting. Take a bike tour through this dreamy city or spend the day on a small-group tour of the nearby picturesque Palace of Versailles .

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Among the most stunning cities in South America is sensual Buenos Aires . Renowned throughout the world for its passionate tango, fine wine and world-class beef, this city is an ideal destination for solo travellers looking for love.

A great way to make this massive metropolis a bit smaller is to visit a puerta cerrada  (closed door restaurant) for dinner. Here you will dine in the home of a  porteño  (local) chef alongside other adventurous travellers and members of the city’s expat community. This unique experience is a great way for solo travellers to make friends abroad, and what’s more of an aphrodisiac than an intimate dinner with Argentine Malbec and fascinating company?

Queenstown, New Zealand

There’s no question that a perfect location to fall in love with a stranger is against the gorgeous backdrop of Queenstown , New Zealand . From nearby natural attractions, scenic hikes, and exciting nightlife, you'll never be lacking for ways to meet new people no matter what your interests.

There's no better way to inspire romance than to share an adventure together, and as Queenstown is renowned as the world's adventure capital, a thrilling skydiving or bungee jumping experience might be the push you need to bond with your fellow thrill-seekers.  

Stockholm, Sweden

What’s more romantic than bundling up and strolling through a true Scandanavian winter wonderland? Stockholm is a fantastic city for solo travellers to meet the locals, as Swedes are known for their striking looks and overall friendliness.

If you don’t speak Swedish, not to worry; the majority of the population is well-versed in English, making Stockholm a great destination to try CouchSurfing, a platform to meet locals and stay with them in their homes. Local hosts will often also act as your own personal tour guide and show you the city from their insider perspective.

An undeniably sexy city, solo travellers should head to Miami to experience romance mixed with a bit of Latin flavour. From white sandy beaches to high-end clubs, Miami is the perfect place to get out there and meet new people while travelling solo.

Attend one of the city’s many festivals and events, such as the world-famous Art Basel , the South Beach Wine and Food Fest , or Ultra Music Festival to meet international travellers from every corner of the globe. 

Tel Aviv, Israel

A bustling metropolis in the heart of the Holy Land, Tel Aviv is filled with gorgeous locals, delicious Mediterranean cuisine, and a vibrant nightlife.

Head to the beach and strike up a game of matkot with Israelis you meet at one of the charming beach bars, or visit the bustling Carmel Market in the heart of the city. In a country as compact as Israel , it’s hard to avoid running into the same people time and time again, making Tel Aviv a great destination to link up with other solo travellers and continue your adventure from there.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

In Northern Thailand lies the eclectic city of Chiang Mai , with its traditional Thai markets and ornate temples. This unique destination is one that solo travellers will not want to miss.

Sign up for an early-morning tour and watch the sunrise from a majestic hot air balloon over the expansive countryside. Visit or volunteer at an elephant sanctuary, such as the humane Elephant Nature Park, to get close to these marvellous creatures in a fulfilling and responsible way. In Chiang Mai, you will have the chance to meet like-minded travellers and locals while enjoying once in a lifetime experiences, and what’s more romantic than that? 

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This article was first published Dec 4, 2019 and updated Feb 4, 2020.

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28 Beautiful Travel Words that Describe Wanderlust Perfectly

Describe your travels with these unique and beautiful travel words from different languages around the world.

I love travelling and I love languages, so imagine my excitement when I came across a treasure trove of travel words and wanderlust synonyms that describe how we feel before, during, and after we travel. 

Just like a photo can’t fully capture what it feels like to stand on the edge of a fjord , neither can ‘wanderlust’ fully express how we feel when we crave our next adventure. These travel words are literary gems which have been gathered from languages around the world. From Japanese to Swedish , Latin to Greek , travel brochures of the future will be peppered with travel words like of resfeber , livsnjutare, and coddiwomple .

Wanderlust meaning

As you’ll see in the list below, every language has its own variation of how it explains and defines what wanderlust is. In English, wanderlust means to have a strong desire for or impulse to travel, wander and explore the world.

Learn a language from home

During these times it can be bittersweet to think about travelling when we have to stay at home and practice social distancing, let this list of wanderlust-filled words inspire you to a learn a language from home and prepare yourself for your next trip. Being travel fluent is the best way to enrich your travel experiences.

Without further ado, here are 28 beautiful travel words you should slip into your vocabulary. When you’re done, take and look at this collection of inspirational travel quotes . I’d love to hear which ones are your favourites in the comment section below.

1. Resfeber  (n.)

Origin: Swedish

Definition: The meaning of resfeber refers to the restless race of the traveller’s heart before the journey begins when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together.

It’s that moment just after you buy your plane tickets and excitement and fear floods in all at once, creating a mixture of emotions that make you feel anxious or physically ill.

For more inspiration, don’t miss my guide to cool gifts for language learners and the best travel accessories and travel gadgets here.

2. Sonder (v.)

Origin: Unknown

Definition: The realisation that each passerby is living a life as complex as your own.

The full definition, taken from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows reads:

[Sonder is] the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

I often feel this way when I pass groups of strangers, speaking a language that is completely foreign to me, and realise just how incredibly big the world is. We all have a life that is full of different connections, memories and possibilities. That’s sonder.

The internet suggests this may not be a real word, either way, the concept is beautiful.

3. Solivagant (adj.)

Origin: Latin

Definition: Wandering alone. A solitary adventurer who travels or wanders the globe.

Not all those who wander are lost, but all those who wander alone are definitely solivagants . From the Latin word solivagus , meaning lonely or solitary, solivagant describes anyone who enjoys meandering around new countries, alone, in order to take it all in.

4. Fernweh (n.)

Origin: German

Definition: This German word,means an ache to get away and travel to a distant place, a feeling  even stronger than wanderlust. If wanderlust wasn’t poetic enough for you, allow me to present fernweh , a German word that literally translates to “distance-sickness.”

While someone with wanderlust might sit at home and happily fantasise about all the places they might visit, someone with fernweh would feel a deeper sense of longing, a sort of homesickness but for foreign lands.  For me, it’s wanting to be back in Rome . Fernweh is one of most those beautiful untranslatable words I’ve ever come across.

Carry this beautiful word with you with my Fernweh T-Shirt available in men’s and ladies styles and black or white. Buy it here.

5. Sehnsucht (n.)

Definition: A wistful longing and yearning in the heart for travels past and future.

One author translated it as the “ inconsolable longing in the human heart for we know not what .” Another compared it to “ a longing for a far-off country, but not one which we could identify.”

When you return from travelling and wish you could do it all over again and experience every moment like it was the first.

6. Eleutheromania (n.)

Origin: Greek

Definition: An intense and irresistible desire for freedom.

We all want to be free, and travelling shows us how the freedom in the lives of others that is different from our own. Eleutheromania describes a person who has a strong desire and obsession for freedom.

7. Cockaigne (n.)

Origin: French , Middle French

Definition: An imaginary land of luxury and idleness.

Every destination seem like a wonderland or cockaigne before you set foot there and see it for yourself.

The term c ockaigne ” comes from the Middle French phrase pais de cocaigne, which literally means “the land of plenty.” The word was first popularised in a 13th-century French poem that is known in English as “The Land of Cockaigne.”

8. Quaquaversal (adj.)

Definition: Moving or happening in every direction instantaneously.

This perfectly describes my state when I’m in a new place and want to see and do everything at once.

9. Dérive (n)

Origin: French

Definition: A spontaneous and unplanned journey where the traveller leaves their life behind allows themselves to be guided by the landscape and architecture.

Literally translated as “drift”,  dérive is the idea that even if you drift you will end up on the right path. This could describe life in general, but it also describes small journeys. When you’re wandering through a new city and you just happen to wander on a path that takes you to great discoveries.

10. Ecophobia (n.)

Origin: English

Definition: This word came into English word via Greek and means a fear or dislike of one’s home.

I don’t dislike my home, but recently I can’t stop thinking about going back to Lofoten, Norway.

11. Numinous (adj.)

Definition: A powerful feeling of both fear and fascination, of being in awe and overwhelmed by what is before you.

Originally, this word refers to having a strong religious or spiritual quality; but it can also be used to describe how you feel when you see things that are so beautiful that you realise how wonderful the world is and the small part you play in it.   Hiking Trolltunga was a numinous moment for me.

12. Schwellenangst (n.)

Definition: Fear of crossing a threshold to begin a new chapter.

From s chwelle (“threshold”) and a ngst (“anxiety”), this word explains that feeling you get before deciding to set out on a new journey. Argh! Did I make the right decision?

13. Strikhedonia (n.)

Definition: The pleasure of being able to say “to hell with it”.

Another personal favourite word on this list. Not only is it the joy I feel, but the freedom to be able to say “to hell with it” and book that next trip and embark on your next adventure.

14. Vagary (v.)

Definition: A whimsical or roaming journey.

