Leisure

forgotten I had done that so many years ago.”Travel, however, has always been part of life for Rowe. The RedondoBeach native spent her early years in Tunisia when her parents were inthe Peace Corps, followed by a move to Iowa, where summers meantfamily road trips.Now both in their late 30s, the couple tries to combine their travelswith weekends together, finding time to meet-up in Chicago,Colorado, or New Orleans, at the beginning or end of one or theother’s business trip.This month’s schedule marks an extended time apart, as Fisher willspend June at his company’s New Delhi office. He will be workingnights and sleeping days, as his office keeps West Coast hours, evenhalf a world away.Managing a relationship is more than just finding time — no matterthe time changes — explains Rowe. “It’s not just that both of us aretraveling — it’s also just coordinating our schedules, airport pickups,cat sitters, etc.”Video chats on Skype make the time apart more bearable. Anotherroutine Rowe has is taking pictures from the plane. She now hashundreds of photos, a collection she jokingly says will hang in theirhallway in airplane window-sized frames.If it happens, it will be a noteworthy exhibition, telling the story oftwo people who found time for each other, no matter the distancebetween them.Expert AdviceAs for traveling tips, all four savvy travelers pay strict attention to airlinesecurity guidelines and pack just what they need, including a sense ofadventure and a willingness to find one’s way around.Rowe recommends iPhone apps, with some of her favorites beingthe weather, currency converter, CitySearch, Yelp, and National PublicRadio Finder.Stuhlbarg recommends taking tours, especially those dedicated to aspecial interest you might share, such as architectural tours or onesthrough a city’s financial district.Baxter advises taking any opportunity to travel, whether on business orfor pleasure, adding to the special collective experience she shares withher fellow frequent flyers. “Travel while you are [still] in good health,”she said. “Someday you won’t be able to, and you’ll have wonderfulmemories.”in the end, [the pandemic] didn’t have a lot of punch.” nlongbeachmagazine.com 45