A lot of things are changing this decade, we have a female running for president, we have men staying at home while women earn the bacon and we have women running large businesses. It seems everyday women are challenging  social norms; female celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson and Taylor Swift to name a few are fighting for equal pay and changing the meaning of the word feminism. In many ways, the world of women and the roles we play in the United States are starting to drift. In my college days, I had more women in my classes, and after doing some research I found women are surpassing men in education. And as a reporter, I’ve gotten the chance to interview many powerful women in the film, TV and media industry. So you may be wondering what all of this has to do with traveling?

Well, before I took off on my European adventure, I wrote about women who travel alone and ways to keep in touch with your significant other. However, I didn’t fully realize that a lot of the women traveling alone are not single. In fact, a majority of the girls I met on my trip were in relationships. And so am I. Previously, I had imagined that most of the women were single, and that the only ones that traveled while in a relationship were traveling for business versus pleasure. But instead I found that again a lot of them were in relationships and traveling for pleasure.

So what has brought this on? Truthfully, I don’t know. I don’t have the numbers to support this claim, this is all through personal experiences. I have been with my boyfriend for about 8 years now, and because we have a very understanding and trustworthy relationship, I think this is why I was able to say ‘Hey, I m taking off to Europe, and by myself!’ Obviously, my boyfriend already knows that I am independent, carefree and that traveling is an obsession of mine (hence, the blog) . So maybe it wasn’t as surprising that I would be taking off on my own someday.

While on my trip,  I met girls from Boston, Florida, New York, Minnesota, Canada and many other parts of North America that were in serious relationships. And by serious I mean they have actually been in a relationship for more than a year with said guy. And we all spoke about how it was funny that we were all here traveling to romantic places like Paris without our boyfriends. I for one did not expect this. I actually thought I would be the only ‘in a serious relationship’ girl.

And after learning about them and their relationships, I couldn’t help but to feel proud of the female population- that we weren’t afraid to leave our men for a few weeks and enjoy a life-changing adventure. And I also felt happy that there were men in this world other than my boyfriend who were genuinely happy and excited for us girls. We were all from different cities but all had one general ambition-make new and unforgettable memories.

Like myself- all the girls made sure to stay in touch with our significant others. They made time either during the mid-day break or at the end of the day to video chat or send detailed texts of their days. Honestly, it was a healthy and loving way to enjoy your own life and your relationship.

So basically, what I am getting at is if you’re in a relationship and you would like to travel on your own, there are ways of doing it without looking unloving or like a terrible girlfriend. You ARE NOT. Just because you’re in a committed relationship doesn’t mean you need to stop living your dreams and being yourself. And it also doesn’t mean you can’t make time to spend time with your loved one even while you’re abroad.

So in conclusion, you are not alone. And all it takes is love, trust and courage to take that next beautiful step into the world of traveling. And on a last note, as a person who has been in a long relationship, this is one of the many things that ended up making our relationship stronger, which to me is super cool.

Keep it up boys and girls!