Being in a relationship has its advantages, but it also comes with comes with some disadvantages as well. Maybe you can't agree on a movie to watch together, or what restaurant you want to eat at. Your partner might not like certain people in your social circle, which means that you see less of them as a result. But being in a relationship sometimes means that you have to compromise your adventurous spirit. It means that, if you want to travel the world and see some sights, maybe for several months at a time, it's much easier to do it while single.
So when 25-year-old Natalie Otto won herself an amazing $25,000 trip to travel all around Australia, she decided to leave her boyfriend Callum Hulst back in Melbourne while she saw the sights without him. Accompanied by a stranger, Tom Cunningham, Natalie spent five weeks driving between states in a camper van, and took to skydiving over Byron Bay, snorkelling in the Great Barrier reef and abseiling off cliffs in Brisbane.
In an interview with the Today Show about her trip, Natalie stated that her boyfriend had been remarkably cool about the whole affair, claiming: "My poor boyfriend has got a little bit of flack about this whole thing. All of my friends have asked how he feels about me travelling the country with another boy but he’s super supportive."
In fact, Callum made his feelings on the matter clear when he wrote in a Facebook post that he was: "So proud that Natalie Otto has got the opportunity of a lifetime to travel the whole of Australia and promote everything adventure and tourism our land Down Under has to offer. You've got a talent and a heart of gold and I can't wait to see what you capture from this trip of a lifetime. CRIKEY you'll do it all whilst being the cover girl of Travello."
Despite many innuendos and insinuations from others about the nature of their relationship, Tom has assured everyone that he and Natalie are strictly platonic, stating: "‘Nothing happened, and the only romantic elements were the locations we stayed in. But what I will say, as if she was single, I would ask her out in a heartbeat after this trip."
In a later Instagram post after the conclusion of the trip, Tom wrote: "What a great way to see my backyard of Australia, and what a great way to make a friend for life. Nat was amazing to road trip with and I consider myself very lucky for having her there to share it all with. There wasn’t a day where I didn’t laugh because of her."
So what do you guys think? Is Callum a good and trusting partner, secure enough in his relationship to let his girl be independent for a while? Or is he being naive, and is there something going on between Nat and Tom? If I were him, I'd be feeling a little worried, but maybe I'm just overreacting...
