An O.A.T. Love Story: The Best is Yet to Come

By the time you read this, a new chapter in an O.A.T. love story will be unfolding on the Beagle Channel in Patagonia.

Carole Waltman, a 15-time traveler from Fishers, Indiana, and Dr. Chris Amenson, a 13-time traveler from Sierra Madre, CA, weren’t looking for love when they traveled on O.A.T.’s Colombia’s Colonial Jewels & the Coffee Triangle adventure. “We both had happy 40-plus-year marriages and had been traveling many times with O.A.T. as singles,” Chris says. Carole, too, was “satisfied with single life” after her husband passed. But on the very first morning of their trip, sparks ignited in the hotel lobby.

“I asked the first person I saw where the water supply was,” Carole remembers. “Chris was that first person, and he not only directed me to the right place, but called me by my first name. We started talking, and talking, and talking, and I was taken by this handsome and intelligent man.”

For Chris, “the electricity was more than I had felt in 50 years,” he says. “There was an instant chemistry.”

Connecting in Colombia

Carole, a retired former music teacher, and Chris, a mostly-retired psychologist, were both traveling solo in Colombia, as had become their custom. Carole had always traveled solo with O.A.T., first joining us in Australia several months after her husband passed. Chris began his O.A.T. travels with his late wife, and solo travel became his respite after her 10-year illness. “For three of those years, I was 0% husband and 100% caregiver.” Compared to the emotional toll of caregiving, the return to a life of travel was, as he says, “in many ways easier.”

His fellow O.A.T. travelers also helped in the transition. “The other travelers were always so welcoming,” he says. “In the small group you can really get to know people.”

Chris and Carole during their fateful trip to Colombia.

And yet, throughout their time together in Colombia, neither of these previously satisfied singles could deny their deepening connection. “We sat together and grew closer as we talked and shared our lives and hopes for the future,” says Chris. “It seemed as if we had known each other forever.”

“We ate all our dinners together and sat on the bus together,” says Carole. “I quickly became enamored by Chris’s wit and character, and I found myself looking forward to spending more time with him.”

As the trip went on, the two realized they had much more in common than a shared love of travel—including a talent for dancing. “In Periera, we passed a band playing in the square and we danced,” says Chris. “The band leader said we were the best dancers, besting the 20-somethings on a Yale University tour.”

While their dance was a completely spontaneous moment, the pair very intentionally planned their final dinner together in Cartagena—a night they now recall fondly as their first date. “We had dinner in a romantic square with live music,” says Chris.

Taking “the leap”

Back home in Indiana and California following the trip, the relationship continued to evolve—but the two were understandably cautious about making things “official.” “We originally spent time at each other’s homes and planned to decide after a year,” says Chris.

“For me, taking the leap was gradual,” says Carole. “The real test was when Chris visited me in Indiana. Being together on a daily basis was very easy and comfortable. I realized I had developed a deep love and respect for him.”

In between international trips, the couple spent time visiting each other’s homes and meeting family and friends.

For Chris, he received “an Indiana welcome” courtesy of Carole’s friends. “They gave me a welcoming gift bag the first time I visited.” Chris has since met all of Carole’s family, who gave him “very good marks on my report card.”

Now that Chris has passed with flying colors, the two are making plans for him to move into Carole’s Indiana home, renovating a guest bedroom into his office. The decision between California and Indiana came down to proximity to Carole’s family, as well as her 15-year roots in her current home versus Chris’s single year spent in his—although he has called sunny California home for 50 years. “I’m worried about him adjusting to Indiana,” Carole laughs.

Their first official date was dinner and a concert at Disney Hall in California.

For now, the two are enjoying California while they can, with Carole visiting Chris over his birthday before they depart for Patagonia. “We went for a nice walk on Santa Monica Beach and had dinner right on the pier,” Chris says.

“Chris is a foodie and wine connoisseur, so he’s educating me,” says Carole, who indulged in oysters, sea urchin, octopus, and “lots of sushi” over the course of one week in California.

Where to next?

Of course, world travel is always top of mind for the couple—but how to decide on new destinations when Chris has visited 80 countries and Carole more than 50? “We made a list of places we both had been, and then where neither of us have been,” says Chris. Of the latter, “there aren’t many!” To broaden their options, they’ve also made a list of places they’d like to revisit.

Their first O.A.T. trip together will be to Scotland in July—a trip Carole reserved over a year ago to secure single space, which the couple converted into a double to accommodate Chris. Then, in October, they’ll join O.A.T. in Sicily and Malta. While Malta is a new destination for both of them, Sicily was on Chris’s list of trips to repeat. Further in the future, the couple is looking toward northern Italy with a pre-trip on their own in Switzerland, and O.A.T.’s adventure in Indonesia.

Collecting one of many future kisses.

At the very end of January, they departed for an independent journey to Patagonia, which is another repeat for Chris. “I’m trying to decide whether Chris is a better tour guide than an O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader,” says Carole. “Will he deserve a tip of $12 per day?”

“She can tip me in kisses,” says Chris. “I’ll collect 12 kisses per day.”

“One step at a time”

In between adventures, the two have plenty of hobbies to keep them busy and fulfilled. They share a passion for classical music and Broadway—which especially delights Carole as a vocalist who still performs. “Maybe between the two of us we’ll finally get all the lyrics!” As for Chris’s singing voice, he admits that he wasn’t exactly gifted with perfect pitch—which doesn’t bother Carole. “He’s not afraid to sing!” And of course, they’ve signed up for dance lessons.

Chris grew up a mile from Lambeau Field, and has family connections to the Green Bay Packers.

They are also both dedicated to fitness, which has them in great shape for their hikes in Patagonia. While Chris won’t join Carole for yoga, they do go to the gym together. “The other guys are always talking to her,” says Chris. “They’re used to her being the single lady!”

While Carole and Chris are single no more, they have thoughtful advice for other would-be travelers navigating the loss of a spouse. “It's important to maintain your curiosity about the world and to realize that travel is not daunting at all for a single person,” says Carole. “It's exciting and fulfilling.”

“Do things you love with groups. You will make new friends,” says Chris. “Don't chase love; the harder you chase the more it runs away. Yet, be open to feelings and take the risk to be vulnerable to exploring one step at a time.”

A fitting mantra for two people who weren’t chasing love … but let it find them all the same.

We can’t promise a love connection, but Colombia’s vibrant culture—complete with plenty of music—awaits on Colombia's Colonial Jewels & the Coffee Triangle.