OP finds herself with a boyfriend who isn’t much of a traveler but she’s a “wanderluster.” She’s trying to get him interested but it doesn’t appear to be working. A one-long trip every year seems like a lot for him. Might they be able to come to a compromise?
Here's The Gist
Despite being a mother and full-time employee, she has managed to take at least one long trip every year since 2017. However, her 30-year-old boyfriend, who has never left the country, tends to be too timid and a bit of a “what-if” person, making it challenging for her to plan extended travels with him. She had planned a spring break trip to Scotland, her favorite destination, but her boyfriend's fear of long-haul flights and their 11-month-old baby put a damper on her plans.
She's aware that airfare would be the most expensive element of her planned spring break trip to Scotland, but she is quite familiar with the country and knows inexpensive hotels in all the big cities. Since he has never left the country, even on a trip to Glasgow, Scotland he treats going there like it's Romania.
Road Trip to South Carolina Instead
She admits that there is a level of a culture shock going to any new country for the first time, but she picked the easiest one to start with, as it's cheap, and they're going to be with someone who is very familiar with the location. Most importantly, they can do most of the things he likes to do there, and most of them speak the same language he does.
But her BF isn't having it. So instead of going to Scotland, they are driving to Charleston, SC from Upstate NY. What irks her is, instead of taking a long-haul flight (6-7 hours), which he was afraid of doing because of their 11-month-old, he wants to drive there, which will take 17 hours because of all the stops they'll have to make. They're also spending about $730 on car rental.
She is aware that the true expense of a trip to Scotland is double that amount. She really hopes he will learn to trust her enough to just say “GO FOR IT” when she suggests an idea for where they should go. If he's not going to assist in preparations, she would rather that he let her make her own decisions.
She has thought about just going by herself, but she doesn't think that would fly unless he had major notice. They do have an infant, too, and she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving her for a whole week yet. She can't just be like, “Hey, I'm gonna go have a good time in a foreign country, have fun taking care of our fussy baby for a whole week without me.”
Do It Without Him
Some viewers online think that there’s no need to make him do what he would otherwise not do if international travel is not his thing. In their opinion, this is something that should have been sorted out sooner instead of trying to push him into things he doesn't want to do.
The only viable option may be for OP to find opportunities to travel with other people. One user who’s been in a similar situation tells OP to find girlfriends who enjoy traveling because pushing their partner to travel out of their comfort zone is a perfect recipe for a ruined trip.
Move From Familiar To Unfamiliar
All hope might not be lost, as OP might still have a chance of converting him to her side of the aisle, albeit slowly. At least, that’s what some people think. They suggest starting off with a country that he will be comfortable in.
Perhaps, a place with similar culture or language or somewhere not so far even within the US. That way, OP can build up on traveling and help him cope with the changes that travel brings, like culture shock. OP will also need to prioritize safe tourist locations.
This thread inspired this article.
This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth Of Geeks.
Amaka Chukwuma is a freelance content writer with a BA in linguistics. As a result of her insatiable curiosity, she writes in various B2C and B2B niches. Her favorite subject matter, however, is in the financial, health, and technological niches. She has contributed to publications like Buttonwood Tree and FinanceBuzz in the past and currently writes for Wealth of Geeks.