Can anyone really tell you exactly when they fell in love?
Sometimes you can point to a specific moment—a first date, a special trip, a life-changing experience. Other times, love sneaks up on you so gradually that one day you realize it has become part of who you are. For us, that’s what happened with travel.
We can’t identify the exact trip, destination, or mile marker where we fell in love with the road. There wasn’t a single moment when we looked at each other and declared, “This is it. This is what we love.” Instead, it happened slowly, one journey at a time. Looking back now, it feels as though travel has always been part of our story.
At first, travel was simply an opportunity to get away from the routines and responsibilities of everyday life. Like most people, we were busy building careers, raising a family, managing schedules, paying bills, and handling all the things that come with adulthood. Life was full, but it was also busy. The road gave us something we didn’t always find at home—peace.
Somewhere between the departure and the destination, the noise of everyday life would begin to fade. The endless to-do lists became less important. The pressures of work seemed farther away. Conversations became longer. Laughter came easier. We found ourselves reconnecting not only with the world around us, but also with each other.
Travel gave us something incredibly valuable: time.
Time to talk without distractions. Time to dream about the future. Time to share experiences instead of simply sharing a calendar. The road became a place where we could slow down and remember what mattered most.
As the years passed, our reasons for traveling evolved. At first, there were specific places we wanted to see. National parks. Historic sites. Beaches. Mountains. Famous landmarks. We built lists of destinations and eagerly crossed them off one by one.
Then something unexpected happened.
The places became less important than the people.
Today, some of our favorite trips aren’t defined by what we saw, but by who we spent time with along the way. Some of those friendships have lasted decades. Others began around a campground fire, over a shared meal, or during a chance encounter on a recent journey. Travel has introduced us to remarkable people and reminded us that the world is filled with kindness, generosity, and connection.
The more we travel, the more we want to travel. That’s not to say we agree on everything. Donna could probably stay on the road forever, waking up each morning in a new place with a new adventure waiting around the corner. Tracey still likes having a home base—a place to return to between journeys. But despite our different perspectives, we share the same love for the experience itself.
The road has become more than a means of getting from one place to another. It has become a teacher, a source of peace, a creator of memories, and a bridge to friendships both old and new. It has shown us beautiful places, introduced us to incredible people, and given us some of our most treasured moments together.
So, how did we fall in love with the road?
We honestly don’t know.
What we do know is that somewhere along the way, the road stopped being something we traveled on and became something we looked forward to. It became part of who we are. And with every new journey, every new friendship, and every mile traveled together, that love continues to grow.