Rennes and Ola first met in Peru, right before Ola went back to New York and then Spain.
According to Rennes, there was never a conversation about being in a long-distance relationship, but they connected instantly by becoming each other’s support system as expats in similar foreign countries.
Four years later, the couple is now engaged and they document their experiences on their Instagram account as ola.nes (super cute, right?)
So, what’s the key to a successful long-distance relationship with two people who love to explore? Travel Noire caught up with the duo to hear more.
Travel Noire: How many countries have you visited together?
Ola.Nes: Eight countries: Peru, Chile, Honduras, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Greece.
Our situation was a bit different because when we met we both lived and worked in countries outside of the U.S. and when we visited each other, we planned a mini-vacation to a new city or country together.
TN: What’s your favorite country so far, and why?
Ola.Nes: Greece for the obvious reason–that’s where we got engaged. Furthermore, we experience great hospitality which is not very common in Europe lol.
TN: What’s the best part about traveling together?
Ola.Nes: You really learn a lot about a person when you travel together.
How they respond when in a new environment and when things don’t go exactly how you envisioned it. We have so many stories about challenges and experiences while traveling. For example, getting lost. We ALWAYS get lost and it’s so funny looking back at and how we overcome it as a team.
TN: What advice would you give traveling couples?
Ola.Nes: Be in the moment and just enjoy each other. We post a lot on social media but there are times when we establish a “no social media rule.” We take our picture and videos and post it later. It’s so easy to get caught up in upload things right away.
Also, we’ve learned this the hard way: schedule a day to just rest. Do nothing.
TN: Do you have advice that you can give our travel baes who are involved in a long-distance relationship?
Ola.Nes: Just be open and very clear about your intentions and what you want out of the relationship. Also very important, don’t wait for each other to have new experiences and to travel. You never want to feel like you’re being held back or holding back your partner from that doing that. Just be supportive and enjoy your individual journey.
