My husband and I both love to travel so for my birthday I requested that we take a vacation to Rome, Italy for a week. When we started our trip I realized that a normal person’s vacation was not the same for a pilot. He is in airports and hotels all the time for work. As we were walking through the airport I could see the look on his face, he did not look excited or relaxed, he looked like he was working. At first this was something I was offended by, I planned this trip so we could relax and have a good time together, not realizing how my husband viewed travel now that he did it for his career. Once we got to Rome I asked him why this was so hard for him. We talked about how he is away from home so much for work that it is hard for him to be away from home for vacation. He also let me know that he was happy to be there with me to celebrate my birthday but that if it were his birthday he would choose to stay home. After that talk we both made the best of our time together. We got to eat some of the best food and see amazing sights. Communication was key in this situation and it helped me understand how he prefers to spend his downtime.
The Creative Pilot Wife 