From Latin, vagārī meaning “ to roam”, is an unpredictable idea, desire or action to travelling without knowing the destination, and not caring.

15. Livsnjutare (n)

Definition: Literally meaning, “enjoyer of life”, this describes a person who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme.

If you’re reading this, that’s probably you!  Need more inspiration?

16. Commuovere (v.)

Origin: Italian

Definition: To stir, to touch, to move to tears.

Just like the euphoric emotions I felt whilst whale watching.

17. Sturmfrei (adj.)

Definition: The freedom of being alone and being able to do what you want.

Literally translating to “stormfree”, this describes the freedom of not being watched by others and being alone in a place where you have the freedom and ability to do what you want.

Another great German word. Travelling solo can be especially rewarding because you have complete control. No compromises, no one else to please. Just you and the big wide world.

18. Saudade (n.)

Origin: Portuguese

Definition: This Portuguese word describes the emotional state of nostalgia and longing for someone or something distant. S audade  was once described as “the love that remains” after someone is gone.

Saudade  is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events that brought excitement and happiness but now triggers the senses and makes one live again.

19. Yūgen (n.)

Origin: Japanese

Definition: A profound and mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe.

An awareness of the Universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and powerful for words.

20. Acatalepsy (n.)

Definition: The impossibility of comprehending the universe.

Henry Miller said “ One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. ” Do we ever really understand the world and what we see on our  travels,  and how they mould us? Sometimes, if at all, it takes time to discover how these things change our lives.

21. Trouvaille (n.)

Definition: A chance encounter with something wonderful.

Whether it’s stumbling across a hidden back street, a quaint cafe, or connecting with a local, trouvaille describes those magical moments we experience in our journeys. 

22. Hygge (n.)

Origin: Danish

Definition: Pronounced hue-guh , hygge describes the warm feeling you get while enjoying the company of great friends and all life has to offer.

Hygge is the conscious appreciation of recognising everything you have and enjoying to the present moment.

23. Onism (n.)

Definition: The world is a big place as not everyone will get to see it. Onism describes understanding that we’ll never get to see it all. It’s the frustration of being stuck in just one body that can only inhabit one place at a time. I felt this way before going to Copenhagen !

Similar to the Swedish word ‘resfeber’, onism describes the feeling of knowing that you’ll never be able to see it all. They say that the more you travel, the harder it gets to stay in one place.

24. Novaturient (adj.)

Definition: A desire to change and alter your life.

This was exactly how I felt when I quit my job and moved to Rome . There was this strong urge that pulled me towards my dream of pursuing a life of speaking Italian and travelling. I knew I  wouldn’t be living my life if I didn’t go.

25. Yoko meshi (n.)

Definition: This untranslatable gem describes the stress of speaking a foreign language .

The Japanese word ‘meshi’ literally means ‘boiled rice’ and ‘yoko’ means ‘horizontal,’ together it means ‘a meal eaten sideways.’ The Japanese have created a beautiful way of describing the unique kind of stress you experience when speaking a foreign language. Furthermore, ‘yoko’ also references the fact that Japanese is normally written vertically, whereas most foreign languages are written horizontally. Clever, right?

Related: 69 Wonderful Japanese Expressions That Will Brighten Your Day

26. Selcouth (adj.)

Origin: Old English

Definition: When everything you see and experience is unfamiliar and strange, yet you find it marvellous anyway.

It’s that feeling you get when you travel to a foreign land and food, culture, customs, or language, is strange and different to everything you’ve experienced before, yet you love it and find it fascinating.

27. Eudaimonia (n.)

Definition: A state of being happy whilst travelling and everything feels great.

That intense excitement and appreciation when you travel and everything feels great. Seeing the Northern Lights was one of the best experiences of my life, a feeling I won’t forget.

28. Coddiwomple (v.)

Origin: English slang

Definition: To travel purposefully towards an unknown destination.

A brilliant word, coddiwomple is when you have a vague idea of your destination within a care for how long it takes to arrive. A great example is when you go hiking, you know you’ll eventually reach the summit, but every part of the trail along the way is just as beautiful.    Like the time I hiked Norway’s Trolltunga.

If you enjoyed these words, then let wordsmiths Stephen King, Mark Twain and the Dalai Lama transport you around the world with these inspirational travel quotes or start using some of the beautiful untranslatable words from other languages.

Want to know more about learning languages? Start here!

• 18 Unexpected Advantages & Health Benefits of Learning A Foreign Language
• The World’s Most Beautiful Untranslatable Words from Around the World: The Ultimate List A-Z
• 13 Ways to Seamlessly Integrate Language Learning into Your Daily Life
• What Type of Language Learner Are You? Your 4-Step Personalised Learning Plan
• 15 Top Language Learning Resources You Should Use
• 7 Reasons Why You Should Go on a Language Holiday
• 11 Life-Changing Reasons Why You Should Learn a Language
• How to Learn Your First Foreign Language in 8 Simple Steps: A Beginner’s Guide
• 42 beautiful Inspirational Quotes for Language Learners
• Language learning tips: 11 Polyglots Reveal The Secrets of Their Success
• Top 10 Best Ways to Learn a Language Better and Faster
• How to Learn Italian Before Your Trip
• Free Travel Phrase Guides
• How a ‘Potato’ improved my French Pronunciation
• How Many Languages are there in the World?
• Hilarious Idiomatic Expressions that Will Brighten Your Day
• 78 FREE Dictionaries to Learn a Language Fast [Free eBook Download]
• 22 KEY Travel Phrases That Will Transform Your Travels [Free Guide]

Over to you!

Which one of these travel words do you identify with the most? What others would you add? Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

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Michele creates language learning guides and courses for travel. What separates her from other instructors is her ability to explain complex grammar in a no-nonsense, straightforward manner using her unique 80/20 method. Get her free guide 9 reasons you’re not fluent…YET & how to fix it! Planning a trip? Learn the local language with her 80/20 method for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant Start learning today!

Italian Cognates & Loanwords: 17 Rules to Expand Your Vocabulary + FREE PDF

124 inspirational travel quotes that’ll make you want to travel in 2022, 12 comments.

Amazing list! One word I’d add is the Dutch word “gezellig” or “gezelligheid” – similarly to hygge, it describes a feeling of warmth/comfort/coziness/quaintness in certain settings or around certain people.

Thank you so much for sharing this Heba. So interesting to learn that Dutch has a similar word :)

This is such a fun article! Love these words and phrases!

Glad to hear it! Thank you so much, Eric :)

So many of these describe me or my feelings about seeing the world. But, if I had to pick one, the one that best describes how I choose my destinations would be “selcouth”. I so want to be a stranger in a strange land. To have my belief that there is no such thing as “normal” affirmed again and again and over again.

What a beautiful word. Thanks for sharing, Janet :)

Thanks Michele what a wonderful list of inspirational words. It nearly made me cry as I realised that I suffer from acute eleutheromania! ha

Thanks Juliana :) I’m so glad you enjoyed this list. Eleutheromania? I know how you feel hehe

Unique list i must say – If you want to add one more word than check this !

In Hindi language (India) traveler called as “Musafir”

thanks Niraj :)

Thanks for sharing this! Really enjoyed it a lot ❤

Thanks Donah, I’m so glad you enjoyed it ;)

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If you don't know where you are , how do you know where you're going?   Find out how well you know Italian grammar today!

WHY DO YOU LOVE TO TRAVEL?

Worldwide thoughts and quotes on the benefits and beauty of travel.

Carolyn Canetti

I polled my friends and family from all over the world on why they love to travel. Here are their responses:

"I think the exposure to new places and new people can be really reviving personally and also eye opening to see how other people live. To see how life functions, whether human or natural life, in other places is really humbling. It's easy to have your status quo at home, but as soon as you're in a new place - all bets are off. You can do anything, and are so willing to try new stuff to push your own boundaries purely because you're in a new place."

"I love to travel because not only is it the ultimate adventure but it also exposes you to new types of people, different ways of living, and opens up your mind. I just like to walk around in beautiful places that resemble the shire from Lord of the Rings while exploring new culinary terrains."

-Matty G "Traveling reminds me that my life isn't the only one I could live and that in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty unimportant to this world we live in. People get so caught up in their daily lives and forget that they can be somewhere or someone else tomorrow if they'd like. There are no limits in the grand scheme of things except the ones we create for ourselves. Traveling helps make sure I don't forget that ."

"Travel puts me out of my comfort zone and inherently breeds challenge . I'm a firm believer that challenge leads to curiosity, maturity and growth."

"I use travel as an escape from daily life. Having future trips already planned brings me joy and gives me something to look forward to. I've never regretted a single trip I've taken ."

