Jessica Festa Archives | The IgoUgo Blog

I’ll never forget my first travel romance. My plan was to spend six weeks backpacking around Europe solo, discovering the local cultures, exploring the history and gorging myself on delicious food.

What I didn’t expect was to meet Dan on my very first night in an Amsterdam hostel.

I don’t know if it was his bright blue eyes, contagious laughter or the fact we had smoked something a little stronger than cigarettes, but after an hour of intense conversation I knew I was in love. Even the next day when the smoke had cleared and we woke up next to each other, blemishes and imperfections glowing in the morning sunlight, the feeling was still there.

“I have something really romantic planned for today,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go get kebabs and some of that 1 Euro wine we saw and go listen to the hippies playing guitar in Vondelpark.”

“Sounds like the best first date anyone has ever planned, babe.”

Things moved quickly, as they tend to when you spend every waking and non-waking hour with someone. And although there were some bumps in the road, we managed to travel together for the entire trip without killing each other, even making plans to travel again in the future.

But keeping romance alive on the road is no walk in the park, as countless broken hearts will testify.

Here are a few tips for doing it right.

Set Realistic Expectations

The trick to a travel romance is realistic expectations. Meeting a sexy stranger in an exotic land is always exciting, and can lead to heightened feelings of love and a quick relationship progression. Within a week you know each other’s deepest secrets, worst habits and embarrassing smells, but it only makes you love each other more.

Although this can be an amazing experience, don’t get your hopes up if it doesn’t last longer than the trip itself.

I’ve had travel romances that continued on after the plane ride home, as well as intense flings that fizzled out quicker than Alta Seltzer. If it works out, great. If it doesn’t, at least you enjoyed the ride.

Hostels Can Be “Romantic”

When you find a passionate travel romance, realize how lucky you are and embrace every second of it. If you’re a long-term traveler, don’t get frustrated about your low funds but instead work with what you have.

For example, you don’t need to stay in a private hotel room to get some action, as hostels provide plenty of opportunities for getting it on. Think the shower, rooftops or in the afternoon when everyone is out sightseeing.

Additionally, expensive restaurants and romantic excursions are overrated. For a romantic meal, have a picnic in the park with some cheap wine or head to a local restaurant where neither of you can read the menu.

These venues are usually cheaper and can be unforgettable — especially when you order something you can’t identify. Add to the affordable romance by getting lost in a city together, hiking to a scenic viewpoint or kayaking on a nearby lake.

Remember, you don’t need to work hard to make the relationship exciting, since everyday when traveling is a new adventure in itself.

Give Each Other Space

You’re already spending more time together in a month than most couples do in a year, so give each other some space. Splitting up for the day and doing some solo sightseeing will not only keep you from getting on each others’ nerves, but will also allow you some independence and personal growth.

Cut Each Other Some Slack

Nobody can be perfect 24/7, so cut each other some slack. In normal dating situations, both parties are able to hide their annoying habits and bad behavior for at least a few weeks, usually months; however, when you’re on the road full-time together everything comes out into the open.

So his breath isn’t minty fresh every time you kiss and he didn’t pay for your lunch, and she picks her teeth and takes an hour and a half to get ready. Accept your situation and relax.

Keep The Communication Open

That being said, if there is something really bothering you, speak up (nicely). The worst thing you can do when traveling with a romantic partner is hold your feelings in until you explode.

Let your new love interest know if you need space or if there is something making you unhappy. As long as you convey your feelings in a clear and respectful manner this should only make you stronger.

Roll With The Punches

While fun, traveling can be stressful. Uncomfortable situations, missed trains and language barriers can make you both cranky. Instead of letting bumps in the road bother you, roll with the punches and enjoy every moment of your time together. Keep in mind, most issues on the road turn into funny travel stories later.

Splurge

If possible, pool some money together for a romantic splurge. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top, but one night in a private hotel room or a steak dinner can pull you both out of your routine. While everyday is exciting on the road, it can never hurt to add some ambiance once in awhile.

Trust Your Gut

So it’s been two weeks and you’re starting to wonder if maybe you rushed into things. If you start to feel like the romance isn’t what you want anymore, get out. Although it may feel like you’re in a long-term relationship, the truth is you don’t know each other that well, and you don’t owe this other person anything. Travel is selfish. It’s about having the experiences you want in a foreign land. Do what you need to make your travel experience the one you want.

By Jessica Festa

Jessie loves nothing more than her backpack. With a Masters degree in Communication she had a choice; find a steady job or live the dream. She was always going to choose the latter. On her blog, Jessie on a Journey, she covers lesser-known destinations as well as popular places from new and unusual perspectives. She also writes for Fodor’s, Gadling and the Huffington Post, among others. You can follow her travels and writing on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest.

Popular Food Network and Travel Channel shows featuring famed food adventurers like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern have made it cool to eat like a local. We asked our famed travel bloggers “What’s the craziest thing you ever ate?” The answers were brave…can you say cobra a la carte?

Ant Tacos

Lost in Translation, Marrakech
Nellie Huang

We were in the chaotic Djemma el Fna food market in Marrakech, hunting through the smoke and blinding lights for some local food at a budget price.

At Stall 34, blazing flames were clouding the sky in smoke and the aroma from the barbecued meat skewers was too tempting to pass up. My friends ordered several brochette de viande or meat skewers (the only item that we could read in French) right off the sizzling grill but I was craving for something new and exciting.

