I go on vacation with my mom and my daughter. Leaving my husband behind strengthens our relationship.
- My husband and I both work from home and see each other all the time.
- Traveling without him allows us to explore ourselves and our needs.
In November 2021 I spent an amazing month in Florence with my then-3-year-old daughter and my mom. It was incredible. We went to museums and art galleries, ate our fill of gelato and pizza, and enjoyed wandering around, exploring on our terms, without any schedule or need to answer to anyone. While I vacationed, my husband stayed at home by himself.
My husband and I both work from home, and our daughter doesn't go to school yet. So we're full-time stay-at-home parents who also run businesses from our home offices. Because of this, we're together all the time — literally. We also live in the countryside, which can be somewhat lonely but works for us since we like having space and privacy. During the pandemic we were constantly inside with no escape.
I wanted to get out for a break — from home life, from work, and from the everyday.
My husband doesn't enjoy traveling
My husband isn't the biggest fan of traveling — at least not the kind I like, for the amount of time I like. I love to go away for a month to immerse myself in wherever I'm going; I find that this gives me and my daughter time to settle in and make the most of our time away. My husband enjoys being at home in the country and working, taking care of our dogs, and feeling at peace.
This gives us an opportunity to be how we each see fit. For a month I don't have to check in with my husband to see if he wants to go out for dinner, if my Zoom meeting will interfere with his schedule, or if my typing in the middle of the night when I can't sleep disturbs him. Likewise, my husband can enjoy his time on his own terms without always needing to answer to me.
It works for us because our marriage is strong
Some people might think it's strange that I go away without my husband. But we do sometimes go on vacation for long weekends, usually to the beach or a resort, where we each get a break and everything is taken care of. We like those types of shorter vacations.
My vacations away with my daughter and my mom work because our marriage is stable and based on love, respect, and trust. We love each other more than anything, but these vacations give us a nice break. We also speak every day when we're away from each other, most of the time via video, so we can connect.
Plus, spending time apart makes us appreciate each other even more. When we're reunited as a family, we're so happy — we've enjoyed our time apart, but it's as though we were never separated.