TRAVEL PLANS FOR HUSBAND AND WIVE JOY

Travel plans for a couple means cooperation.

If you are having trouble communicating, take a trip to clear things up.

There’s something special about arguing six thousand mile away from home.

What’re you gonna do? Get along.

I’ve heard tell that men need to agree, just agree, with whatever destination their wife comes up with.

Is that you? It’s me.

Plans for a trip to England started as a lark.

Someone else was making plans and the wife caught the spark.

Me? As long as I’ve got writing time I’m good to go.

Travel plans? When do we leave? Those are my plans, but there’s more to it.

There’s the packing. Socks that dry quickly after washing them in a sink.

Undies that dry quickly after washing them in a sink.

So only take two pair of each for three weeks?

Or pack ten of each and hope for the best.

Shirts? Not the t-shirts that show off your moobs.

Rick Steves has a packing list, and he ought to know something about it.

Besides, travel is not a big sweat day, even for a big sweaty guy.

Wife: If your clothes aren’t dirty, actually showing stains and grime, you can ‘air clean’ them.

If this sounds like something a hippie would say, well . . . she was right.

I wore a heavy knit blue shirt leaving home and it was good for three weeks. Who knew?

The most important part of travel plans for husband and wife joy is the right attitude.

Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing’s going to be alright.

But what if you’re both worriers?

 

Dial Up The Happiness For Being There

If travel plans include tea in the Pump Room, Bath, England, you’d better have reservations or you fight this guy.

Here’s what happened instead:

I asked if we could take a look inside, just a look, and he said yes.

Once inside I spotted the Tea Man, the guy with the reservation book, and told him a quick story.

 

My wife’s parents met in the Pump Room in 1051. She was in college, he was in the Navy after serving through WWII and earlier.

He came to an event with another date, spotted his future wife, took his date home and came back to work things out.

They got married and moved to America but always came back to the Pump Room for anniversaries until they passed.

Is there a chance we could find a table for a moment?

 

The Tea Man listened, looked at his book and said, “Our seatings are on time at 12:00 and 14:00. I can seat you now at 13:00 but we’ll need the table for the second seating.

And that’s how we found ourselves in the front row of tables having tea and cookies near the stage where a man played the grand piano in a grand way.

The room eventually emptied out and we took a good look around, sipped some Roman bath water, and said thank-you.

It was a sweet moment for the old married couple.

 

2

This is Blenheim Palace. Ever heard of it?

Me neither, but:

Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, was designed by John Vanbrugh. The English nation presented the site to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory in 1704 over French and Bavarian troops, a victory which decided the future of the Empire and, in doing so, made him a figure of international importance.

It’s the birthplace of Winston Churchill who lived there until age seven when he was sent to boarding school.

Four of us pulled up to the admission gate and discovered it cost thirty-eight pounds each.

As I was digging out my card I told the man a story:

 

We are from America, from Oregon, which people don’t know about but it’s between California and Canada.

People who do know compare Oregon to England, but only if they’ve never been to Canada which is more English due to the people. 

If Oregon were part of Canada it would be a beautiful English world.

One of us is a Churchill scholar who has waited all his life to be here today.

 

The man listened and gave me four passes without running the card and gave us directions on how to find special parking near the entrance.

What happened? No travel plans could have foretold this moment of travel magic.

 

Be An Upper, Not A Downer, And Follow Rules

Enjoy the uniqueness of England.

Talk to people with a friendly expression on your face.

Not a lot of talk at Piccadilly Circus. No carnival either.

Big Ben wasn’t too friendly, but at least it wasn’t wearing a sheath this time.

SoHo, the center of fun and excitement was just around the corner and up the street.

The happiness was contagious.

Remember, bring your best you when you’re on the road soaking up history and culture.

 

Travel Plans Make For Great Times And Great Memories

Once you’ve turned the far corner for the home stretch things change.

After missteps and mistakes and 900 miles later, it’s all good. All of it.

No harm done, no permanent damage, and a conversation that changed from, “This is the last time, I should have known better,” in the first week, to making future travel plans in the last part of the third week.

Me? I was ecstatic, relieved, overjoyed, silly happy.

We mended fences, weeded a yard, visited with cousins, and it all added up to the best trip.

Wife: Shall we have a last gin and tonic at the hotel bar?

Me: I’ll lead the way.

Then we got on the plane and took a breath.

If you’ve got someone special and want to know more about them?

Take a trip.

Make travel plans, keep them in mind, and do more than count the days until you get back home.

I’ve got a rare partner here, as sassy and sweet as it takes, and ready to go.

That’s the kind of wife who goes long with a good listener and yes, I slowed down in the roundabouts.

Be sure and leave things clean and tidy and everything works out better.

That’s a lesson to learn earlier than later.

Maybe work on it while you do other things.

Ask yourself what makes for a clean and tidy home, a clean and tidy town, state, and country.

Visiting another place and getting away from tourists talking about their recent train rides, boat rides, and dinner plans helps.

Go where locals gather and pay attention when they’re with each other.  That’s who they are.

No book gives you that, no movie or play.

Be a fly on the wall like me, a 6’3″ 235 lb. clean and tidy fly.