It’s Valentine’s Day and that means flowers, chocolates, and hundreds of little cards with Paw Patrol puns for most couples. For the married frequent flyer, though, it’s a day to remind you that your relationship with the Hilton check-in desk clerk may be stronger these days than the one you have at home. For the single frequent flyer, it’s even worse. You’re jetting all over the country (and, perhaps, the world), seeing amazing things and exploring cultures you never thought you’d encounter — like the elusive teppanyaki lovers of the northern Chicago suburbs — and yet, you have nobody to share it all with. Every night, when we go to our hotel rooms, it’s a reminder of how we traverse the globe at the expense of the traditional home life that most people get to enjoy. Valentine’s Day is rough, man.

So how do we keep the flame alive when we’re thousands of miles away? I’ve got three tips to keep love blossoming all year long.

Keep Your Love in Bloom

It may be cliche, but flowers work. Something about the fact that you’ve chosen to send a living thing says “I love you” more than a card in the mail. I mean, I’d send a baby animal if I could but PETA would not be happy if baby goats by mail became a thing, so it’s safer to stick to flowers. You could go the traditional route and find a local florist if you’d like, but I think I found a better option. My friend Anna told me about a company called Bouqs and I love it. When I was on the road shooting Trip Testers for eight weeks, it was nearly impossible to be away from the love of my life. To show her I was thinking about her all day, I sent her a few super fresh bouquets and they helped make the separation easier. Delivery is technically free with Bouqs, but it’s really just built into the price. That said, prices are good, the flowers are incredible, and the packaging makes the whole thing seem way cuter than the competition. The website is easy to use and you can even arrange for same-day delivery. I’m a big fan.

Prime Your Heart

Flowers are nice, but something personal and specific is always better. If your beloved can’t get enough of her yoga practice, you can shower her with yoga pants. If your man loves the Cubs, Amazon has fan gear in just about every shape and size. The hitch is paying for those massive shipping charges — which brings us to Amazon Prime. If you don’t have Amazon Prime by now, you are sorely missing out. Some people love it for free books, music, movies, and TV shows, but the real value is free two-day shipping on millions of items on Amazon (plus discounted rates for same-day and one-day delivery when it’s available). That means you can get your sweetheart that heart-shaped box he/she has been asking for all this time.

Surprises of the Coronary Variety

There is nothing more romantic than the surprise visit. That’s why movies are full of them. Sure, those movie romantic surprises usually end up in the poor sap finding out his fiancee is playing hokey pokey with his co-worker, but that’s just in movies, right? RIGHT? Let’s assume infidelity won’t be an issue here. Make time to come home unannounced and give your significant other the best gift of all: you. Clear it with your boss, book a last minute flight, and show up with dinner in hand. Heck, you can even order flowers or a special gift to arrive earlier that day to throw your special someone off the scent. Then you can bask in the romantic glory of your excellent surprise.

No matter what you choose to do, make every day Valentine’s Day. Being on the road is hard enough as it is. Do anything you can to keep that love spark bright.

 

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