Let me start by saying that when I moved from Flint to Texas in the summer of 2008, I really didn’t know anything about it. Texas was not a place of interest to me before I needed a job and the whole state seemed to be hiring, whereas Michigan was not. I guess I imagined that being a sort of peninsula itself, it might be similar to Michigan in terms of availability of water to swim in. I was wrong.

For our spring UK trip, the main point of interest for my five-year-old son, Arthur, was the promise of a visit to the National Railway Museum in York. It was the carrot dangled before him to inspire good behavior, push through difficult kindergarten days and the highlight of many conversations in the months preceding the journey.

Sometimes, the best laid plans really do go quite awry. And if they have the opportunity to spin terribly out of control in a foreign country, then of course, there is every chance that they will.

Sometimes, a simple afternoon trip “away from normal” can make a world of difference. Especially when your budget is strapped a little from other trips looming on the horizon, but you need to get out of town.

I’m going to be a June bride. I’m getting married this summer (technically late spring), and we’ve been aflutter with wedding planning. Or, I guess I should say he’s been doing a lot of the planning for the actual wedding, while I’ve been busy planning the honeymoon. You can’t take the travel out of the girl, after all.

Recently, my fiancé surprised me with a trip to Siesta Key. Even though we live in Texas, a trip to sunshine-filled southern Florida sounded like the perfect break during the stressful holiday season.

In early November we found ourselves, once again, in the car on our way toward another mini-adventure. Because my fiancé is a recent transplant to Texas from Michigan, I feel a tremendous duty to familiarize him with his new home. The only problem is that Texas is gigantic and there are lots of places to see. Add in a five-year-old boy who doesn’t like all of the same vacation activities that two adults prefer … and you have a scheduling nightmare that is almost guaranteed to leave someone less than enthused.

Sometimes, the best kind of adventures are the ones you didn’t even know existed. A little off the beaten path, a little unfamiliar, but so worthwhile once you get there.

My last partner and I had a terrific system for traveling. It worked flawlessly – I was the planner, the scheduler, the chooser. I found hotels, restaurants and experiences, booked everything, kept track of the plans and made sure we had access to all of the “must-dos” for every location. A must-see pop-up store in this city, the Michelin-starred restaurant in that place, the museums at the top of the lists and the off-the-beaten-track places that I deep-dove to discover. His job? Finding all the places … like, geographically. Looking at maps, surveying different routes, identifying best transportation options, metro lines to take and connect; all things direction was his domain.

Any time you drive a car in a foreign country, it’s a gamble. It can either be easy, straightforward and enjoyable, or absolutely disastrous.

This summer, my fiancé and I had two big trips planned: one to Spain to celebrate our birthdays – a long-anticipated jaunt across the Atlantic, an escape from our normal lives and an introduction to international travel for my life partner.

It’s summer, and for most of us, that means vacation. As I look forward to this year’s planned adventures, I look back on other summer escapes. Because I am traveling to Spain again, I can’t help but reflect on my first trip to Barcelona some years ago with my mother.