"I love to travel for a few reasons. First, you automatically become a naturally curious being . You are a traveler, tourist, backpacker, etc and even the most basic thing on a trip becomes an adventure - like catching a bus between cities. Second, you are hyper aware of your surroundings and appreciate the beauty or intrigue of a new land and culture! Third, when I travel and then return home, I see home in a whole new light . For example when I studied abroad in Buenos Aires and came back to NOLA, I realized there was so much more exploring of my own city that I needed to do and I was excited and motivated to do that, whereas before I was stuck in my daily routine."

"I travel to eat all the foods ."

" I love figuring things out . I love seeing new people."

"When I think about travel, I mostly think about traveling solo. I love it because it displaces you. In a state displacement you experience wonder, discovery, awe, discomfort. If you go with an open mind, you discover things about yourself, about others and about the world you would have not learned otherwise. It opens you up, turns on new lights so you can see and experience the world in a new way- even when you go 'home'. We get so involved in our current environments and lives - the chance to step out and explore and experience elsewhere gives us perspective and often provides new lenses with which we can see and think about who we are , what are doing with our lives and what we care about. The whole experience is filled with all these beautiful and crazy colors and feelings."

"I like the discovery part of it... I like to explore new things, new places, new views, new people, new everything...T here are many ways to explore new things, but traveling is the most satisfactory as it is the most comprehensive way as it encompasses many elements from views to people to foods etc. I also like getting away from the routine, and the daily chores and daily work and daily life and have a kind of a break from reality if you want... On the other hand with all the new crazy security issues, travel is not so "free spirited" anymore, as now one has to keep in mind and be aware and even worry a bit when traveling, when in the past the idea of travel was to get away from worries."

"I like to travel so that I don't have to text anyone for a week."

" It's fun ."

"People. Whether it's hiking a scenic overlook with old friends, or eating flatbread on the side of the road with new friends, you forge a special bond when you're both out of your elements. Every moment is an adventure."

"I love to travel to experience things and places that are completely unknown or different to me."

"Traveling somewhere new is an opportunity to really engage in being lost. You have to pay close attention to figure out what's your place, and how to act, and how to be respectful. You start to question and reflect on your own assumptions and behavior. You have a chance to represent your home , which both makes you consider other people's perspectives and better articulate who it is you want to be putting forth into the world." ​-Ella

"I love to travel for so many reasons. There is nothing like getting off a plane/train/bus and seeing the beauty of a new place for the first time . Sometimes, the outer beauty is overwhelming and I have to stand still and let time stop to try to take it all in at once. Sometimes, the beauty is less about aesthetics and more about that first conversation with a local when I am pleasantly overwhelmed by their openness and rich culture. I love walking several miles each day in a new place and thinking about who has walked there before me. It can be startling to realize that I do not know a single person for miles and miles, but I think that's part of what keeps it exciting. I feel the most 'alive' when I am exploring ."

"I love to travel to get away from the chaos of life, when I come home I've gained more perspective ."

"The world is full of interesting people, beautiful landscapes, incredible food, amazing music, and different cultures, and life is more interesting when you make time to enjoy as much of it as you can! We are lucky enough to have the ability to access all of this relatively easily, it's our responsibility to travel as much as possible and learn from other cultures."

“Because everything unimportant falls away - all the little stresses of New York. And I can just be. And learn. And see. And really truly lose myself in all the new things in a new different place.”

"I like getting out of the every day routine of things - it helps me get perspective on ma lyfe. And I like seeing how other people live and meeting the Matt Goodmans of other countries ."

“I love to travel because there's so much I haven't seen and every time I go somewhere new I learn about people and places I never thought about before and that's pretty neat. You can only see so much in a photo you gotta go live it to experience .”

“I love that a totally new perspective makes me reconsider my priorities and allows me to kind of recenter myself. Also food is delicious and I'm a sucker for taking pictures of things I've never seen.”

“I love moving away from the tourist trail and exploring where the locals eat, drink, dance and live. I find it so much more meaningful to see and immerse myself in that side of a city. It's nice to get away from the Aussie accents, English speakers and cameras, and just wander around and explore, and imagine yourself living there . I love everything about traveling, particularly trying new cuisines. I despise even the thought of eating at a Western fast food restaurant, when you have so many incredible and new foods to try. Even the experiences that are frustrating or difficult at the time, end up being some of the most memorable, and some of the most hilarious stories to share and reminisce about.”

“I love to travel because it excites me and energizes me ! It takes me out of my comfort zone and exposes me to cultures, landscapes and people that I find so inspiring.”

“Mainly to meet, experience, and learn from different people, for those wild unimaginable moments that just fall into place and make you question if your dreaming , for that crazy sensation of not knowing what's next, and overall for self reflection and personal growth.”

“I'd say I love to travel because I don't want to wake up one day when I'm 80 years old and say to myself I wish I had done that .”

"I like the feeling of adventure, like anything could happen ."

“ My first trip to Kenya made me examine and question how I live and what is important . It made (and continues to make) me wonder who is ‘happier’. I see such discrepancies between my life and others, although I live in a nice apartment with all of the ‘things’ I can desire - my life might be lonelier without a small community support system. So which life is ‘better’? This existential question is made sharper to me by traveling to countries whose cultures, customs and socioeconomic levels are different from what I grew up with and still. I also enjoy learning about the history of other cultures, why heritage and values result in suspicion to refugees and foreigners. This is a wake-up to me that not everyone (not most people) embraces diversity in every way . Much as I like to travel, I love to come home though.”

"I love the smells, tastes, sounds, sights and feelings of a place - new or familiar. I think my memories are closely interwoven with the scent of an event or a period of time so being able to catalogue a place by smell helps me remember the feeling of being there. Also food. Hooray for all the food and recipes that have been passed through generations, families and communities . I also love the feeling that I am somewhere removed from my everyday experience. It is exciting and relieving all at the same time. I love that traveling is not just one thing. Traveling can be fun. It can be invigorating, enlightening, powerful, relaxing, overwhelming, emotional or even a struggle.."

"The anticipate of travel is always the first exciting thing for me. The sheer idea of going somewhere far away. It's part coping mechanism, part restlessness, and part soul seeking. I love witnessing the way different people and cultures move through the world - how they interact with each other, love each other, how they make art, how they define community, what they value, what they fight for, and what they believe in spiritually . With every new encounter, you experience a new part of yourself."

“I love to travel because it takes me out of my comfort zone and I am always learning something new about myself and about that place each day I'm there.”

"For me it's meeting new people and learning about their different way of life - culture, traditions, food. And seeing what makes each place so unique ! Love finding a spot with a view that I'll always remember about that specific trip."

"I love the anticipation of a trip. Looking ahead, saving, planning, researching, all make the trip a greater adventure. I love the sense involved in experiences a new place, especially the taste. Every trip is magical and I feel fortunate; free to have wings at this stage in life."

"I can't remember a time when I wasn't dreaming about exploring a far away place. Trying to answer why I love travel is like trying to ask myself why I eat ice cream. I just love it. There's something so magical about getting the chance to live in each new place, surrounded by a new culture of sights, food and people."

"I love to see how other cultures eat and dance! Food and music is the best way to interact with people if you can't speak each other's language, and getting involved is the best way to show your appreciation . I also love challenging my own ideas about other cultures. It's so refreshing (and educating) to experience another side to what we see on TV, in movies and online.”

"I like to travel to understand history and learn how others live across the world. And for the food obviously ."

“I love to travel because I love to learn and meet inspiring people. It's important to educate yourself about different cultures and its pretty sweet to learn new skills (even if you pay for something 'tourists' do). Submitting yourself to the unpredictability of travel gives you experiences, some good others bad, that ultimately contribute to your world knowledge - even if it's only becoming a bit more aware of what is around you . Oh, and its fun learning dirty words in different languages.”

“I love to travel because it takes me outside of my culture and privilege and reminds me of great inequities in our world. Travel inspires me to learn more, think more and to better serve our world community. ”

“I rewatched Midnight In Paris last night. So I ask, 'is the age we are living in a golden age?' Certainly if Trump is president then No. But how would we ever know? The path towards the answer is to travel. Traveling allows you to drink with Hemingway, walk the path of Jesus, and gush over Joni Mitchell. I travel so I can debate and discuss this necessary question."

"My favorite part of traveling is being exposed to food, people, places, and things I've never experienced. To get that feeling of the first time is exciting ."

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• 6 years ago by Claire Trickett

10 reasons to love travel

What does travel mean to you here are just 10 of the many reasons i love to travel….

• Travel Specialist

In today’s tech-obsessed world, social media may well be the perfect platform to showcase the world’s beauty to armchair travellers across the globe, but travel is so much more than just getting that perfect Instagram shot. Travel should be meaningful. It should excite and inspire you, rejuvenate and ground you, educate and challenge you, and most of all, it should humble you.

