Travel Corner: Are You the Fork or Fitbit in the Relationship?

by Lydia Agidius, Program Director

​Typically, I write about more compelling topics — big-picture travel inspiration, transformative cultural experiences, all that noble stuff. But today, I thought I’d dabble in something a bit more light-hearted: the curious phenomenon of travel-style opposites attracting

Lydia Agidius
Program Director

The other night, I was knee-deep in planning our upcoming trip to Disneyland — tabs open, spreadsheets started, snack strategy halfway drafted — when my husband casually leaned over and said, “I can’t wait to ride Peter Pan with the kids.” And just like that, I realized: we were dreaming about the same trip in completely different ways.

I was visualizing Dole Whips, churros, Mickey-shaped snacks that are probably not life-changing but absolutely necessary for the experience. He was thinking about the fun — the rides, the thrills, the wide-eyed joy of our kids experiencing the magic (and okay, maybe his own). He wasn’t exactly elbows-deep in the itinerary, but he was throwing in the occasional enthusiastic vote for Pirates of the Caribbean or Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters like a laid-back co-pilot who trusts the snacks will somehow appear.

Now, I do believe a person can be excited about both eating and adventuring. But let’s be honest: most people tend to lean slightly more fork or more Fitbit. You're either building your plans around meals, or you're just assuming the meals will sort themselves out between ride times and restroom breaks.

And here’s the mystery of it all: How is it that these two very different types of travelers always seem to pair off?

One wants to wander aimlessly through a spice market, sampling things that may or may not legally be called "cheese." The other wants to skydive. Out of a plane. Voluntarily. On vacation. For fun.

One packs snacks for the hike. The other packs themselves for the hike.

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I’ve heard this theory that travel is the ultimate compatibility test. But I think we should take that one step further: Travel is where you discover your partner’s true essence. Are they the kind of person who books dinner reservations at the hottest spot in town two months in advance? Or are they the kind of person who thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to eat beef jerky in a kayak and call it a day?

​And yet —somehow — it works. The eater and the adventurer. The gelato and the GPS. The espresso and the expedition.

​​Because while he’s off climbing something unnecessarily vertical, I’m content to find the flakiest croissant within a 3-block radius. And when we reunite (one sweatier, one fuller), we have stories to swap. And if we’re lucky, snacks to share.

So the next time you’re planning a trip with your significant other, ask yourselves: who’s the fork, and who’s the Fitbit?

And more importantly—are we near a bakery?

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