Life of Lu: Practice Port Visit

Solomon always says, "You join the Navy to see the world, right?" I feel like he adds the "right" at the end because he's trying to convince himself. He's been in the surface community six months now, and the only mountains he sees are made of paperwork. Still, he shouldn't worry. Whatever your reason for joining the Navy, you will definitely see the world.

Here's proof: During his four years at the Naval Academy, he traveled more than most people do in a lifetime. (He went to California, Hawaii, Spain, Germany, China...I'm sure I'm missing a few.) He'll have opportunities to travel in the fleet, too, especially on deployment. From time to time, the ship will stop at ports in cities around the world. It's a chance for sailors to step foot on dry land, let off some steam and experience a new culture. So what's in it for me? Sometimes, spouses can visit, too.

Last week, Sol's ship docked at a base in Seal Beach, California (about two hours north of San Diego, just south of LA.) Seal Beach is a quaint town...lots of little shops and restaurants, plus a beach and boardwalk, all in easy walking distance. I figured, why not check it out? So I Hotwired a room and away I went.

This mini-vacation hardly counts as a port visit. (I didn't even leave Southern California.) But it got me thinking: If I had the chance to visit Solomon overseas when he's deployed, would I go?

Cons

It's a whole lot of travel for very little time. A brief summary of my time at Seal Beach: After spending a few hours in my hotel room, Sol finally finished working at 6 p.m. We went out to dinner, grabbed ice cream and saw the sights until 9. We headed back to the hotel, watched some YouTube, and he was dead asleep by 10. If you're doing the math, I spent more time driving than I spent with my husband awake. It's essentially the same ratio for a port visit: You might spend an entire day flying halfway around the world to spend just a few days with your spouse. You're barely over the jet lag, and it's already time to leave.

It's inconvenient. This is our first deployment, so truthfully, I don't know exactly know how this works. Basically, Solomon or the ombudsman will let me know what city and which dates the ship will be in-port. Because the ship's schedule is always changing, I may only have a few weeks or even a few days to plan my trip. At my last job, there's no way I could have gotten vacation time with that short of notice. And what if you have kids? (Or cats?) This is why a lot of couples chose to skip the port visit and plan a trip on their own terms for when the sailor gets back instead.

It's expensive. They say deployment is a great time to save money, but I see how one port visit could throw this out the window. Booking at the last minute, you might be able to snag some deals, but you're also at the mercy of the airlines. Plus, you have to pay extra for trip insurance.

Pros

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When else will I have the chance to visit Thailand or Australia or Portugal? (All completely hypothetical...I have no idea where Solomon's ship will stop.)

It makes me happy. It makes him happy. For me, the Seal Beach trip made my week a lot less lonely. For Solomon, it was a chance to sleep in a comfy bed 10 times the size of his rack. Win-win.

Frankly, I could afford to be a little more spontaneous.

Here are some shots we took in Seal Beach: