How did you meet and when did you both realize your love for travel?
In 2009 while traveling in the US, Xavier met some people on the road who decided to go to a little Mexican cafe in San Diego where I happened to be working that night. I remember a guy friend from school walked in with large group of guys and sat in another section nearby. Hoping I could get a big tip, I begged the waitress to give me her table, not knowing one of those guys would be a non-English speaking Swiss man and my soon to be soulmate. Thank god for those 10 years of French class- I was the only person to speak his language. Our eyes met, and it was complete magic.
As for our love of travel, I would say it’s always been there. With Xavier then living in Switzerland and me in the U.S, travel defined our relationship as it was the only way to see each other those first few years.
Where was your first destination together and tell us about it?
A year after meeting Xavier and only staying in touch via Facebook messaging, I decided to takes a chance and move to Switzerland to be with him. Literally 2 days after I got there, we decided to take a road trip through Europe. We waited a whole year just to be together, so every minute we spent together on that roadtrip was pure joy and excitement.
How do you share your work on the road? Who does what?
Xavier is a black and white photographer who loves being behind the lens, whereas I love to write and be his muse. I am the active voice on our social media and we are mostly 50/50 when it comes to the creative and business aspect. For Xavier’s black and white, he does everything.
How do you make decisions together for your next destination?
We are both very spontaneous and usually agree on potential destinations, especially if it’s somewhere with warm weather! We do have to compromise sometimes on certain destinations since Xavier is a black and white photographer who loves shooting metropolitan cities, and I’m not much of a city girl. Just recently we arranged for a 7 hour layover in Chicago so Xavier could see the city. Xavier got his shots, and I had an excuse to check into a relaxing day spa.
Have you noticed any changes in the relationship since you started traveling together?
Yes. If anything, our connection for each other has grown deeper. We have experienced some beautiful and sometimes crazy times traveling together that have taught us a lot about one another. When we were in the Netherlands, I got extremely ill one night and needed food but everything in this remote village had closed. Xavier searched over an hour by foot just to find me something to eat. Through experiences like this, our level of appreciation for one another has grown so much.
Living and traveling together 24/7 can sometimes be stressful and relate to moments of disagreements or misunderstandings. How do you cope with these situations?
For the most part, we have always had so much fun together while traveling. But of course there are always times when one of us gets tired or hungry and not very pleasant to be around. After spending enough time on the road with someone, you learn when it’s time to give the other person some space. With me, it’s when I’m hungry. With Xavier, it’s when he is tired or has a headache.
What is the most beautiful moment you have experienced together while traveling?
I had just moved to Switzerland to be with Xavier and the first thing we did was rent a convertible and drive thru Italy and Croatia. We had stopped at one of those freeway gas stations in Italy, and although it wasn’t the most romantic place in the world, it was the first place where Xavier referred to me as his “girlfriend” while we were hugging in the parking lot. This was a huge defining moment in our relationship.
What do you like the most about traveling as a couple?
Everything. It’s an amazing feeling to discover cool places when you have someone by your side. For us as a couple, traveling has been a way for us to keep things fresh and new. We get to experience some wild and crazy moments: some being really romantic, some NOT so romantic. There never is a dull moment that’s for sure.
What do you like least about traveling as a couple?
We spend a lot of time on airplanes, busses, and walking around a lot (sometimes without any sleep!) so it’s not always easy to feel super sexy for the other person 100% of the time. Usually we are too tired to care or notice at this point, so I guess it’s not a bad thing.
How do you keep the relationship spark alive ?
This is really important. We always try to keep it fresh by dedicating some nights to each other with no distractions. This would mean turning off our phones, and just relaxing together with a bubble bath, massage, or something as simple as watching a movie in bed together.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to any couple wanting to travel together ?
Don’t wait until later to travel, because things come up and you may never end up doing it. It’s such a gift to be able to experience beautiful places with the person you love at your side. There will be times when things just aren’t going your way, but as long as you keep an open mind and be patient with each other, you will have the best time ever!
Get to Know the Couple:
Katie & Xavier: @xkflyaway
Xavier: @mi5ter_x
Facebook: fb.com/xkflyawayphoto
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