Is traveled spelled with one L or two?

Okay, here’s that little spelling dilemma, written with a bit more of a personal, relatable touch:

“Traveled” or “travelled”? Ugh, seriously, does anyone else get tripped up by this all the time? It’s like, I know how to spell, but then travel throws a wrench in things when I’m trying to talk about going somewhere in the past. For me, being American, it’s always “traveled” – just one “l.” It looks right, it feels right.

But then I remember, oh yeah, the British do things differently! It’s “travelled” with two “l”s over there. Honestly, why can’t we all just agree on one spelling and be done with it? Is that too much to ask? It just seems so… arbitrary, you know? Like someone just decided one day, “Hey, let’s make this a little more confusing for everyone!”

I remember once, I was writing an email to a colleague in London, and I kept going back and forth on the spelling. I think I actually Googled it like three times to be absolutely sure I wasn’t going to commit some sort of transatlantic spelling faux pas. It’s ridiculous! You’d think with all the important things going on in the world, we could find something better to argue about than an extra “l” in a word. But, hey, that’s language for ya, right? Always keeping us on our toes, even when we just want to talk about our vacations.