Travel gives us our greatest stories, our most cherished memories and countless irreplaceable learnings that we can choose to pay forward to others. It teaches us about ourselves and each other, it broadens our horizons and, just like a reset button, it forces us to refocus on what really matters.

Here’s what travel means to me…

For me personally, travel is a way of life. I was born into a travel-obsessed family and had already lived on three different continents by the time I started school, so wanderlust (and an often ridiculed hybrid accent) was inevitable for me. My sister and I are incredibly fortunate to have parents that insisted that travel was the best classroom and, thankfully, our school holidays were spent exploring fascinating places, both near and far.

Upon graduating university (and turning 21), I was given the greatest gift: the gift of travel. Armed with a round-the-world plane ticket and a sense of adventure, I took off on a six-month solo backpacking trip through Europe, Southern Africa and Australia and, without a doubt, it changed the way I saw the world. So, as a self-confessed travel addict, here are the 10 reasons why I love to travel.

1. Travel to leave our world a better place

I have been fortunate to work and travel with &Beyond for more than 13 years now and what inspires me most is our company ethos and unwavering commitment to care for the land, wildlife and people. Travelling with &Beyond has given me the rare privilege to actively take part in so many unforgettable and truly meaningful experiences, such as: witnessing endangered rhino being safely translocated; observing an elephant cow being collared for research and monitoring purposes; helping to relocate a vulnerable nest laid by an enormous and highly endangered sea turtle; spending a night in a traditional Maasai manyatta (homestead); and so much more. &Beyond ’s authentic, experiential travel not only enables travellers to participate, engage and learn, but it also allows them to travel with purpose and to help leave our world a better place.

2. Travel to meet different cultures

Travel exposes us to different cultures and ancient traditions and through these authentic encounters, we learn to embrace and celebrate both our similarities and our differences. Travel teaches us about humanity and gives us an appreciation, understanding and respect for different points of view and ways of life.

3. Travel to learn

Not all classrooms have four walls and travel is the best way to immerse yourself in geography, history, culture, gastronomy, languages, biology … you name it. Travel enriches the mind and educates us far beyond any textbook or travel guide. Not only do curious travellers learn about different landscapes, languages and lifestyles; glean fascinating facts while observing wild animals in their natural habitat; delve into a region’s history and taste the local flavours; but they also learn about themselves (and each other) along the way.

4. Travel to escape reality

We all need to fall off the radar and escape reality every once in a while. Travel allows us to enjoy complete anonymity in new and unexplored territories. It gives us absolute freedom to live in the moment and it allows us to be anyone, to go anywhere and to do anything. The best part of my six-month trip around the world, way back when, was the freedom of being able to just wake up and pick a spot anywhere on the map and find a way to get there. Travel enables us to be spontaneous and seek new experiences.

5. Travel to relax

Our lives are time-starved and technology-driven and, let’s be honest, it’s not often that we actually take the necessary time to de-stress and truly switch off. Travel allows us to escape life’s daily demands, dramas and deadlines and enables us to clear our minds. It encourages us to recharge our batteries and to truly disconnect (from our phones, Wi-Fi, emails, laptops, social media, etc.) in order to reconnect (with ourselves, each other and the natural environment).

6. Travel to explore

Travel takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste and try new things. It constantly challenges us, not only to adapt to and explore new surroundings, but also to engage with different people, to embrace adventures as they come and to share new and meaningful experiences with friends and loved ones. Whether you seek adrenaline and non-stop activity, or unapologetic siestas and ultimate relaxation, travel gives us the opportunity to explore with an open heart and an open mind.

7. Travel for humility

Without a doubt, travel is a crash course in humility. As we cross borders, and oceans, we gain true perspective. We learn to recognise and be grateful for all of the things we take for granted in our own lives, and we also gain an appreciation and respect for how others live. Travel teaches us to be tolerant, flexible and open-minded, and most of all it makes us humble.

8. Travel to eat

One thing you’ll never find on a suggested packing list is a diet. Leave it at home! Just make sure you bring a healthy appetite and a willingness to taste new flavours and sample all of the local delicacies. Remember, mimosas are totally acceptable at breakfast and dessert is always a good idea. Indulge, go back for seconds and exercise when you get home.

9. Travel to be transformed

Don’t just travel for travel’s sake. Travel to seek adventure and feel alive. Take part in authentic experiences that will not only change the way you see the world, but that will also encourage self-reflection, environmental awareness and global action to help protect and conserve our planet.

10. Travel to live out your bucket list dreams

Every traveller’s bucket list is different. Whether you long to watch the sun set over the Taj Majal, snowshoe on the side of an active volcano, witness Africa’s Big Five and the Great Migration, or find your Zen on a yoga retreat in the Himalayas, if you can dream it, you can do it. Travel is the best medicine and long may it continue to take our breath away and turn us all into storytellers (and committed custodians of our precious planet).

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Why I love booking an all-inclusive resort when I travel

The benefits of an all-inclusive vacation.

Going on vacation brings the opportunity to let loose and enjoy. Free from work and hassle, you can do as you please, while taking in new sights and experiences. Or can you?

Even on an excursion, daily costs and tasks can add up, interrupting your time and causing strain. Where should you eat dinner? What attractions should you visit? Will you be able to stay within your budget? Slowly, your trip becomes more of a job than a getaway.

But at an all-inclusive resort, everything’s front and center and part of the price. At exotic locales worldwide, you live in a mini-paradise, where you can truly let go, without researching and planning all day. Let’s take a closer look at these free-spirited destinations.

All-inclusive hotels: Forget about your worries and enjoy the ride

Wouldn’t it be nice to hop off a plane, reach your destination, then experience true freedom? Freedom from additional costs. Freedom from finding restaurants. Freedom from planning experiences. All-inclusive hotels surround you with everything you need so you can create memories without worry.

Included with every stay are all drinks and meals, daily activities, WiFi, service fees and gratuities , fitness facilities, and more. Your mini-bar gets refreshed daily, and complimentary beach towels let you bask in the sun.

But what makes these trips special are the locations, architecture, and views.  Take Hilton’s The Domes Aulūs Elounda Resort, set on Greece’s Mirabello Bay, which brings ocean-side vistas with distant mountains that look out of a movie. The interior and exterior design is clean and modern, providing the perfect environment to recharge. 

If Mexico and the Caribbean are more your style, there are plenty of all-inclusive hotels to choose from, like Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya, with white sand beaches and a remote bay that feels like a private hideaway. Palm trees dot the landscape, and numerous restaurants and bars offer curated menus and elegant settings. Two-story villa-style buildings capture the island spirit, with private balconies that immerse you in the sea breeze.

At every resort, you’ll enjoy culinary delights, with local specialties highlighting the menus. At Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya, visit the Chiringuito Seasalt fusion grill, with a variety of tapas plates to share. Or, at Domes Aulūs Elounda, visit the Meze Means to Share Restaurant, with Greek family-style meze à la carte dishes.

All-inclusive hotels take the hassle out of your vacation. With so much included, you can concentrate on good times from sunrise to sunset, without playing concierge for friends and family. Exotic resorts await — time to start planning your dream trip. 

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Have you ever wondered which corner of the globe boasts the most mesmerizingly blue waters? The answer might just surprise you. In a quest to uncover the world’s bluest waters, CV Villas embarked on a unique study. To find this information, the company scrutinized unedited Google Maps screenshots of 200 beaches worldwide, employing a color dropper tool to unveil the RGB code of each body of water. They then cross-referenced these findings with the RGB code of the world’s bluest shade of blue, YInMn Blue, a hue that was officially declared the bluest shade by Oregon State University in 2016. 

Using a color calculator, CV Villas determined which locations’ waters came closest to the coveted YInMn Blue, thus crowning them as the beaches with the world’s bluest waters. Contrary to the assumption that tropical paradises like the Caribbean or Bora Bora would dominate the rankings, CV Villas’ findings paint a different picture altogether. Nearly all of the destinations on the list are located within Europe, which is a surprising revelation to many.  The world’s bluest water

As I watched footage of the recent Monaco Grand Prix, I let myself dream. Seeing in-car feeds of the world’s finest drivers and machines negotiate the city streets, I wondered — what would it be like in the driver’s seat? Sitting in a carbon monocoque chassis, a space-age hybrid powertrain behind me, the stunning levels of acceleration and grip would be more like flying an F-15 than driving a car. Add in the glitz and glamour of F1’s most notable venue, and it would be a party for the senses.

I imagine many Formula 1 fans share in my fantasy. But becoming an F1 driver is a lifetime pursuit, with few making the grade — only 11 teams and 22 drivers compete for the trophy week after week. Today, the competition’s so tight that less than a second often separates the top ten in qualifying. It’s a thrilling spectacle.

