The Odd Travelers

While planning an upcoming trip with my mom, I realized that we are two completely different types of travelers. We are planning a trip to Jeju Island which is located off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. My research on the travel arrangements was to look up a nice hotel. I figure once we got there we could just make a list of the places we would like to see. Then we could leisurely go visit them whenever we wanted. No time schedule, no itinerary, and no tour guides. In the event we didn’t want to go anywhere in particular, well spending a day doing nothing and enjoying the beach would be right up my alley of favorites. I like the spontaneity of the adventure. I enjoy not knowing what I may be doing the next day or being flexible so if I suddenly feel like taking a detour, well that’s completely up to my discretion.

My mother on the other hand is not like me. She listened to my proposal with her nose wrinkled and disinterested. Of course she wants to go, she just doesn’t agree with the spontaneous aspect of my itinerary or lack of itinerary. For her, she wants a full detailed list with scheduled times. She wants a tour guide and transportation already included. I'm not sure if this was a development in her personality that occurred before or after the army. I do know that sometimes it is VERY STRESSFUL to travel with her. When things go wrong, I'm pretty chill and go with the flow. She can be neurotic because she needs plans. She needs structure. She craves a schedule and being “on-time”, which is like 2 hours early in her mind.

So for example, a pending trip may be the next day. I have not packed. I can pretty much be guaranteed to not even have my suitcase out. Every time I pack early I forget stuff and no I'm not making a list. So on the fly I pack the next morning and if I forget something, hakuna matata, I will buy another one if it’s that necessary. Meanwhile, she’s been packed for like 2 weeks and has been nagging me for the entire duration which I find stressful. It definitely makes for an interesting dynamic, like the “Odd Couple” television show. Regardless, both of us have a love to travel. Though it may be extremely difficult at times due to our opposite travel personalities, we make it work!

I will be sure to write a blog all about it!