I love going on holiday with my ex-husband but we’re never getting back together, people say it’s weird
A HOLIDAY-loving woman has revealed she often faces judgement over her choice of travel buddy - her ex-husband.
Catherine, from Canada, and her former partner Kelby fell in love over their shared passion for exploring the world.
The pair met in Argentina, where she was living at the time, while he was on a backpacking trip.
They met up later that year to visit England and Hungary together.
And even though they're now divorced, Catherine still considers Kelby as her favourite travel companion.
Writing in the Toronto Star, she said: "This man is my most compatible (and yes, fully platonic) travel buddy in the world — and he happens to be my ex-husband. We still adventure together about once a year.
"I’m used to travelling alone and often prefer it that way [but] I quickly noticed that travelling with him did not interrupt my exploration style — it complemented it."
But the pair often face judgement over their holiday plans, with loved ones often assuming it means they're rekindling their relationship.
Catherine said: "After our divorce, he moved to Australia, and I moved to the U.S.
"The first time we planned to travel together after the separation, our loved ones assumed we were getting back together or, at the very least, having a hard time adjusting to the distance between us.
"Sadly, it seems like much of society thinks you are supposed to automatically hate your ex."
Knocking back the assumption, she added: "But just because we didn’t function well as a married couple doesn’t mean that we don’t work spectacularly as best friends who genuinely delight in each other’s company.
"I’m proud that we’ve been able to hold onto everything that was rich and beautiful in our marriage, while fully letting go of what was not.
"Travelling as friends is our way of celebrating that."
The pair have just enjoyed a campervan holiday across Scotland, taking in sights on Skye and Shetland, before rounding off their trip with some Italian sunshine and then "saying goodbye for another year".
But they're already planning their next break together - a free-dive in Mexico, to cross the Sahara Desert in Morocco, and to hike through Western China.
Catherine said: "I could never have imagined how our marriage could bring us to where we are now, but I’m excited to see where this evolution of our relationship can take us in the world."