Life with a Traveler

My secret is out. I am a workaholic AND a genealogist. I prefer staying in town, going to libraries, conducting research for a book and finishing projects. My dream is to spend unlimited hours in the Family History Library, cracking tough genealogy puzzles. My dream is to sit by the fire and educate myself with a good genealogical periodical. My dream is to stay home long enough to unpack my suitcase.

Traveling is not second nature to me. I get sea sick. I get air sick. I get car sick. But I do it because I love my husband.

My husband loves to travel. There is no keeping him home. No sitting home curled up by the fire with a good book. No lounging on the deck in the sunshine watching tomatoes ripen on the vine. No grass growing under his feet. Bruce has to travel. It’s in his blood. Why? I’ll bet my bottom dollar that it’s the hunter instinct in him. It’s all about the hunt to find the best deal ever. Every night, Bruce scours the internet, searching websites, comparing prices and packages. He makes charts comparing cruise ships, their length, width, ratio of people to square footage, etc. And then, when he finds the most perfect deal, there is no turning back. Bruce is the ultimate bargain hunter who cannot pass up a good deal.

I’ve been all around the world. I’ve walked among the pyramids in Egypt, cruised the Venetian canals, strolled near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, sailed around Cape Horn, toured the Tower of London and Thailand’s temples. (Lest you think I’m very rich, I need to tell you we are not.  We cut our household budget so we can afford to travel.)  

Though it’s been great to travel around the world, the best trips for me are to sites where my ancestors have lived, searching in cemeteries and dusty courthouses, to walk where my family walked, see the land they saw, stand where they stood, or touch their tombstone. These are very special, reverential moments for me. Each one unique. It touches my heart.

What to do? How can this union survive? We make deals. He lobbies for another cruise and I negotiate for research trips. When we strike a deal, he thinks he got the good part of the bargain. Who am I to complain? I get a cruise AND a research trip out of the deal.

Now, I just need to find the buffet. . . .

How do you merge your genealogy needs with your family’s needs to do other things?