Photo by Abhinaba Basu, licensed under Creative Commons, and made available by Wikimedia Wikimedia

In the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon coast is the king. While it tends to be cool and damp, the landscape more than makes up for the need for boots and an umbrella. Cannon Beach is one of the most charming towns in the region and while it's unlikely to make any world's best beaches lists, the artsy and intimate town has so many attractions you'll want to turn your stopover into a lengthy vacation.

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Flight Attendants Reveal Their 12 Favorite Travel Essentials in Amazon’s Fourth of July Sale

Stock up and travel like the pros this summer with deals on tech, beauty, and more.

Alesandra Dubin is an LA-based lifestyle writer and editor. As a veteran digital journalist, she's covered travel, food, parenting, and more for over 15 years. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, TripSavvy, and countless other online and print outlets. An avid traveler, she often trots the globe with her husband and their twins. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @alicedubin. Alesandra holds a master's degree in journalism with an emphasis on cultural reporting and criticism from NYU, and a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley.

Travel + Leisure / Tyler Roeland

Stressed about packing for summer travel plans that are coming up ASAP? Here’s the good news: You don’t have to wait until Prime Day 2024 to save big on some genius travel essentials for leveling up your packing game. Because right now, you can shop the massive Amazon Fourth of July Sale that includes discounts on some of the best travel essentials, from beauty to tech items (not to mention, there are plenty of exclusive deals for Prime members , too!).

But these aren’t any ordinary travel gadget deals: They’re all top recommendations straight from flight attendants, the undisputed experts when it comes to smart, efficient packing. We asked the pros to share their top picks for go-to travel products that are on sale at Amazon right now, all for under $50, and they did not disappoint. Find must-haves like a compact pill organizer and comfy sandals, as well as travel little luxuries like a facial mist spray and handheld cooling fan.

Formano Air Conditioner Fan

You may be inclined to judge tourists who walk around with handheld fans — but you should also know they’re probably more comfortable than you are out in the heat and humidity. And, even the pros swear by them. Mark Di Carlo , an EWR-based flight attendant, calls a handheld cooling fan a “must-have,” especially while wearing a three-piece suit as a uniform. “[It’s] small enough for my pocket and provides instant relief on those sweltering days,” he says. “It will always accompany me on my layover walks.” 

Jargau 3-in-1 Charging Station

“When I first started as a flight attendant, I had a huge bag of cords,” explains TJ Kizuka , a San Francisco-based flight attendant. Any experienced traveler knows that a bag of jumbled cords is a no-no for efficient packing. So instead, he swapped that system for this much more practical tool, a three-in-one charging station. “I can charge my phone, Apple Watch, and AirPods with one simple device that is so compact it makes packing a breeze,” he says. It also acts as a charging phone stand, perfect if you want to watch a movie while boosting your battery.

Ubeesize Phone Tripod

This lightweight tripod is about the cost of an airport cocktail right now, and it can seriously improve your travel photos. “On my last trip to Tahiti, I went out on my own several times and wanted to up my selfie game with all the amazing sights,” Kizuka says. “This travel tripod is compact and has flexible legs that can grip onto oddly shaped things like signposts and fences so I can get that epic selfie.”

What’s more is that it comes with a Bluetooth remote, so you can set up your shot, get in place, and press the button when you’re ready to say “Cheese!” It’s also easy to rotate so you can capture photos vertically or horizontally.

Termichy Baby Formula Dispenser

This kind of dispenser, which is designed for taking baby formula on the go, is actually a great tool for staying fit while on the road, Kizuka says. He hits the gym on layovers whenever he can and needs a spill-proof and security-friendly way to bring along protein powder and pre-workout powders. “[A] baby formula dispenser is great because it’s compact,” he says. Holding up to 8.8 ounces of powder, this one features a strap so it’s easy to carry, plus it has a lid with a silicone ring to prevent spilling.

FYY Daily Pill Organizer

If you travel with prescription medicines, or even just over-the-counter remedies for everyday travel maladies, a pill organizer is key to keeping everything clean and at the ready when you need it. Jenn Lujan, a Solvang, California-based flight attendant with Alaska Airlines, likes this affordable version. “It can hold numerous pills, but has a slender and light design,” she says. ”I don’t have to refill it very often, although I travel frequently. And it’s a bit more modern and cooler than the versions my grandparents used to use." 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray

This refreshing facial spray with aloe, cucumber, and green tea is hydrating and fragrant for a travel pick-me-up any time — whether during a day in transit or at your destination before heading out the door. “This fine mist moisturizing spray makes me feel so much better after a day full of sun,” says Hannah Bickert , a Southern California-based flight attendant. This deal includes two 4-ounce bottles, so keep that in mind when flying as you’ll either have to move it to smaller spray bottles or put it in your checked bag.

Kedera Denim Jacket

Clothing staples don’t have to be blah or boring: This pearl-emblazoned denim jacket allows you to make a statement while still matching everything in your suitcase. “This fun denim jacket adds something special to even the most basic looks,” Bickert says. It’s definitely worth a spot in your carry-on — and the combination of the cotton blend fabric and oversized fit means that it’s comfy enough to wear on the plane, too.

Burskit Clear Pouch

Clear pouches aren’t just useful for whisking toiletries through TSA checkpoints. They’re also great for easy at-a-glance viewing of all different types of items, from jewelry to — you guessed it — snacks. This clear bag with a tassel zipper pull is emblazoned with glittery letters spelling out “snacks,” but fill it with whatever you need. “You know when your family can never find anything without your help?” Bickert says. “Problem solved.”

Liquid I.V. Hydration Packets

Time and time again, flight attendants have told us they swear by electrolyte packets to help them stay hydrated during their travels because of the dry air in airplane cabins. They’re also great to have on hand for whenever festivities are in order — such as the Fourth of July holiday weekend. “Be sure to get enough to hand out at the barbecue where everyone’s telling themselves they’ll only have one beer,” Bickert says.

Reef Women’s Cushioned Court Sandals

Portland-based flight attendant Shanna Ramos says these comfy, supportive Reef sandals are perfect — and perfectly versatile — for packing. “These are great for walking or the beach or pool. Love the arch, and they don't weigh much,” she says, adding that they’re in her suitcase “at all times.” They’re made of vegan leather and feature a cushioned foam base for ultimate comfort and durability. 

Naicha 16-piece Travel Toiletry Container Set and Bag

Flight attendants know a thing or two about efficient packing as well as TSA requirements. The 16 pouches in this travel toiletry set are all refillable for bringing along those favorite products without having to check a bag — or spend extra for marked-up travel-size products. “I love them because I can take all my favorites when I put them in smaller containers since I only use a carry-on,” Ramos says. This set also includes labels so you can clearly identify what’s inside each tube, as well as a funnel for easy filling and a clear bag to put everything inside.

NeoTech Ice Bag

“Going out to eat on all my layovers is too expensive and not always healthy, so I do a lot of food prep,” Kizuka says. To that end, here’s a trick he learned from a senior flight attendant that makes all the difference: “Ice bags are perfect to keep your food cold and are easy to fill up at our layover hotels,” he says. “They can also be used for first aid in a pinch, and you don’t have to have a freezer full of traditional ice packs when you’re at home.”

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Ask 13: When is the Love's Travel Stop coming to Rutherford County?

by Madison Smith

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — We have a lot of traffic coming through our area with many highways and interstates, one of those being US-74, where a Love's Travel Stop sign has been for years.

The problem? The actual truck stop is not there.

That has News 13 viewer Thomas Robinson asking:

“Wanted to see if WLOS could get more information on the Love's truck stop that’s supposed to be coming to Rutherford County, North Carolina?”

I got in contact with Love’s spokesperson Caitlin Jensen and told tell me that this location at 221 South and US-74 has been in the works since 2022 but has suffered some delays.

The main delay is attributed to the developer waiting for a grant to come through for utility work.

According to Jensen, that funding came through earlier this year and work is moving forward.

I also reached out to Spindale Town Manager G. Scott Webber, who said a bit more about that utility work.

“As for the water and sewer utilities specifically, I can share that we are waiting on a couple of state regulatory approvals (NCDOT & NCDEQ) before we can go to bid but we expect those approvals soon and plan to bid the utility work in the next couple of months," he said.

Love’s spokesperson Jensen says they are in the early stages of development for this project.

As for when the new timeline to open is, they tell me they plan on opening in early 2025.

Also to note, representatives with Love’s say that each location provides 50 – 75 jobs to the community and that this location will come with all of their newest amenities like a dog park and a fresh kitchen.

