The Traveling Widower

Tag: writing

  • Being the Traveling Widower

    December 7th, 2025

    Antarctica was my sixth multi-day trip this past year, so along with a veritable slew of day trips and shorter adventures, I have a pretty good idea now of the direction my life is going. It’s that ‘As Good As It Gets’ thing I write about, that I’m beginning to adjust to. So, now that my brain and body have recovered from the endless journey home from Antarctica, I thought I’d document some of my thoughts on what it’s like to morph from a stable life, shared with your life partner, to something that was unimaginable just a few years ago. A life based without an anchor companion, learning to be comfortable spending a considerable amount of time alone, and surprisingly, finding some fulfillment, direction and even enjoyment in the amazing places I traveled to. Going on two years since Jan passed, I still grieve her loss, and still dwell upon those awful 11 months, but not to the degree that I had at first. So what’s this new life like? The blog pretty much describes it – I grieve the loss of my wife and of my past life, so I’m a widower, and travel is pretty much what keeps me going. The blog title is what I’ve become – the Traveling Widower. I’m planning to copyright the term. Maybe I’ll sell t-shirts and coffee mugs. (No, not really). 

    Solo travel was something I feared at first – my often mentioned fear of being on a ship filled with strangers still persists, but I have learned to cope with that, and actually found myself enjoying meals on this last trip. I recall my first counseling session the day after Jan passed – she said I should expect to have some significant personality changes over time. She was right. It’s been a struggle, but I’m relatively comfortable now joining a group at dinner or lunch, and actively participating in conversations. I guess I cannot really call myself an introvert anymore. 

    What I found interesting on this last trip was the number of discussions I had without bringing up why I was alone, unless someone asked. I still feel weird being by myself, but I’m no longer embarrassed about traveling alone. That’s something new for me. But some people kind of guess when they see the double wedding band on my pinky. I’ll always wear that. 

    The travel part is really what keeps me going – I’m a different person when traveling. My mind is completely focused on the trip, even if I’m just driving somewhere. Photography and the blog keep me occupied in the evenings, either on a ship or a hotel. And the places I’ve been traveling to have been amazing – there were times on all of the trips, where I was just absolutely stunned and speechless by what I was seeing. I simply put the camera down and let it all soak in – I have memories which I will never forget. Antarctica was like that on every day of the trip.

    But there were also moments on each trip where I wished Jan was sharing the moment with me. And at least one time, I felt she was there with me. 

    Returning home from these adventures is still difficult for me – walking into an empty house, with nobody to share my experience with is so incredibly hard to handle. But that’s where my writing and photography helps to fill in some of the emptiness. Busy work is not much of a replacement for companionship, but it keeps my mind occupied. And after a day or two home, I’m already looking towards the next trip, and looking at my bucket list for other trips to schedule. I’ve got permanent happy feet. I’ve scheduled two trips since returning from Antarctica, and already have a packing list for my next trip (Baja). I’m not sure I’ll make it another two months without traveling – I’m guessing I’ll find someplace to go for a while in January. 

    So this is my new life – Bromberg 2.0. Anyone need a coffee mug or t-shirt?

    Disclaimer: No, that is not a real picture, the same goes for the other image of t-shirts and coffee mugs. It’s all AI (thanks Google Gemini). My wife would have looked at this, and then walked away shaking her head. So please, do not ask for a coffee mug or t-shirt. But I will be submitting this for the highly sought after Nobel Peculiar Literature award.

  • The Arachnid Hotel and New Travel Rules

    The Arachnid Hotel and New Travel Rules

    Giant House Spider
    Giant House Spider…really, I’m not making that up

    I’m slowly learning a few rules about living with stress, or more like how to reduce stress when traveling. The last few weeks have really hit me hard physically – something about lack of sleep, emotional breakdowns and pushing myself too hard are taking a toll. I look like crap with big bags and dark circles under my eyes.  So I need to take it easy on this trip and maybe just relax, have some fun, and not worry about getting perfect pictures.

    But last night was not a good start. I decided to stay overnight in Seattle, so I’d just have the flight to Sitka in the morning. I’m glad I did that. I had forgotten about Labor Day weekend – not a good time to be traveling. At any rate, I booked a night at the airport Hilton Hotel – a nice place. Unfortunately, they gave me the Arachnid Suite, which comes with one of those big beauties (Giant House Spider) free of charge. I did not realize that until I came back from a pleasant dinner, and found this waiting patiently for me on the bed. I chased it off, but it managed to hide somewhere else in the room. Rather than risk spending a night with at least one 2” spider (it might have had friends), I called the front desk and they quickly moved me into an enormous suite – which was thankfully free of spiders. 

    So along with a new rule of never booking the Arachnid Suite in a hotel again, my other new rule is to do anything you can to avoid stress at the airport. Joining Clear was number one – it really made a difference traveling on a major holiday, especially in Seattle. What a zoo. The second rule is to pay for the airline lounge if you don’t get a complimentary pass. I’m writting this, sitting in a wonderful, relaxing Alaska Airline lounge, with a nice latte and a blueberry scone, watching the planes take off. The gates are all packed, with people sitting on the floor. Been there done that in my consulting days. It’s all about me now. 

    Time for another latte, and then head to the gate.