My Mail-Order Husband
09. Apr, 2009 
15 Comments
Here’s how it works. You travel Central America for a few months, grow weary of street vendor come-ons and a hostel bunk bed for one, then in a fit of desperation you send off the email. Come here, now. And he does.
Who knew all I had to do was ask?
It took some finagling. He had been helping his dad with with the house in Vermont. They didn’t sell it. But they did find a family to rent it. The dogs? Well, in order to travel on short notice, and to have the flexibility we needed, they are staying with the in-laws until July. And my husband? After far too long apart, he has finally joined me in Costa Rica.
Just like ordering a husband online, except less expensive and he doesn’t need a green card. Oh and we’ve already been married for five years. How sweet is that?
So I’ve gotten to share some of my favorite parts of Costa Rica and he’s gotten to work on his surfing.
Besides the obvious benefits of having my spouse with me (like how awesome it is, verses say, not), there are some things I’d either forgotten or didn’t know.
It’s much cheaper to travel as two, if you calculate the per person cost. For the same price as two dorm beds, we get a private room. When you grocery shop for two, the prices for staples (like oil, salt, pepper, spices etc) get split too. Even when we take a shuttle, the price is lower (in some cases) than if I traveled alone.
Traveling with someone is completely different than traveling alone. And that’s not always a good thing. When it’s just me, I have many more adventures (read: get myself into trouble). I also tend to meet more people. I don’t know if we put out the “we’re a couple leave us alone” vibe, but it’s been a lot less social. We still meet people, but if anyone is afraid traveling alone is lonely, I actually find it to be about 10X more social.
I tend to want to travel even slower. I have no idea why this is, but I’m more likely to stay in a place with my husband than if I traveled alone. Perhaps it’s because it’s less boring. If nothing’s happening, I’m perfectly content sitting on the beach and reading a book for a few days, if I have good company. Which, I now do.
I speak Spanish less. This is due to two things. First, my husband doesn’t speak it very well, so when someone comes and chats us up in Spanish, he’s left clueless for the next hour. I try to translate as we go, but it doesn’t always work well. The other thing is that I want him to learn! So if we’re speaking Spanish to get directions or a reservation, I’ll sit back and let him work it out. I could jump in and handle it, but he’ll never learn that way.
I eat more. I had forgotten this! Three meals a day. Right. Not coffee, snack, fruit, something from a street vendor. Those aren’t meals, after all. When you’re traveling solo, what’s the point of making a big meal? And now that he’s back, all I do is cook! Who’s making guacamole from scratch in the kitchen? Me. Who is cooking enough pasta to choke a horse? Me. Who’s made a traditional Tico breakfast, including fried plaintains? Sorry, my man’s gotta eat!
I remember why I do all this. I love traveling, but I really love sharing it with someone. I’d been trying to describe my life here, but as soon as he came, he was amazed. He loves it. I’m like, yeah, I know.
It’s been a good week.
Mmmmm….I LOVE guacamole!! Haha
Chris´s last blog post..House is “staged”…and an offer was made!
Mail order husband, I love it haha.
1002things´s last blog post..The Philosophy of “Just Do What You Want”
Yay! I always say that Jason is like adding salt to my meal. The meal is fabulous without salt, but salt just adds the roundness of flavor, the fullness of body…it’s just better.
Gillian´s last blog post..Laos Itinerary
Awwww, that is sweet! I don’t know how you ever went that long apart!
Congrats on being hitched again! Although traveling as a couple can reduce the number of interactions with other travelers and locals (this can be both a good and bad thing), we do find that we get into more discussions with locals about marriage, family, children and gender roles than when we’re each wandering around on our own.
Enjoy your time exploring together!
Audrey´s last blog post..Guatemalan Pepian: Please Try This at Home
that’s great! some joys are just better when shared…
how long where you traveling alone? is Central America safe for women traveling solo? any specific precautions? might be my next destination…
Adriana´s last blog post..água, escassa água
Glad to hear you’re back together again! Sounds like you’re having a great time.
Tanya´s last blog post..Urban Oasis
I sometimes think I should have gone somewhere (honestly, anywhere – just somewhere) on my own before I got married. Now I don’t much like the idea of travelling husband-less, if there’s a choice, although I may have conferences coming up in places he doesn’t particularly want to come to….
I think what I’m trying to say is that I envy you (a little bit) having the chance to find out these contrasts – and thank you for sharing your experiences
Rachel Cotterill´s last blog post..Unexpected Visitor
Totally agree with Adriana that some joys are better when shared and, like you said, you might not be as social but there are so many others advantages with traveling as a couple.
Erica´s last blog post..Photo of the Week: Panoramic View of Florence
Solo travel is always the best but couple travel has the extra appeal of getting to experience your adventures through someone else’s eyes. I gladly leave my husband at home when I do press trips but when we do our trips together, I remember how much fun we have. I think it takes experiencing solo travel to fully appreciate the magic of sharing your trips.
Fly Girl´s last blog post..Ethical Travel
That’s so funny because I was just on a trip where the first half I was with others, and the last half traveling alone. Same country, totally different experiences. And yes, many of my observations were the same exact as yours. Especially about being more outgoing when you’re alone, even if just that others seem way more likely to talk to one person alone than a group of friends, or a couple. Rambling will stop now. Just should’ve said, “agreed!”
Kim@Galavanting´s last blog post..Galavanting Guide to San Juan, Puerto Rico
Congrats, Christine. It is often better to travel with someone than do it alone. You can send some of that left over pasta to me.
Stevo´s last blog post..Learning your first useful words in Chinese
Thanks for this info, very useful for me
Traveling alone can be a double edged sword. While you have the freedom and adventure to do and go where you want, you also have to deal with the loneliness.
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