Could Your Relationship Endure a Cross-Country Road Trip?

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on August 27th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

I don't know about you and your partner, but in almost every area, @troypattee and I are total opposites. The good news is that we have a few things in common. We're both writers (check out Troy's writings on Dadventurous.com). We both love to travel. We both love road trips. And, we're both spontaneous. The combination of these commonalities has resulted in a few fabulous, but last-minute road trips in the course of our 13-year marriage.

Most recently, we road tripped across the United States on #TheTroyandJylTrip thanks to our sponsors, Alice.com.

We visited New York (where we talked until the wee hours of the morning with Isabel from Alphamom), Connecticut (where we chitchatted with Kim from Traveling Mom and Barbara Jones of the One2One Network), New Jersey, Pennsylvania (where we checked out the fabulous Crayola Factory and breakfasted with Kim from Crafty Mama of 4), Ohio, Indiana (where we had dinner with the lovely Casey from Moosh in Indy), Missouri (where we stayed with the gracious hostess, Danielle from Extraordinary Mommy), Kansas, Oklahoma (where we enjoyed Amy from Mom Spark's world famous spaghetti), Texas, New Mexico, Colorado (where we barbecued in Aimee from Greeblemonkey's quaint backyard), Nebraska, Wyoming, and back home to Utah.

Since we've been home, many people have asked and commented: "How did you and your husband do on the road trip? I don't know if me and my husband could have handled being in such quarters for that long."

As you are probably well aware, marriage takes work. And I'm not gonna lie to you, our marriage isn't an exception. But, you put me and @troypattee in a car together on the open road and kids and sans kids, we feel as free as birds and somehow, all the pressure and stress fades away and we are like two kids in a candy shop (except in my case, and I'm like a kid in a cheese shop!).

Something about road tripping and getting away from it all, especially on an extended trip, helps us both relax and appreciate life and our relationship a little more. And, something about not planning it and just going makes it all the better.

So, the next time you find that you and your partner and your family have a few free days, throw some clothes in a bag, choose a location, get in the car, press the gas, roll down the windows, let the wind mess up your hair, and have the time of your lives while strengthening your relationship!
Disclosure: Thanks to the fine folks at Alice.com for sponsoring my trip to and from BlogHer.

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.