I started traveling significantly in mid-1998. I had quit my job and begun consulting so I could keep working while in grad school full-time. My now-husband & I went on our first date in January 2000 -- I remember I had just returned from yet another glamorous week in Hollywood and wanted to tell him all about it. He thought "I'm from L.A.! Why is he telling me this?!" We made it to the second date anyway.

After six months of getting increasingly serious, we then lived apart for a year and a half. We never would be together today if we hadn't both been enthusiastic frequent flyers. We saw each other every other weekend, sometimes at my place in DCA, sometimes at his in FNT (!), and often in third cities where I could arrange clients and he would go for work. It wasn't bad for him to fly NW and me US since we were usually coming from or going to different places anyway. Our first big trip together was Spain at Christmas 2000 in US Envoy. He was too young to drive the rental car! How long ago that seems -- he has a Ph.D. now.

Since then, traveling has sustained us. During the couple of years when he was researching and writing his dissertation, I would insist we take trips just to get away. The most ridiculous was JFK-LH-FRA-LH-SIN-SQ-AKL in LH F & SQ C, booked because he told me he had enjoyed reading some academic article about public policy in New Zealand. Sometimes on these trips he would feel guilty -- like he should be working on his dissertation at every moment -- but like pizza, even when it's bad, international First is pretty good.

The thing we love to do most together is travel. We both have busy lives, crazy families, volunteer commitments, great friends, fulfilling work... but when we're in the air, we're free. We get to remember how much we like each other... how much we like just being together. To celebrate my 40th birthday next month, we're going SYR-CLE-LAX-BKK-USM on purchased 150% CO EQM B-fare TG tix and *A upgrades.

I can't wait.

xoxo,
David