The eight duets
Every couple who finishes lands in one of these. It is not a score and there is no better one to be — a duet is a way to travel together, not a rank. Reading them, you will probably pick one. It is worth finding out whether your partner picks the same one.
How to read the shapes
Each duet below carries its own shape, drawn from the same eight lines every couple is measured on. The filled area is where that duet sits. The shapes are calculated, not designed — which is why III and VII come out as near-opposites, and why VIII cannot be drawn as one shape at all.
“Stillness, perfected.”
Slow, comfortable, and quiet. You are not here to see things; you are here to stop. The best day of this trip has one appointment in it, and you keep it late.
What it producesThree things in three days, and the third one is optional.
UNHURRIED ▸ COMFORT ▸ QUIET
“The classics are classics for a reason.”
The grand hotel, the restaurant that has been there sixty years, the room everyone has heard of. You are not chasing the new thing. Things become classics for a reason and you would like to find out which.
What it producesFour bookings, made in the order that matters. The rest of the day is walking.
COMFORT ▸ FOOD ▸ FAMILIAR
“Where the crowds cannot follow.”
Somewhere with weather and a coastline and no one you know. Slow, but not soft — you will drive an hour for an empty beach and you will not mention it to anyone.
What it producesOne road, one town you have not heard of, and a beach we will not name on this page.
OPEN SPACE ▸ QUIET ▸ UNHURRIED
“The itinerary is a menu.”
The meal is the event and the day arranges itself around it. You book dinner before you book the room, and you are right to.
What it producesDinner is chosen first. The rest of the day is arranged so you arrive hungry.
FOOD ▸ DEEP IN IT ▸ THE SCENE
“We can sleep at home.”
Up early, out all day, in it rather than near it. Comfort is negotiable and the itinerary is full on purpose. You will sleep on the plane.
What it producesOut before breakfast, back after dark. One rest day, and you will argue about where to put it.
FULL DAYS ▸ OPEN SPACE ▸ SIMPLE
“Let's decide when we get there.”
Somewhere neither of you has been and few people you know have either — planned carefully, precisely so that the unfamiliar part can be genuinely unfamiliar.
What it producesA route neither of you can pronounce, planned to the hour so the unfamiliar part stays unfamiliar.
NEW TO US ▸ PLANNED ▸ OPEN SPACE
“The night is an itinerary.”
A city, and the good part starts at eight. You want density, noise, a table you had to ask for, and a walk home. Nature is what you look at from the plane.
What it producesNothing before noon. The table at nine, the walk home at one.
CITY ▸ THE SCENE ▸ FULL DAYS
“Two norths. One journey.”
You want different trips, on at least three counts — and that is the identity, not a fault in it. Your days alternate on purpose: one of you gets the morning, the other gets the afternoon, and neither has to pretend.
What it producesAlternating days. One of you takes the morning, the other takes the afternoon, and neither has to pretend.
DIVERGENT ON THREE OR MORE
Ten questions each. Separately, then together.