This Valentine’s Day is going to be a bit unusual for Kenin and myself. This is the first year of our relationship that we will be celebrating without a pet. It’s really difficult to get in the celebratory spirit while still trying to cope with our loss. Since Zoe’s passing last year, we have an almost uncomfortable new found freedom. I find myself daydreaming of far off places as of recently, of long plane rides or trains crossing continents. Over the past three years we traveled mostly by car and took very short trips without Zoe. This year however, once we leave Canada in early April, we have the option of going anywhere. The world has become completely available to us and to be quite honest, it is a bit daunting.

We traveled to India a few years ago and spent five weeks touring around, even attended a wedding. It was glorious. I have this dream of hopping from country to country and staying for weeks or months at a time and just venturing out every single day to explore with my husband by my side. I want to dive head first into different cultures and different sceneries.

Even though our love of travel has managed to strengthen our love for each other, being together 24/7 is not an easy task. I know lots of bloggers out there encourage everyone they see to quit their jobs and just hop on a plane, but this is not for the lighthearted. This kind of travel lifestyle takes a great deal of work and, if you are in a committed relationship, it’s takes so much more effort than just being in one place. Kenin and I work everyday to stay in love and not annoy each other to death.

When you are in such close proximity with another human being for such long periods of time, the good things in your relationship get so much better, but the bad things can get worse. Little things that only bothered you sometimes can creep in and dig under your skin and really set hold.

I want everyone to have the opportunity to travel and travel slow so you get the chance to learn about what places are really like, but deciding to venture out full-time with no home base can definitely test a relationship and push it’s limits. You have to remember to make time for things like candle-lit dinners or snuggling on the sofa.

While celebrating love on Valentine’s Day is a great start, it’s important to keep love alive in your relationship every day. We strive to do this every day and our love continues to stand the test of time. We’ve managed to stay happy with each other through some very extreme circumstances. We started off life in jobs where we hardly ever had time together and worked so much that we rarely saw each other.

Now we live a life where we are together every single day and actually need to work on our communication and relationship more than we used to. Marriage is a full-time job, but when you succeed at it, there is nothing, including the complete availability of world travel, that you can’t face together!

Whether your next trip takes you up in the air or you travel by car or even by train, remember to fill your experiences with your love for each other. If you do this, you will create travel memories that will be unforgettable.

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