Find Jensen’s answers in full below:

• How long has this Love’s location in Rutherford been in the works? The Love’s location in Rutherford, North Carolina, has been in the works since 2022.
• Where does it stand now? Early stages of work on this location are now underway.
• What factors have caused this delay? Work on this location was delayed while the developer waited for a grant to come through for utility work. That funding came through earlier this year and now the work is moving forward.
• What is the new timeline? Currently, the Love’s in Rutherford is scheduled to open in early 2025.
• Why did you all choose this location in Rutherford County? Love’s chooses locations on highway corridors that are known to be highly trafficked by our customers and underserved by our current locations. This location at 221 South and US 74 will allow customers to get the services they need while traveling this stretch of the country and get back on the road quickly.
• Will this location offer any new amenities that others do not? Love's is excited to join the Rutherford community, serving customers with clean places and friendly faces. The location will have all the amenities Love’s is known for, including 24-hour access to a clean and safe place purchase gasoline, travel items, today’s latest technologies, fresh food, snacks, restaurant offerings, and more.

Some of the newer amenities featured at locations include dog parks, Love’s Fresh Kitchen – where food is prepared fresh daily in an open-kitchen concept. We have a fuel discount for casual customers through the Love’s Connect app. Gas and auto-diesel customers can get 10 cents off per gallon when they scan their barcode or enter their phone number from the app. Also, with the Love’s Connect app, customers can take advantage of food and drink deals when they stop in, including Love’s Drink Club where every fifth drink is free – as well as exclusive mobile deals.

Additionally, Love’s locations typically add 50 to 75 jobs to the community, depending on store size. In June, Love's announced a new benefit for full- and part-time team members that offers them tuition-free education through Guild.

If you have a question for us e-mail us at [email protected] .

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The stars of ‘Travel Guides’ are hoping for five-star salaries – or they could start looking for better deals!

Nine’s Travel Guides has never been hotter. It’s topping the ratings week after week. And it’s just been nominated for Best Lifestyle Program at this year’s TV WEEK Logie Awards .

But the show’s overwhelming success is quietly the cause of a major headache for the TV network behind the scenes.

While bigwigs are delighted that the popular travel series is thrashing its TV rivals, its surge in popularity has some of the lovable cast members wanting more in return – such as bigger pay cheques!

A PIECE OF THE PIE FOR TRAVEL GUIDES CAST

Since launching in 2017, the series has made household names out of everyday Aussie travel critics like Kevin and Janetta, the Fren family and Doris, Kev and Teng.

But TV insiders reveal that some of the cast are desperately hoping their salaries are increased to better reflect their star power.

While many might assume frequent travel and worldly experiences were enough for the stars, insiders point out that the show only films for a limited amount of time each year. That makes it difficult for the cast to find work outside of it.

In fact, sources suggest that contestants are often forced to negotiate ambassadorships and brand deals to pay their monthly bills.

Indeed, the Fren family are regularly spruiking lucrative partnerships with Jetstar and Travel Money Oz on their social media accounts.

SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME FOR THE CAST

Sources say that with the show’s multiple Logie wins, longstanding popularity and proven ratings track record, some stars are hoping for more money and better perks when cameras start to roll on the next season.

It’s believed that most of the stars signed on to the show in 2017 for a very small fee and now are keen for their contracts to include extended travel time, improved travel expenses and first-class flights.

TV insiders point out that the show has no shortage of people keen to be part of it. However, finding travel guides who have the personality and onscreen presence to really make people laugh is difficult. And the current cast know how to play the part of their “characters” to ensure variation across the guides.

In fact, fans are starting to wonder whether they’re playing things up a little too hard.

“They’re starting to change. So sad,” commented one viewer of the Frens.

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Eye of 'dangerous' Hurricane Beryl approaching Jamaica: Live updates

Hurricane Beryl was just 45 miles south of Jamaica, which was about to feel the power of the Category 4 storm bringing 140-mph winds Wednesday "as the eye of Beryl approaches,'' the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 2 p.m. ET advisory.

The hurricane's outer bands had lashed Jamaica earlier Wednesday after hurtling across warm waters in the Caribbean, forcing millions to brace for a massive storm that devastated the southern Windward Islands earlier this week.

Beryl is forecast to pass over Jamaica as a major hurricane before unloading "devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves," across the Cayman Islands as early as Wednesday night, according to the NHC.

The storm is projected to drench Jamaica with 4 to 8 inches of rain, and 12 inches are forecast in some places, which could cause "life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides," the NHC said. On the coast, storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 6 to 9 feet. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared all of Jamaica a "disaster area" and imposed an islandwide curfew Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Haiti is expected to get 4 to 6 inches of rain Wednesday, triggering flash-flood and mudslide warnings. The Cayman Islands could get up to half a foot of rain through Thursday. Weather officials are also warning about life-threatening surf and rip currents along the southern coasts of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Jamaica.

Forecasters say Beryl will remain a hurricane later this week, when it's projected to pass over the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday and emerge over the Gulf of Mexico.

On Monday, Beryl made landfall in Grenada's Carriacou island as a Category 4 hurricane, ravaging the southern Caribbean Islands, flattening hundreds of buildings and causing the deaths of at least six people. On Monday night, Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. Driven by record hot ocean temperatures, Beryl's rapid strengthening has stunned experts.

Developments:

∎ National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said hurricane-force winds were “just off shore” of the eastern tip of Jamaica at 11:15 a.m. local time. He described the conditions as "extremely dangerous."

∎ The Meteorological Service of Mexico issued a hurricane warning for the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, a popular tourist destination, according to the NHC. Tropical storm warnings were also issued for other parts of the Yucatan Peninsula.

∎ At least four people have died on smaller islands in the eastern Caribbean after Beryl reached Carriacou on Monday, officials said. Heavy rainfall also affected northern Venezuela, where officials reported two deaths.

Hurricane Beryl tracker: See projected path of storm

Will Hurricane Beryl hit Texas?

Portions of South Texas are now within the forecast cone of Hurricane Beryl , which meteorologists say could arrive to the state over the weekend or early Monday.

However, forecasters remain unsure of what Beryl will do and how strong it will be as it approaches the Gulf Coast after hitting Mexico: "High uncertainty remains with both the track and intensity of Beryl," the  National Weather Service said Wednesday.

"From Panama City, Florida to New Orleans, there is a low risk of direct impacts from Beryl, but from about Corpus Christi to Brownsville, Texas, the risk increases significantly due to the potential for Beryl to have more direct impacts,"  AccuWeather  meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. "That southern portion of the Texas coast is the zone we have to really watch."

Coastal threats could begin this weekend, Weather.com warned: "Well ahead of Beryl, onshore winds could lead to increasing surf, rip currents and coastal flooding along parts of the Gulf Coast from eastern Mexico to Texas and western Louisiana beginning as soon as Saturday, and continuing until just after Beryl's final landfall, Weather.com  said. The rip current threat could also even extend farther east along the northern Gulf Coast.

Brennan said Tuesday that "folks in the Texas coast, as we go into the holiday weekend, you're going to want to make sure you check back on the forecast and make sure you're ready for any potential impact. If we were to see tropical storm conditions affect those areas in the far western Gulf of Mexico, it could be during the day Saturday."

– Doyle Rice

Resort manager in Jamaica maintains composure as Hurricane Beryl approaches

The coming hurricane doesn't scare scare Tamar Atkinson, the manager of a small resort in Hanover, a community on Jamaica's northwest coast.

"The way I look at it, I can't stop it," she told USA TODAY. "If the hurricane is going to blow your house down, it's going to blow the house down."

Atkinson, 42, who moved back to Hanover a year ago after she lived in the U.S. for 20 years, already has her sea legs in weathering Jamaica's hurricanes. She remembers facing Hurricane Gilbert, a Category 5, as a little girl – the storm blew the roof off her aunt's house, where she sheltered, but left her mother's house in "perfect condition."

When Hurricane Ivan hit two decades ago, Atkinson sheltered at a nearby school. Once again, the storm blew out the school's windows, but left Atkinson's house untouched.

"I'm not leaving my house, and I'm not going to go crazy like the rest of the people," she said, adding that she's told her guests to "relax their nerve."

Jamaica closes all international airports as Beryl nears island

The Jamaica Tourist Board announced Wednesday that the Sangster, Norman Manley and Ian Fleming international airports were closed as Hurricane Beryl approaches the island.

Jamaica's travel website, VisitJamaica.com, doesn't list a reopening time for the airports and encouraged travelers to contact their travel agents and/or airlines for flight updates. The website also encourages travelers to heed any instructions from their hotel or private accommodation on sheltering.

"We also encourage you to register with your Embassy for country specific guidance and support," the board said on the website.

The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica is open on a limited basis and encouraged Americans to not visit the embassy for shelter and instead seek a government-run shelter. Citizens in Jamaica are encouraged to call the embassy at (876) 702-6486 if they need assistance. 

– Krystal Nurse

Ahead of Hurricane Beryl, Jamaicans prepare their homes

Donae Maye stocked up on water, candles and food earlier this week, before supermarkets across her hometown of Montego Bay, a city on Jamaica's northern Coast, emptied.

"There was no bread, no essentials that you actually need, no candles, very few tin products," she said on Wednesday, after a recent visit to some local grocery stores.

