Q&A with Scott and Maria

Q: Do you collect anything while traveling? Shot glasses, postcards, stamps, etc.?

A:

(Maria) I used to collect passport stamps, but they are increasingly difficult to get. Otherwise, no, we don’t really collect while traveling. We do take a lot of photos to help us remember.

Q: What are some lessons you’ve learned while traveling?

A:

(S) People live where you’re traveling. It’s cool to meet them and learn from them, but it’s important to respect them.

(M) I always try to be a good steward of where we’re visiting. If we’re on a beach, I always make it a point to walk along and pick up trash.

Q: When did you decide that mainstream travel wasn’t for you?

A:

(M) My mother is from England, so growing up I spent a lot of time in Europe. I didn’t even realize I was “traveling,” because as a child, it was very much just visiting family when my friends were back home at the pool. But my perspective evolved as I got older.

(S) I traveled to East Yorkshire with Maria when we were newly married, and it felt so cool to me to be in a place where I got to soak in the local people, pubs, and culture. It may not have been “travel” to Maria at that time, but I was a young Marine from North Carolina who’d never traveled before except for boot camp. Now, we try to emulate that homeaway model of travel with our kids.

Q: Who does the planning and what does that look like?

A:

(M) I like to revisit places we’ve been—

(S) And I like to go new places—

(M) So there’s always a bit of negotiation. I like to do the imagination part—I like to imagine myself in a specific AirBnB, cafe, pub, etc. and then Scott takes that information and does a lot of the planning.

(S) We also consider the flights, time it takes to travel, how much time we have off, and that guides our decisions as well. It also helps to view the traveling part as part of the vacationing—how can we make the slog of flights and layovers and waiting a part of the overall experience?