This Guy Traveled The World With His Girlfriend & Then Wrote Her This Unbelievably Sweet Letter

This couple traveled the world together, and when they finally returned home, the guy wrote his GF the sweetest letter (which also happened to be the dedication to the book he wrote about their adventures). To say #relationshipgoals would be an understatement. This letter will make you wonder why you’re not traveling the world with your supportive boyfriend, but also remind you that true love and adventure is attainable.

  1. Their story is a reminder that relationships are about compromise. She wanted to travel the world right after college, he wanted to put it off until they both had made advances in their careers. When you know that your love is real, compromising for the relationship comes without a second thought. While it’s important to make sure both people in the relationship are willing to compromise, it is a necessary part of making a relationship work.
  2. Getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing. He was hesitant about traveling the world with his GF for a number of understandable reasons, including money, new careers, and the fear of leaving what is comfortable and known. They ended up making the decision to quit their jobs and travel the world, a choice that was scary but also opened up so many doors to adventures, life lessons, and amazing experiences together.
  3. There will always be reasons to put off risks and dreams. The thing is that usually in life there is no “perfect timing” for things; there will always be reasons not to do something or to wait a little longer. The ideal time to follow your dreams is always going to be right now, immediately, as soon as possible, because even though there may be reasons to wait, like finances or jobs, there will never be a perfect timing for things like that.
  4. A good significant other is encouraging and supportive of your passions, dreams, and goals. He wasn’t sure that he was ready for the risks that came with leaving their comfortable lives behind, but he trusted his GF and knew that her dreams had always been to travel the world together. Her dreams of exploring also became his dreams. When they returned from their adventures, he was writing a book about their experiences, and she encouraged him to keep writing when he doubted himself.
  5. Like most things in life, traveling the world had its ups and downs. I think most people have fantasized about quitting their 9-5 jobs, leaving it all behind and traveling the world. It’s a beautiful, romantic and amazing idea in theory, but the truth is it’s not all sunshine and no rain. Just like relationships, and life in general, traveling wasn’t always the perfect Instagram picture; it was really tiring, draining and difficult at times. However, they figured out how to solve whatever problems came their way, and their relationship became stronger because of it. They knew that through the good and bad of traveling—and the good and bad of life—they wanted to be together.
  6. Being afraid is OK, but don’t let it be an excuse. It’s okay to be scared to make a change, to take a risk, and to follow your dreams, but you need to do it anyway. Being afraid is normal. If you avoid anything that makes you nervous or scared, you’ll miss out on some of the most beautiful and amazing things in life.
  7. Traveling with your significant other is the best way to see if your relationship will last. Traveling with your S.O. is an amazing experience, but it also creates situations that you may not have to face on a day-to-day basis. How does this person react when lost? Is he able to be flexible, or does he freak out when plans change? You get to see a side of this person you may not have been introduced to yet, and that’s important in a longterm relationship.
  8. Life (and love) doesn’t always go according to plan, but sometimes that’s a good thing. You can make tentative plans for life, or for a trip, or for a relationship, but outside variables can always affect and change that. Canceled flights, lost bags, bad weather– the list of things that can affect a travel plan is endless. Plans can be helpful but should be treated more like guidelines, rather than strict rules. You have to be able to adapt and be flexible.
  9. The right relationship shouldn’t mean being tied down, but rather being free together. A lot of times people think a relationship means settling down and the end of freedom, but that really shouldn’t be the case. A relationship should be about adventuring, exploring, challenging each other, learning together and loving each other through it all, and this guy’s letter further emphasizes that point. Your relationship shouldn’t hold you back from doing the things you’ve always dreamed of doing—it should give you the strength, the courage and the companionship to accomplish them.
Kerry is a freelance writer from Boston, Massachusetts who now lives in the Sunshine State with the love of her life and her 15 month old daughter. She writes frequently about her personal experiences (find more of her work on www.followmetogetlost.wordpress.com). She has an Etsy shop with cute items: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FollowMeToGetLostWhen she's not writing, she loves to spend time outside, at the beach, and with her family.