When Solo Travel Turns into Couple Travel: World, Meet My Boyfriend!

I used to travel alone. In fact, I spent the first year and a half of my time living in Europe only traveling alone. Christmas alone in Brussels, New Year’s Eve alone in Amsterdam, island hopping alone in Italy…and I liked it that way. It’s not that I like being alone, nor that I don’t like my friends. I love them! I just found that when I traveled alone, I was more open to adventure, meeting new people and soaking in my surroundings; I met countless new friends on the road, from locals to other travelers alike. I tried the food that I wanted to try. I got into international mischief that only I could appreciate and get myself out of…

Until I met Casey.

That’s right. I’m not referring to myself in third person. I have a boyfriend and his name is also Casey.

Recently, I’ve been receiving multiple emails and comments asking “so why didn’t you find a Spanish boyfriend in Spain????” So, I thought it was time I spill the beans.

That’s right! I’ll say it loud and say it proud! Now, you’re probably wondering, who the heck is this guy??? And how’d you meet? And does he actually have the same name as you? All good questions!

Well, sit down with a box of chocolate. It’s quite the love story:

A Cali guy from San Francisco, he moved to Spain to master Flamenco guitar. He had been noticing me for a while, so one day he decides to take a white horse from el campo and ride it all the way to my apartment in Madrid, playing the sultry Flamenco guitar with a rose in his mouth, serenading me to be his girlfriend. Then, we rode off into the sunset.

Just Kidding. But some of that is true.

He is from San Francisco (well, Berkeley), and he did move to Spain to master Flamenco guitar. And his idol is the Spanish guitar legend Paco de Lucía. But there was no horse…

Here’s what really went down. We met my very first weekend in Spain, at the orientation for the Auxiliares program in Cáceres (Extremadura). He was teaching in the city of Cáceres, and I was teaching 3 hours away in tiny little Fregenal. We hit it off and exchanged numbers. Occasionally he’d check up on me with a text, asking if the sheep of Fregenal have eaten me yet. Maybe it’s just ’cause we had the same name, but for the next year and a half of single life we kept in touch sporadically. But that was really it. Ahh, sweet love.

And then came Morocco.

I had been wanting to go to Morocco, but I wasn’t sure about going alone. Knowing Casey (Man) had been there three times, I asked him what he thought about a girl traveling alone in Morrocco. Turns out, he wanted to go to Morocco too! Sly, real sly…

So, I took a chance. I barely knew the guy, but I was going to run off to Africa with him for a week.

I guess when ya’ know, ya’ know. Ya’ know?

So, we spent a week in Morocco hiking deserted beaches in Al Hociema, getting lost in a sheep-infested cemetery in Tetuan, and having extremely uncomfortable co-ed hammam baths in Chefchauen. Here’s a video of our adventure:

For the first time in my life, traveling with someone else was far more rewarding than traveling solo.

A week in Morocco, and just like that, history!  We have been happily doing “Casiey” ever since.

It’s true what they say; love is a crazy thang, and it changes you. Sharing jaw-dropping scenery, delicious exotic food and getting into foreign misadventures are way more fun and meaningful when you have a PIC (partner in crime) to share it with.

Besides, why have one wandering “Casiey” when you can have two?

My pueblo! Fregenal, Spain

Ibiza, Spain

Paris, France

A boat in Greece

Elafonisi Beach, Greece

Casey Man is just as in love with Spain as I am. However, “Los Casieys” felt it was time for the next chapter. So, we’ll be moving together to a new exotic land in September! 

Have you ever had a travel love story? What do you prefer, solo travel or couple travel?