I believe I found the one on a trip to Machu Pichu. No, I did not meet him there, but I believe in all of my heart I found my partner there. Over the years we have been together people ask how did you meet and well, that is a story in itself for another time. We really did have an unprecedented start. Shortly into our spending time together, but not actually dating, he asked me where were my top five places I wanted to go in my life. I rattled them off thinking nothing of it.
One week later he showed up with plane tickets to Peru and said tag you are it. The ultimate game of chicken, no? I paused and said hold that thought. See, I was divorced and raising my daughters alone and we did not have family around; I needed to figure it out. One day later, I said yes. His response was, “well then, I guess we need to go on a real date if we are going to travel alone together so far away in just under two months.” Fast forward to the trip, a challenging one with planes, buses, trains, hiking and more with my only belongings in a backpack.
Why do I say I found my partner in 10 days? Because I did. We only had each other, no filters and spent 10 days in Peru – Machu Pichu, Cusco and Lima. Not only did I still like him upon our return, I realized he was the one. He was able to tolerate me and I was able to roll with the punches and along the way having a life changing experience.
See, when you are challenged, removed from your comforts, nice clothes, makeup and even a hairbrush, no one around, not even TV you are forced to really get to know someone. Without all of the distractions you realize if you can sustain that person with conversation or just enjoy the silence without it being awkward. You learn each other and you decide if you can really spend forever with this person.
To begin a relationship as we did, many would have thought we were doomed from the start; we saw it as getting all the phony stuff out-of-the-way from the start. This began a journey for us that combined our love of travel and adventure with our time in a foreign land. We have had some amazing experiences and met wonderful people along the way, taking time to hear their stories. Our travels have included the World Cup in Brazil, Classical music in Prague, to partying in the Caribbean and all over the U.S. and Canada.
We took a chance. Stay tuned there is so much more to come!
Author : Julie Torres
Email: [email protected]
Author Bio: I am a mom with a full time hospitality career who loves both aspects of her life. Raising daughters has been tough but seeing the young ladies they have become makes it all worth while. I started my career in Orlando and have also worked in New York and Chicago, currently settled in New York City. Having my daughters grow up in Urban environments presented its challenges of course but also presented some of the greatest opportunities. Exposure all walks of life they are well-rounded cultural individuals. I have more years than I want to mention of experience in hotel and resort operations. I have also been fortunate enough to travel to many destinations, this is one of my favorite things. I also try my best to live a healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercise (although I admit the occasional cheat).
Link to social media or website: https://thejourneyofjulie.com/
