Deborah & Steve who travel n blog

Couples Who Travel and Blog: Deborah & Steve

As you know, we have started introducing you to our favorite traveling couples and decided to make this a series. Next up in our spotlight are Deborah and Steve of the blog “Tag Along Travel”: a living proof that you don’t necessarily need to leave your job to travel the world with the one you love!

Do you know another couple who is traveling and blogging about it? Or are you one of them? We’d love to get your input as we’re always looking for new interview partners! Get in touch at elisa@travelettes.net!

Deborah and Steve: the Business & Travel Partners
Three months. That’s all they needed before they decided to get married. “One random Friday we just headed over to city hall and said “I do” with a couple of witnesses. No one else knew about it” remembers Deborah, before adding joyfully: “We’re lucky that 21 years later, it’s still working out.” When she met Steve, neither of them had travelled outside of North America. Little did they know this would change tremendously after just a few years of being married.

“I think the first time I tagged along with Steve, we went to Seattle. He had been selected by his company as a featured application developer for an ad campaign they were producing. They flew him there for a photo shoot and interview. That was super fun. A driver met us at the airport holding one of those signs with Steve’s name on it. The company also had a welcome package of goodies for us at the hotel. It was kind of like getting the star treatment” she continues.

When Steve’s business trips became more and more frequent, Deborah decided that the only way to make it work would be to travel with him. “We had to seriously consider the impact this could have on our relationship. Steve suggested that we could make it work if I just tagged along more often. So, that’s what we decided to do”.

Their blog idea came about when she thought about how she could take greater advantage of travelling to various destinations. Exploring the travel blog space, she couldn’t find anyone who was writing about the “tag along spouse” experience. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about the travel industry and perhaps create business expense opportunities of my own on Steve’s trips.”

When I ask Deborah what is the biggest advantage of being a “tag along spouse”, she answers: “I’m always exploring this question on the Tag Along Travel blog. New pros and cons emerge all the time. The biggest advantage is getting to travel to places as a couple at about half price because Steve’s costs are covered by his business. I also love the fact that we go places that wouldn’t necessarily be on our radar.”

But nothing is always as easy as it seems, and Deborah admits that they also faced some challenges after deciding to travel together. “The biggest adjustment was mental,” she says. “Travel always feels terribly indulgent so I had to get passed the idea that I’m just constantly going on vacation. I’m working remotely when I tag along so it’s not a holiday despite the obvious perks. I’m getting better at just enjoying the good fortune I have to be in these circumstances.”

Since she mentions working remotely, I can’t help but wonder how she makes it work. “I have a public relations practice and am self-employed. I am extremely fortunate to be able to work remotely most of the time. I can write content for a website or develop a client’s PR plan as easily from India as I can from my hometown in Canada. Technology has made this pretty easy. I also adjust my hours as much as possible. If I’m in Europe, I will begin my workday in the late afternoon to correspond with my home time zone and make connecting with clients easier. This actually works well because I can enjoy the city I’m visiting during the day in my off hours.”

I admire the way they seem to find the perfect balance between both of their jobs and enjoying the places they fly to. I then ask them what their best memory is, since they started to travel as a couple: “Our first trip to Paris”, they both answer. “We rented an apartment for a month. It was the first time we tested out working remotely. It was the most wonderful experience to live like a local, in a neighborhood, visiting the same little boulangerie every day, becoming familiar with the streets. It’s like we made this amazing discovery—we could travel and work at the same time!”

Before ending the interview, I ask the two business and travel partners “what’s next?” for the upcoming months or years. “We never know exactly what’s coming in terms of Steve’s business travel, but we are planning a couple of trips independent of that. We’re heading on a kayaking tour in Belize in a few weeks. Later in the spring we’re doing a cycling trip through Quebec’s Eastern Townships followed by destinations further east in Canada.”

Now experienced travelers, Deborah and Steve don’t wait for the next business trip to go explore different countries. They’ve been married for over twenty years and still seem to enjoy every minute of it. And I am sure they’ll experience a lot more exciting travel adventures in the future.