It’s that time of year again; either the admired or dreaded Valentine’s Day.  Valentine’s Day is a celebration of Love.  So in honour of this pseudo-holiday, I present to you the reasons why the Roads of Travel Lead to Love!

Traveling with a Companion – Traveling with a partner can make or break a relationship.  You witness a side of the other person that you don’t get a chance to see in everyday life.  I can recall many less than ideal situations with HubbyHobo in developing countries.  Racing through an airport only to find out we’ve missed our flight and realizing we have no place to sleep; enduring hallucinogenic-like fevers; or simply gaining an understanding that my definition of fun and acceptable activities varies vastly from my partners (I honestly thought HubbyHobo would enjoy waking up on a rickety floating hut in the middle of a Thai Lake on Christmas Day!).  Regardless of the situation, you only have each other and you can either problem solve and work together to rectify  the situation or self implode as a couple.  More often than not, what seems like a crisis situation at the time turns into one of the most laughable stories you share with your friends when you get home. Experiencing the ups and downs of travel together only makes you stronger as a pair.

Who wouldn’t want to wake up here Christmas Day!?

Love for Yourself – It’s hard to be single on Valentine’s Day.  But here’s the good news; just because you don’t have a partner to share your travel experiences with, doesn’t mean you aren’t on the Road to Love.  Part of being open to Love (of any kind) is being able to love yourself first.  If you lack true confidence, self-efficacy, and identity it is difficult to fully open yourself up to another person.  Being a happy and fulfilled person will allow you to give a future relationship opportunity the fair shot it deserves.  I can’t think of a better way to gain an understanding of your morals, values, and personal capabilities than by traveling.  Traveling may not be the direct Road to traditional Love, but it can play an important role in self discovery and loving yourself.

Traveling Solo – No matter your relationship status, traveling alone will Lead to Love.  As stated above, traveling single will help you to grow as a person.  Leaving a loved one behind will also provide you with personal insight about yourself and your partner.  I left HubbyHobo for 100 days.  While it was hard being away from him, I found when I returned we were more in love than ever.  It became obvious how much we enjoyed each other’s company and basic daily companionship.  It also made us realize what each of us brought to the relationship.  Just because you do things separately, does not mean you aren’t working towards a more loving partnership.  HubbyHobo had no desire to travel to Africa but he understood that I did and supported me in that.  If that’s not Love, I don’t know what is!

Super Solo at Vic Falls

Love for Other Cultures – Lastly, the Traveling Road can Lead to the Love of other human beings.  By experiencing different cultures we gain an understanding of how others live or view life.  This opens us up to becoming more loving people in general.  We learn not to categorize people based on race, religion, gender, or money.  People are people.  Traveling allows us to open our hearts to everybody and gain a basic Love for humankind.

This lady was so happy we were in Lewoh to teach she gave us some bananas.  🙂

Who needs flowers and chocolates?! … grab a loved one and hit the road!

Happy Valentine’s Day Hobos.