{Taken on a road trip to the Bay Area about a year ago.}

There is a running joke in our house that all my husband has to do is come home with news of an impending trip and I’m already on my way upstairs to pull out my suitcase. As soon as he offhandedly mentions, “Oh, I might have to go to Singapore”, or “There’s a possibility I’ll need to take a trip to Hong Kong,” my eyes light up, and just as quickly he holds up his hand and says, “Not so fast, crazy lady.” We then banter back and forth about it, him trying to convince me he’ll be too busy working for us to spend any time together, me reminding him I’m a big brave girl who is happy to wander anonymously and alone.

Whatever the potential destination or work schedule, I’ve learned not to get too attached to any of these possibilities; his travel plans change so often that I literally don’t believe we’re going anywhere until we are in the air, and even then it’s up for grabs. He might get a call or another idea, and have to find a way to turn the plane around. Knowing my husband, he would not only convince the pilots to do it, but they’d be thanking him for coming up with such a great idea.

All this time, my husband can’t comprehend what part of my brain thinks it is a good idea to go through the hassles of air travel just to spend time away from home. One of the few trips I grudgingly passed up was to Moscow, and I decided to stay home because his itinerary was as follows:  Fly to Moscow, land, have a meeting the next day, go to dinner, fly home the next day. And I’m not even sure about the dinner part. I’m not certain he was in Moscow for even 24 hours. Because my husband’s goal on any business trip is simple:  To get back home.

So how does a married couple – one of whom loathes travel as much as the other one loves it – get out and about and see the world? We take road trips. Which limits our destination list, but we are blessed to have an entire universe of beauty right here in the state of California. We’ve traveled to San Diego, Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, Ojai, Pine Mountain, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, San Francisco, Mendocino, Sequoia, Yosemite, Big Sur, Monterey, a dozen tiny towns along the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, and as many spots between the Bay Area and the Oregon state line. We’ve done this in a car and on a motorcycle, carting everything from binoculars to bicycles.

Seeing the world is an extraordinary gift that I don’t take for granted. I still think of air travel with the same enthusiasm as a wide-eyed little girl. We can fly! In a plane! And travel to places with camels! And pandas! And coco taxis! I am still enamored by air travel, even with all its countless annoyances. It isn’t easy or altogether pleasant, but it enables me to step out of my comfort zones, routines, and perspectives, and for that I will always be grateful.

But our road trips create their own special kind of magic. All we have to do is throw our bags in the car and we’re off – just the two of us with a road map, some snacks, and plenty of good music. No boarding pass, no security clearance, no worries about whether or not we’ll get in the car in time to stow our luggage in an overhead compartment.  All that’s required is to pick a spot on the map, fill the tank with gas, and hit the road.

I’d love to know ~ what was one of your favorite road trips?

Christine Mason Miller is a writer and artist whose dream destination is the Seychelles Islands off of the east coast of Africa. She has no immediate travel plans, much to the delight of her husband.