Interview With Mike and Luci From 1000Fights.com

Mike and Luci are The Fighting Couple behind the travel blog 1000 Places to Fight Before you Die (www.1000Fights.com). They met in the third grade, started fighting in the 6^th grade and have been traveling the world and fighting together for the past 15 years.

1000Fights.com features smart off the beaten path travel ideas, relationship posts and some great fights. The irreverent blog shares the ups and downs of real couple travel.

First off, we are Mike and Luci of 1000 Places to Fight Before you die. We are affectionately called the “Fighting Couple”. We have been traveling together since our honeymoon which was 16 years ago! Wow how time flies! Each year we take one big trip together. We take turns picking where we go. We started our blog two years ago after friends wanted to see some of the pictures and hear some of our travel “fights”. We never expected that it would take off like it has.

What do we want people to get out of a visit to our blog? Two things. First we want couples to get out and travel together. It is so important to keep marriages strong. One of the best ways we have found is finding time to travel together. You learn so much about your partner as you explore together. It doesn’t have to be some extravagant trip abroad. It can be something as simple as going on a weekend trip. It gives you time to talk, reconnect and dream. The second thing that we hope to pass on is that it is ok to fight. As long as you fight fair. All couples have challenges. We encourage couples to work through their differences.

I love this question. Travel really does bring out the best and worst. We have so many favorite locations. But if we were to pick one we would pick Turkey. We spent time in Istanbul and then we traveled in central Turkey visiting a number of historical sites. Turkey is one of those under discovered places. The people there are extremely hospitable. We loved exploring Roman ruins up close. Turkish food is also wonderful. If you are looking for a place a little off the beaten path, we highly, highly recommend Turkey by Turkey visa application form.

The worst experience we had was in Nice, France. We had driven back from Italy and it was very late. We were both exhausted as it was the tail end of the trip. We were hungry, tired and lost. Not a good combination for the “fighting couple.” We had the address of the hotel, we were on the right street, but we just couldn’t find the number. It was a one way street and we kept driving in circles as there was no parking and it was a one way street. After an hour of searching, we finally found our destination. Trust us, there was some couple talk going on.

Thanks! When we tell people our blog name www.1000fights.com, they always are a little taken back. Then the question always follows, do you guys really fight? Yes, we do. We are two very type A opinionated people. We have our disagreements. But in the end we always work things out. As we were looking for a name, this one came up and we both said yes!

4. You guys are masters for couples traveling abroad – what’s the secret to maintaining a healthy relationship while traveling?

I wouldn’t call us international traveling masters…We have found that there are a few secrets to traveling well together as a couple. First off is working in some alone time. You are not going to want to see the exact same things. It is ok to split off and go see something on your own then get back together to go see the opera in the evening. The other important factor in successful couple travel is communication. Make sure you understand with your sweetheart wants to see. Ask them questions. Focus in on what makes them happy. Sounds easy, but it can be a challenge for sure.

5. In your experience, what topic do people fight about the most? Does it differ from being at home and being on the road?

Traveling as a couple is like bring out a microscope on your relationships challenges. If money concerns are a problem for the couple, you can bet that during the trip it will come up. If one partner is domineering over the other, it will also show up as you travel together. Key to happy couple travel is the same as it is at home: understanding and kindness. Seek to understand your spouse’s concerns. Why are they upset? Communication becomes key to better relationship. The other important factor is showing kindness. It seems like sometimes we are nicer to complete strangers than we are to the person we love most. Why is this? Whilst traveling try to do some kind little things for your mate. It will make all of the difference.

6. Do you have any advice for couples, where one wants to travel and the other does not – how does one convince the other?

This is a tough one. We see it a lot with couples. We wish we had a magic wand at times! We can only share our own experience. Luci is not what you would call an “outdoor” girl. She does not enjoy roughing it by any stretch of the word. So when Mike wanted to go to the Amazon Jungle, she was less than enthused. Mike did everything he could to make the adventure easier on her. In the end Luci loved the jungle. Sometimes we have to leave our comfort zone for our loved one. We need to try new things. Give it a try is all we can suggest.

This one is easy! It is our famous Crème Bruelee for one fight. If you only read one page on our blog, this should be the one. You can read about it at: https://1000fights.com/greatest-fights/. Enjoy!

Good question. Mike is headed on a trip to Eastern Europe in April. Luci has work commitments and will not be able to join him. The trip is going to in and out of Vienna and the hit: Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. This is the first time to these counties so it should be a grand adventure. One of the highlights of this trip will be visiting the Macocha Abyss. The abyss is an impressive and whopping 138 meters deep! We are also going to visit Auschwitz while in Poland. Later in the fall, both of us are going to visit Denmark and Germany. Mike’s ancestors are from Denmark so we are really looking forward to seeing the old family house in Uberhabor.

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