My husband, Michael, and I have been together for 34 years. We have lived together, made a family together, created a home and yet we have very different personalities. Michael is outgoing and funny. I tend to be more serious and solitary. But we have, for all these years made a great team. Another area where we are very different is in our approach to travel. I like to plan. For me reading about the places where we are going to go, researching different aspects of the trip and dreaming about what we will see and who we will meet is part of the fun. My husband, on the other hand, is much more spontaneous about travel. He’s a grab and go kind of guy. Since we have been talking about this trip since 2011, I have had plenty of time to plan, plan and plan some more. Now the challenge will be to get Michael to go along with those plans!

I am most comfortable having lodging and transportation solidified before I set foot on the airplane or move on to a new place. I am not a “hop from hostel to hostel” kind of girl. I don’t feel safe if I don’t have the security of knowing what comes next.

But, because I enjoy the reading and planning I can get carried away and rigid. I have in the past, missed opportunities because I have not been willing to alter those plans. It would be sad to go through our trip and realize we had missed out because it wasn’t in the “plan”. I really want to keep my mind open and do things and go places that are not on the agenda. I want us to change-up our day or our travel plans because of tips we get from locals or other travelers. Those adventures may end up being the best ones.

If we are to have a harmonious trip we will have to find that balance between making plans and being spontaneous.