Meet the Nomads: Mike and Luci of 1000 Fights

Mike and Luci are the author of 1000 Fights. It’s a very interesting travel blog for couples who’d like to travel around the world.

As a couple, they have an effective travel savings scheme that you might find useful. They gave themselves $100 for every year they’re married. And they also take turns in planning and choosing where to go.

I think this activity (and travelling) help them grow as a couple. Learn more about Mike and Luci and check out thei blog at .

Here’s my short interview with Mike and Luci.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

“During our Honeymoon, Mike turned to me and said, “Where are we going next year?” So we came up with the idea to take an anniversary trip every year. We gave ourselves $100 for every year we were married for hotel and flight. At first our trips were focused on the US, now we go international. We take turns picking the location and planning the trip. Now our budget is just for flights.”

What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?

“So many to choose from! Our very best was our visit to the Louvre in Paris. The now infamous story is retold on our Enjoy!”

What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?

“We have never had a bad trip. One of the best experiences we had was going into the Amazon Jungle in Peru. We flew for over two entire hours over what looked like green carpet: The Amazon Rain Forest. We
landed and took a dugout canoe up the muddy Rio de Madre Dios. We then hiked into our lodge. The jungle was so intense. It was just teeming with life. We saw a wide variety of flora and fauna. Of course our favorite part of the entire adventure was our trusty Peruvian guide. His name now escapes me, but during one of our outings he said in perfect English: You can see evidence of “eutrophication.” We couldn’t believe it! Our guide’s impressive vocabulary was our running joke the rest of the trip.

What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?

“Our biggest realization is that this is a small planet. We have made friends in just about every corner of the globe. People are people. They care for their families. They try to make it, and improve the world around them.

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

“Wanderlust. I know that is an overused word with travel bloggers. But it is an actual condition. The more you travel, the more that you want to travel. What’s the point of travel? Candidly, on the flight back home your are exhausted, but at the same time you are a better person for having gone.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only one page.” –Saint Augustine

This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?

Luci: “Kate Winslet. I think she is one of the finest actresses of our time. And while she is glamorous and gorgerous, she seems real. I think she’d have dessert!”

Mike: “Michael Palin. I really enjoy his quirky humor. I also admire his uncanny ability to find off the beaten path places.”

Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?

Luci: “No contest. Turkey. It truly has it all. As a couple of history buffs, we chose this location for its deep historical value. We did not fully anticipate the experience we would get from this land. You get so much with Turkey. Shopping in the Grand Bazaar is a riot! Pondering the enlightenment of days gone by in the Celsius Library is intellectual and historical. Take a romantic cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. Then there is the food, AMAZING!”

Mike: “Paris. Oooo la la! The Food. Beautiful women. Amazing museums. The Food.”

What’s your best tip for newbie traveller?

Luci: “I have two pieces of advice: First, read everything you can about where you are visiting. Don’t just read travel books. Read history books. Read novels set in the country. Get to know as much as you can before you go. Second, don’t be afraid to talk to people. I get tired of just talking to Michael so I start making friends on trains, in lounges, on boats. People are friendly when you are friendly. You’ll learn more by talking to others than your spouse!

Mike: “My advice is simple. Go. If you lack the financial ability to go international, explore your city, your state or your own country. Discovery is so refreshing. It’s ok to fight. It‘s really ok. Fighting is a clash of ideas and opinions; the fact that you both feel strongly is to be celebrated. I don’t know how many times one of us has said, “I want to go see this.” The immediate response for the other is “why?” A discussion of why a given topic is important ensues. You learn so much from this exercise. You learn about your spouse likes and dislikes. You learn about their passions. Traveling is a microcosm for life. You must budget, agree on directions (thank goodness for GPS!) set priorities and work together. Recognize and enjoy those aspects as you travel. The best part of fighting is it gives you an excuse to make up (we won’t offer any advice on that topic, we will leave it to you!)”

What’s the funniest and silliest thing you’ve ever done while travelling?

Luci: “Walking across the border to Zimbabwe. It was my 35th birthday. I’ve always wanted to go to Zimbabwe, but we couldn’t fit a trip into our timeline or budget, so we decided to go across the border. The border looked like a scene out of a movie: 15 people crammed into the back of a pickup, women with stacks of bedding on their heads, guards in fatigues and machine guns, baboons running across the bridge. We couldn’t take our rental car across so we walked the 3 kilometers across the Limpopo River. We were terrified! Looking back now on it, it wasn’t the wisest thing we’ve done!”

Mike: “My first Turkish Bath. (This is the most popular post on our site…?)”

What do you think about yourself?

“We are two ordinary people. We are both successful professionals in our respective fields. We do have day jobs. We have a family (we do go on an annual family vacation in the states). We do value our time together as a couple, and look forward to spending time together each year on our “big trip.”

The title of our blog (1000 fights) sums us up. We love to fight. We also love to travel. So naturally we decided to combine the two and share the outcome with the world. We are two “type A” personalities and make reality TV look tame. We started fighting in 1st grade and haven’t stopped.

Our blog is a place for couple travelers to come and discuss their adventures and misadventures. Please stop by for a look-see.” – Mike and Luci of 1000 Fights

Photo Credits: Pic by Mike and Luci

Next: Lois Yasay of We Are Sole Sisters. Previously: Lara dunston of Gran Turismo. For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.