Just Make Sure You Don't Marry Anyone Over There

For the past year, I've been working as a consultant for a Norwegian NGO. Since they're based in Norway and I'm based in the US, I've been doing a bit of traveling back and forth for meetings and such. In fact, I'm about to take my third trip to Norway since I began this job last January. In addition to being stoked that I have a job in this economy, I'm even more excited that I've been able to travel. Traveling is one of my favorite things in life.

I've really learned to take advantage of travel opportunities whenever possible. For example, on my first work trip to Norway, I decided that I would leave on a Friday instead of a Sunday so that I could have the weekend to explore. The office is in Kristiansand (southernmost part of NO), but I had to fly through Oslo (the capital), so I booked myself a hostel and spent 2 full days seeing the city. It was glorious (despite the frigid temperatures). On my next trip to Norway, I spent bookend weekends in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Even more enjoyable. For this upcoming trip, I'm visiting Reykjavik on the first weekend, followed by Helsinki on the following weekend.

My grandparents try to keep up with with my travels. They always ask me about work and where I'm going next. My grandma makes sure to write down the different places that I'm going so that she'll know where I am in case she needs to reach me. Whenever I get back from a trip, I show them a slide show of pictures that I've taken. Lots of grandparents might worry about their grandchildren traveling alone internationally, and mine are no exception. I get the typical concerns about traveling alone as a woman and advice about not talking to strangers and always carrying pepper spray. But the warning that I get most frequently from my grandmother is this: "Don't go off and get married over there. It would be difficult for us to come and see you."

I love this. I know she's joking, but there's always a hint of seriousness in her tone, which makes it even better. Hey grandma, I'm nearly 24, have been living here in the US for 18 years, and am marriage material, but I haven't received any proposals yet. Do you really think I'm going to get a 2 karat rock on a 10-day stint in Europe? Highly unlikely. So I always tell her she has nothing to worry about, which seems to alleviate her worry until the next time around. But if I ever meet a handsome European man with a great accent and an even better taste in sparkling stones, my grandparents will just have to get over the distance.