I scrolled through the menu, which was written only in French, and randomly picked a dish.

“Cerveaux de moutons s’il vous plaît!” The cook looked at me and smiled. Clearly, I had no idea what was coming.

Soon enough a dish was produced: it looked like a lightly sautéed chunk of mincemeat, but in the dim lights, I could hardly make out what it was and the cook didn’t speak any English. I was too hungry to care. I took a bite on the tender meat and almost threw it up. It had a soft, tofu-like texture and a strong gamey taste. No, it wasn’t beef. Neither was it lamb. It had a subtle hint of herbs. Bull testicles? Pigeon?

It was only when I returned home and checked up on the translation of the word did I solve the puzzle. It was sheep brains, and apparently it was a delicacy in Morocco.

No wonder the cook was pointing to his head the whole time!

A Cobra Bloodbath, Hanoi
Stephanie Yoder

I’m comfortable with the implications of being a carnivore but still it’s unnerving to look your meal right in its still squirming face.

I’m not sure what I was expecting upon being invited to a Vietnamese snake restaurant. The building was just another generic store front on a dark street in the suburbs of Hanoi. I would never have found it (or sought it out) on my own. We were the only foreigners there yet dozens of groups sat in their own private areas, all feasting on the same thing: cobra.

The snake came out nearly immediately. “Who will eat the heart?” the server asked, passing around our very alive, very alert, and very poisonous entree, “Vietnamese Viagra!”

I laughed nervously and downed a shot of rice wine. Next to me, my boyfriend Michael raised his hand to volunteer.

Do snakes feel fear? I flinched when they brought the knife out. It was just a quick hand motion and the beating heart was outside the body, still attached, still pumping. Michael bent over and ripped it with his teeth. Vietnamese Viagra? No way I was kissing him now.

“How did it taste?”

“Slimy.”

In the confusion afterwards the snake was bled out, the blood mixed with the wine and handed out in thumb-sized cups. We toasted and drank. The wine overpowered any taste but the act itself felt primal. Next up, wine with venom and bile. This shot tingled on the way down. I tried not to think about it too hard.

The snake disappeared into the back to be cooked into an (ultimately delicious) 6-course meal. The rest of us, who were clearly having a better night than him, went back to drinking wine.

Bulls Balls in Brazil
Keith Jenkins

I saw them for the first time at a grill house or churrascaria in Foz do Iguaçu, the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. The restaurant chef accompanied me and explained the different parts of the cow on the massive grill.

With a chuckle, he proclaimed, “bulls balls”!

“Testicles? No way!”

I glanced at them and made a beeline for the juicy-looking tenderloins. But when I returned to my table I was horrified to see the person next to me sitting with an enormous testicle on his plate. Seeing me recoil in shock, he grinned and asked me if I’d ever tried it. I shook my head, trying to regain my cool and appear uninterested.

His grin grew wider, he cut a slice from the testicle and handed it to me.

I shook my head but no words came out of my mouth. The sight of his knife slicing through the testicle made me squirm in my seat. I looked at it on my plate and thought, “Get over it. It’s just a meatball!” I put my fork into it (ouch!) and raised it to my mouth. I munched on it twice and swallowed it quickly. The only thing I remember was a salty flavor, which I swiftly washed down with a big gulp of beer!

Having the Guts to Try Something New, Buenos Aires
Jessica Festa

One hungry afternoon in Buenos Aires, my friend and I caught a whiff of grilling meat and followed our noses to a street vendor selling the usual selection of choripan sausage and other snacks. Although delicious, choripan is pretty greasy and very fattening so I thought I’d brave something called morcipan. It was cheaper, darker and less greasy; vegetarian sausage I assumed, without stopping to ask either my friend or the vendor.

One bite was all I needed to realize something wasn’t quite right, but it tasted enough like black beans that I kept chewing. And I mean chewing. They were the chewiest black beans I’d ever eaten.

At one point I was yanking a very stretchy piece of “black bean” with my teeth trying to rip it out of the bun until the food actually snapped apart, whipping my head back. Annoyed, I turned to my friend and asked him why they made their vegetarian sausages so chewy in Argentina.

After nearly choking on his own food he finally explained what was wrong. This was no vegetarian dish, it was congealed pig blood and intestines. Let’s just say from then on I stuck to the fattening choripan.

Mexican Fried Critters
Mike Richard

It would appear that bugs are the last bastion of “extreme eating” nowadays. And I’d say that I’m a traveler willing to try (almost) anything.

Which is how I found myself in Puebla – the literal epicenter of Mexican cuisine – this past summer with a mouthful of multi-legged critters. The good chefs at El Mural de los Poblanos an upscale restaurant in the heart of the city – serve some of the most traditional fare in the entire country.

As an “appetizer”, we started with gusanos – worms fried table side and served in corn tortillas with salsa, guacamole and ground worm powder. They’re crispy, crunchy and well … fried. Once I got beyond the fact that I was eating worms, they were surprisingly tasty.

But the real prize was the escamoles – fried ant larvae served with all the same fixin’s as the worms. It goes without saying that, among the dozen travelers in our group, few opted to taste this admittedly terrifying delicacy.

I knew if I was gonna do it, I was going all the way – a heapin’ helpin’ of ant eggs with a dollop of salsa and guac spread liberally on a fresh tortilla. It all combines into a buttery, nutty, and slightly spicy mess of flavors. To be honest, it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in Mexico!

By Heather Green

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Travel Romance – A Survival Guide