MICHELLE Bourke had long dreamed of travelling the world with her husband Paul – but the couple’s plans were put on hold when Paul was diagnosed with skin cancer.
And as his condition got worse, it became clear that they would never be able to travel together.
Michelle told Sun Online Travel: “When he was bed bound, we’d just sit around and talk.
“He asked me what I planned to do when he was gone, and I told him I was still going to travel.
“I said I would take a photo of him and put him in my suitcase to go with him seeing as we had planned to go together.”
Paul tragically passed away in 2016.
After a year, Melbourne-based Michelle was finally ready to honour her promise to her late husband.
She booked a nine-week tour across the US and Europe as her first trip.
Initially she wanted to take a large banner celebrating his life and their 25 years together, but she soon realised it would be too heavy to carry around with her.
Michelle explained: “After speaking to my cousin who said something flatter and lighter would be better, we found a cut-out company who do celebrities but also people.”
She settled on a cardboard cut-out of Paul, that’s more portable and can “fold up into three pieces”.
Michelle said: “He easily folds flat and can fit into my suitcase, or into the bag to put in overhead lockers.”
Michelle started in New Jersey in the US where she took “Cardboard Paul” to a Paul McCartney concert.
She then continued on to New York, Houston, Las Vegas, Austin and Dallas – travelling with him by bus and train.
After that, she turned her attention to Europe where she spent sometime in the UK and France.
The experience was daunting at first, especially given other people’s reactions.
Michelle explained: “During the tours, non-Australian tourists looked confused, especially when we took photos with him in London.”
“But other people would say hello to him during the trips, asking how he was, while others said they couldn’t believe I was doing it.”
The journey was far from perfect.
Michelle admitted she “burst into tears” when she first looked at the Eiffel Tower with his cardboard cut-out – it was the romantic spot that they’ve always wanted to visit together.
She added: “I know he is with me in my memories and my heart even if not in person.
“When I spoke to him before he died, he said I wouldn’t ever go travelling – he knew me too well because he knew by saying that, I would do it.”
Last year they went to Thailand, and she plans to travel around the UK and Paris again later this year with him, as well as spending some time in Hong Kong.
She has also written a book about her travels, called #Travelling with Cardboard Paul.
Michelle said: “The first time I went on holiday with him was daunting, but I’ve since found the courage to travel around the world with the cardboard cut-out of Paul.”
Another bizarre travel trend is the “solomoon”, when married couples go on their honeymoon without each other.
Some couples claim it works better if both partners want a different sort of holiday to each other.
However, others have said it is a bad sign for couples who don’t want to go on the same honeymoon so soon after their marriage.