Maye, 27, also prepped her home, where she will shelter with her fiance, her son and his father. "We cleared away any trees that might be blocking any electrical wires and stuff like that that might fall and break the window," she said.

She's confident that her house, which is made of concrete, will stand up to the storm better than many buildings did to Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago. Back then, more structures were made of board, which didn't fare well in the storm, she said. Today, "most structures are built to withstand the winds and the hurricane," she said.

Is Cancun in the path of Hurricane Beryl?

Among the parts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and surrounding areas under hurricane warnings were Cancun and the island of Cozumel, two popular tourist destinations packed with luxury resorts and cruise ship ports.

The hurricane warnings were issued by the Meteorological Service of Mexico as forecasters warned residents and tourists of the projected impact of Hurricane Beryl.

Brennan, the director of the NHC, said in a YouTube livestream on Wednesday that the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, including Cancun, faces 3 to 5 feet of storm surge as well as up to 8 inches of rain.

The record-breaking hurricane is expected to make landfall along the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday night or early Friday, NHC said.

In Jamaica, tourists shelter in hotel ballroom from Hurricane Beryl

Cecilia Garcia and her family initially planned to weather the beginning of the hurricane in the bathroom of their hotel room in Ocho Rios, on Jamaica's northern coastline. "We do have windows in our room, so I think the safest option would probably be to go in our restroom," she said.

Moon Palace Jamaica, where Garcia, 25, is staying with her parents, brother, sister and two kids, told hotel guests to evacuate to a ballroom. When Garcia and her family first visited the shelter, they found it too chaotic. "We ended up back in our room because it was very crowded," she said. "It was very hot in there."

But later on Wednesday morning, as the winds picked up, the family returned to the packed ballroom, where thin cots were arranged in rows, according to a video Garcia shared with USA TODAY.

Garcia and her family's flight back to their home of Houston, Texas, isn't until Saturday – the hurricane will strike at the midpoint of their week-long vacation. Garcia said if they chose to end their stay earlier, they wouldn't get a refund. 

Looking out at skies still partially clear on Wednesday morning, Garcia said the family was keeping calm ahead of the storm. "We're kind of used to bad weather and floods like that in Houston," she said. "But again, it's different when you're not at home, so that's the only scary part."

Where is Hurricane Beryl?

Hurricane Beryl  was 75 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 365 miles east-southeast of the Cayman Islands, moving at a speed of 18 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It’s expected to begin unleashing hurricane conditions across Jamaica around midday before reaching the Cayman Islands Wednesday night or early Thursday, NHC said.

Early Friday, Beryl is expected to move over Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, bringing flash floods with 2 to 6 inches of rain forecast and up to 8 inches possible in some area. Meanwhile, storm surge could raise water levels by 3 to 5 feet, according to NHC.

NHC forecasters said more models are showing Beryl restrengthening as it enters the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. Their official forecast now shows Beryl becoming a hurricane before making landfall along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

While there's still "significant uncertainty" about where exactly the storm will go, experts with AccuWeather warned that the chances of direct impacts along portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast and Texas "are increasing ."

Jamaica braces for Hurricane Beryl

Jamaican officials warned residents to stock up on food, batteries, candles, and drinking water. Residents in flood-prone areas were also advised to prepare for evacuation.

"Secure your critical documents and remove any trees or items that could endanger your property," the Office of the Prime Minister in Jamaica said on X on Tuesday. "Everyone, including those living alone, should take these necessary steps now."

As a precaution, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness said Tuesday night that electricity and water services will likely be shut off "if the storm reaches a serious threshold" to prevent fires and protect equipment.

"Only one hurricane has ever affected Jamaica during July," according to AccuWeather meteorologist Jesse Ferrell. "Category 4 Hurricane Dennis in 2005 did not make landfall but killed one person and caused a lot of damage."

Record-breaking path: Hurricane Beryl tears through the Caribbean

Hurricane Beryl breaks records

Forecasters have projected 2024 to be one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record. Beryl has already surprised forecasters and broken records since it formed, including becoming the earliest Category 4 or 5 storm on record.

Beryl broke the previous record set by Hurricane Emily on July 17, 2005 for the strongest Category 5 hurricane. Beryl rapidly strengthened from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in about 48 hours.

The storm is also the earliest Category 4 or larger storm by more than a week, breaking the record set by Hurricane Dennis, a Category 4 storm on July 8, 2005.

It was fueled by  much warmer than normal  ocean temperatures in the Atlantic and aided in that development by light winds that allowed it to build a strong inner core.

— Jennifer Borresen, Dinah Voyles Pulver and Ramon Padilla

Hurricane Beryl tracker: See projected path of Category 5 storm

Smaller islands hit hard by Beryl

Beryl hit St. Vincent and the Grenadines especially hard, according to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.

"The hurricane has come and gone, and it has left in its wake immense destruction," he said, adding that Union Island had 90% of homes "severely damaged or destroyed."

After making landfall in Grenada's Carriacou Island on Monday, strong winds and high water levels smashed fishing boats in Barbados, downed power lines in Grenada and St. Vincent, and knocked out drinking water in St. Lucia, according to officials.

Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell noted on Tuesday that the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique were significantly impacted by the hurricane. In addition to downed power lines, roads were also remained impassable and fuel stations were destroyed.

"The situation is grim. There is no power. There is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings," Mitchell said.

Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Reuters ; Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida

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My First Trip to Norway, With A.I. as a Guide

Can artificial intelligence devise a bucket-list vacation that checks all the boxes: culture, nature, hotels and transportation? Our reporter put three virtual assistants to the test.

By Ceylan Yeğinsu

The assignment was clear: Test how well artificial intelligence could plan a trip to Norway, a place I’d never been. So I did none of my usual obsessive online research and instead asked three A.I. planners to create a four-day itinerary. None of them, alas, mentioned the saunas or the salmon.

Two assistants were, however, eager to learn more about me in order to tailor their initially generic recommendations, which they had spewed out within seconds. Vacay , a personalized travel planning tool, presented me with a list of questions, while Mindtrip , a new A.I. travel assistant, invited me to take a quiz. (ChatGPT, the third assistant, asked nothing.)

Vacay’s and Mindtrip’s questions were similar: Are you traveling solo? What’s your budget? Do you prefer hotels or Airbnbs? Would you rather explore the great outdoors or pursue a cultural experience?

Eventually, my chat sessions yielded what seemed like well-rounded itineraries, starting with one day in Oslo and moving on to the fjord region. Eventually, I locked down a trip that would combine the assistants’ information and go beyond a predictable list of sites.

This time around, my virtual planners were far more sophisticated than the simple ChatGPT interface I used last year on a trip to Milan. Though it offered more detailed suggestions for Norway, I ended up ditching ChatGPT in the travel-planning stage after it repeatedly crashed.

Vacay’s premium service, which starts at $9.99 per month, included in-depth suggestions and booking links, while Mindtrip, which is currently free, provided photos, Google reviews and maps. During the trip itself, each delivered instantaneous information by text and always asked if more specific details were needed. Sadly, only ChatGPT offered a phone app, whose information I found to be outdated (the $20-per-month premium version is more current).

I’m not alone when it comes to turning to A.I. for help: Around 70 percent of Americans are either using or planning to use A.I. for travel planning, according to a recent survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the personal finance app Moneylion, while 71 percent said using A.I. would most likely be easier than planning trips on one’s own.

I decided to find out for myself in Norway.

A whirlwind day in Oslo

After I landed at Oslo Airport, all three assistants directed me to the Flytoget Airport Express Train , which got me to town in 20 minutes. I was delighted to find my hotel adjacent to the central railway station.

Choosing accommodations had not been easy. I was looking for a midrange boutique hotel, and the A.I. assistants generated many options with little overlap. I went with Hotel Amerikalinjen , Vacay’s recommendation, which it described as “a vibrant and unique boutique hotel in the heart of Oslo.” Its location was the main draw, but overall the hotel exceeded my expectations, blending comfort and style with the 20th-century charm of its building, which once housed the headquarters of the Norwegian America Line shipping company.

For the one-day Oslo itinerary, the assistants were in agreement, packing in the city’s top sights, including the Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Royal Palace , the Nobel Peace Center, Akershus Fortress and the Munch Museum. I shared my location and asked each assistant to restructure the itineraries to start from my hotel. But when I gave in to my own research instincts and pulled up Google Maps, I saw that the order they suggested didn’t make sense, so I plotted my own path.

By the time I got to Frogner Park at midday, I had already covered half of the sights, and after walking past more than 200 sculptures by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, I was happy to sit down and admire his granite monolith of entwined humans.

For lunch, the assistants recommended high-end restaurants in the bustling waterfront neighborhood of Aker Brygge . But I wanted a quick bite in a more relaxed atmosphere, so I ditched A.I. and walked to the end of the promenade, where I stumbled upon the Salmon , a cozy establishment where I started with salmon sashimi that melted in my mouth and finished with a perfectly grilled fillet. How had my assistants not mentioned this place?

