Opposites do attract. As someone who lived overseas for 5 years and traveled to 12 countries, I NEED to get out of town to refresh and energize. My husband Sam would prefer to putter around our gardens, spend time with our 5 dogs and enjoy having all the comforts of home.
It took great efforts to get through the first three years of marriage and vacationing. I dreaded the days leading up to our trips. Sam was impossible to live with until we left on vacation. Then, the return day would be even worse because we couldn’t get home fast enough for him.
Over the years, I have learned how to adapt and provide the support Sam needs for both of us to have an enjoyable experience together. Here’s a few tips for you to get your “homebody” on the road:
- Take an extra day off prior to leaving on the trip. This provides time to adapt and prepare to leave home. It gives a gap between work and leaving.
- Consider returning to the same area of the country for several vacations in a row. Suddenly your “homebody” has discovered a new home. You’ll enjoy repeating some favorite activities. For us this became the Oregon Coast: the farmer’s market in Florence, buying fudge at Sea Lion Caves (we even mail order their fudge it is so amazing), lunch at The Blue Heron and of course the ice cream at Tillamook! On each trip you will find that together you’ll stretch your wings finding new places to discover while enjoying the comfort of the familiar.
- Finish off your trip by giving yourself one day at home before returning to work. Chores that the “homebody” MUST get done before returning to work can be done leisurely and enjoy that smooth transition from vacation to home to work.
These methods have drastically improved our vacationing time and our marriage. Give them a try. AND if anyone knows where we could travel and stay with our 5 dogs I may even get a second vacation out of Sam this year!
-Tiffany, Streamline Trainer