Next on my list was the Nobel Peace Center, the Opera House and the Munch Museum. The assistants had not recommended prebooking tickets, but fortunately, I had done so, learning, in the process, that the Peace Center was closed, a crucial bit of information that A.I. did not relay.

It was chilly for mid-June, and as I walked along the harbor promenade toward the Munch Museum, I spotted small floating saunas, which my assistants had not included. I went back to the ChatGPT phone app for recommendations. Even though I was eager to try a floating sauna, where people warmed themselves and then plunged straight into the frigid waters of the Oslofjord, I took ChatGPT’s suggestion and booked the Salt sauna, which is where I headed after spending a few hours at the Munch Museum, with its extensive works by the Norwegian artist and its sweeping views of Oslo’s harbor.

At the Salt cultural complex , a large pyramidal structure on the water, I was relieved that swimsuits were a requirement. In Scandinavia, saunas are usually taken naked , and earlier, I had asked ChatGPT for the etiquette at Salt, but it failed to give me a definitive answer. After sweating it out with around 30 strangers in Salt’s main sauna, I dipped into a cold-water barrel tub and then tried the smaller sauna options, which were hotter and quieter. It was the perfect ending to a long day.

Waterfalls, lush valleys, raging waters

Each of my assistants had different ideas on how to reach the fjord region. ChatGPT suggested taking a seven-hour train ride and then immediately embarking on a two-hour fjord cruise, which sounded exhausting. Mindtrip suggested taking a short flight to Bergen, known as the “gateway to the fjords,” and setting out on a cruise the next day, which was perhaps more efficient, but would also mean missing one of the most scenic train rides in the world. Vacay also recommended a train ride.

After conversing with the assistants, I decided on a shorter train journey (six hours) that would deliver me to Naeroyfjord , a UNESCO World Heritage site with lush valleys and thundering waterfalls. But to figure out the logistics for transport and accommodation, I needed live train timetables, which I found on my own, and information on hotel availability that none of the assistants had.

At this point, I was desperate for human guidance to navigate the region’s expensive and limited accommodations. This is where the pictures and reviews on Mindtrip were useful, helping me to understand that I would be paying premium prices for the spectacular setting of a mediocre hotel.

The train ride from Oslo to Myrdal was breathtaking: rolling hills, mountain villages, fjords, waterfalls. But nothing prepared me for the majestic one-hour Flam railway ride that followed. Vacay had described it as an “engineering marvel” with a breathtakingly steep descent as it passes picturesque villages, dramatic mountains, raging rivers and pounding waterfalls, complete with a dance performance featuring a mythological spirit known as a huldra.

The next morning I boarded a Naeroyfjord cruise, recommended by Vacay, on an electric, 400-person vessel. I was surprised by the serenity of the fjord. Later I learned from a tour guide that I had been lucky to visit when there were no large cruise ships. It was hard to imagine an ocean liner maneuvering through the narrow, windy fjord, but when I asked ChatGPT, it told me 150 to 220 cruise ships squeezed through the fjord each year, a detail that I felt the travel assistants should warn travelers about.

The cruise ended in the village of Gudvangen, where rain made me cancel a hike to a waterfall and instead try my hand at ax-throwing in the Viking Village Njardarheim. The assistants had told me that there were buses that left town every four hours, a time frame that had worked with my original hiking plan, but now I was stuck. Thankfully, I took note of the A.I. disclaimers to check all information and found an alternative shuttle bus.

On my way to Bergen, I decided to stop in the town of Voss, famous for extreme sports like skydiving and spectacular nature. All the A.I.-suggested hotels were booked, but a Google search led me to the lakeside Elva hotel , which had delicious farm-to-table food. I suspect it didn’t make the A.I. shortlist because it was new.

I ended my trip in Bergen, which, despite being Norway’s second-largest city, maintains a small-town charm with its colorful wooden houses and cobblestone streets. With only half a day to explore, I followed Mindtrip’s short itinerary, starting with a hearty lunch of fish and chips at the bustling waterfront fish market and ending with a funicular ride up Mount Floyen for panoramic views of the city and fjords. The A.I. dinner suggestion at the Colonialen was perfect: cozy vibe, live jazz and locally sourced dishes.

The bottom line

None of the A.I. programs were perfect, but they did complement one another, allowing me to streamline my travel decisions.

Overall, Mindtrip — with its polished, dynamic interface that allowed me to cross-check details with maps, links and reviews — was my favorite. While it gave some good recommendations, Mindtrip needed more prompting than Vacay, which offered a wider variety of suggestions in more detail. Unfortunately, Vacay doesn’t save chat history, which I discovered halfway into my planning after closing the website’s tab on my browser.

The biggest drawback was the absence of phone apps for Mindtrip and Vacay, which led me to rely on ChatGPT’s basic A.I. assistant when I needed on-the-spot guidance. Mindtrip, I’ve since learned, is planning to debut an app in September.

Still, there were times when I desperately craved the human touch. Before setting out on a trip, I always contact friends and colleagues for recommendations. This time, as part of the A.I. experiment, I refrained from reaching out to a Norwegian friend until after my trip, only to find out that we had both been in Oslo at the same time.

That’s one element of travel that I doubt A.I. will ever master: serendipity.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Ceylan Yeginsu is a travel reporter for The Times who frequently writes about the cruise industry and Europe, where she is based. More about Ceylan Yeğinsu

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I never travel without this ‘breakthrough’ beauty tool celebrities love.

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Summer vacation season is heating up, and this tiny but mighty skincare tool might be the next best thing to traveling with your own personal dermatologist.

Billed as “the world’s most powerful at-home beauty device,” the FDA-cleared LYMA Laser uses low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to reach the deepest layers of the skin, triggering cell regeneration and addressing redness, pigmentation, scars, blemishes and signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles along the way.

“It’s not like traditional lasers that are used to heat up tissue to stimulate collagen production,” LYMA founder Lucy Goff previously told The Post of the tech.

“It’s not damaging any cells whatsoever. Fundamentally, what you’re doing is switching on more and more cells that naturally died off as part of the aging process.”

Because it’s completely painless and calls for zero downtime, you might assume this buzzy gadget’s all gas — but since its 2022 launch, the LYMA Laser has become a favorite of celebrities and Hollywood facialists like Joanna Czech, who used it to prep her clients for this year’s Met Gala .

Superstar makeup artist Pati Dubroff, who works with A-listers like Margot Robbie and Sofia Richie, has even dubbed it “the breakthrough beauty device of the decade,” raving, “I use it on clients’ skin before makeup and it massively reduces inflammation, erases under-eye bags and gives the face a fabulous glow.”

The only downsides? In addition to being quite the investment at $2,695, this high-tech handheld tool requires a considerable time commitment; LYMA recommends using it for at least 15 minutes per day for 90 days at first, after which you can move into “maintenance mode” and use it two to three times each week.

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I’m still well within that initial 90-day window, which means I need to squeeze in daily sessions with my LYMA Laser.

Fortunately, it’s roughly the size, shape and weight of a small flashlight, making it perfectly portable and easy to slip into any backpack or carry-on when it’s time to travel. (I recently brought mine along for a long weekend in Boston, and used it while unwinding at my hotel with a little Netflix at the end of each day.)

While the brand recommends using the LYMA Oxygen Mist and Glide included in its Starter Kit to prep the skin before use, you can also incorporate the skincare products of your choice. I’ve been subbing in my favorite serum and moisturizer, and they seem to be doing the trick.

Once your complexion’s all lubed up, simply glide the LYMA Laser over your skin in slow, steady movements until you’ve covered the entirety of your face, neck and chest; you can even use it on the backs of your hands and any body scars you’d like to treat.

For any areas of particular concern (stubborn lines, pigmentation, texture, etc.), I like to hold the device in place for three minutes for a more targeted treatment, as recommended by the helpful tutorials on LYMA’s website .

I was initially drawn to the at-home laser in hopes that it might smooth the texture of some residual acne scarring on my cheeks, and while I’ll need to continue my regimen beyond a couple of weeks to see those kinds of results, I’ve already noticed a slight reduction in redness since starting, which is encouraging.

And The Post’s Holly Coley, who’s been using her LYMA for months , tells me she’s obsessed with the tool.

“I started using the LYMA Laser in January and it has been a consistent part of my routine since,” she tells me. “I won’t lie, it’s a time commitment. However, I’ve seen an improvement in my skin’s laxity and texture, which makes the effort worth it for me. I’ve also seen improvement with my neck lines, which is impressive. I love the cordless design and the fact I don’t need to charge it often.”

As with any skincare routine, consistency is key — and I’m excited to continue using the LYMA Laser, no matter where this summer takes me.