They say that you don’t really know someone until you have traveled with them and there could be some truth in that. Sure, it’s fun to have a travel companion or two to experience new lands and new adventures with, however being at close quarters with someone for an extended period of time is sure to result in disagreements, or one or both of you feeling irritated by the other at some point along the way.
So what can you expect when traveling with your friends? How can you survive six months together in Asia without one of you wanting to kill the other?
You Have a Cultural Wingman
That is, a wingman in the travel sense, not any other interpretation of the term. You egg each other on to try weird and wonderful things together – eating live octopus in Korea that is still scrambling around trying to escape your plate, bbqing kangaroo burgers in Sydney and participating in an insect buffet in Asia.
You feel more amped up to try these things when you have a companion to do it with you. When you have a good friend traveling with you, even the most outrageous and strange activities don’t seem so peculiar.
You can also find much better vacation travel deals when traveling as a twosome or a group – you can split the costs of rooms and resorts so that the price seems that bit more economical.
You Have an Instagram-Photographer
You know those killer Instagram accounts where a girl is perched at the edge of a cliff in a long floaty dress and you just wish that you could look the same? Now you can when traveling with your besties! You don’t have to feel awkward about posing for shots on a timer when traveling alone, or put up with someone getting their thumb in the frame when you ask them to take the same photo again because your pals will be happy to take the photos again and again until you got it right. After all, you’ll do the same for them. Go ahead and do it for the ‘gram!
You Will Drive Each Other Crazy at Some Point
It’s bound to happen along the way, even if you are completely alike. Little traits that you once found adorable and funny start to drive you mental – that snort she does when she laughs is as unbearable as hearing nails screech down a blackboard and if you hear her tell one more group of backpackers that story about the creepy hotelier in Mexico you’re going to lose your temper. It’s normal to feel this way if you’re with the same people all of the time and it’s okay to want time out.
You Have a Support Network
Traveling is your time to enjoy the freedom of exploring the world and discovering the different cultures within it, and you will love every moment of it but if you are traveling long term, it doesn’t take much to set you off on a bout of homesickness and you may find that the strangest things trigger such emotions.
Maybe you pass a burger joint and it reminds you of your favorite place in your home town, maybe you hear a song out a bar that has you feeling nostalgic. Either way, these feelings are much easier to deal with when you have someone to help you through them and encourage you to focus on the present.
You Pick up Each Others Mannerisms
If you spend a lot of time around the same person then you may start to notice yourself picking up some of their habits – from terms that they use, to the way that they curse randomly in the middle of sentences or even aspects of their body language. Before long, you will be almost the same person!
You Will Crave Alone Time…
You conclude that if you do one more canyon hike with your best friend you will wind up pushing her in the canyon. Afterall, she is still repeating that story about the Mexican guy to every traveler or hiker you encounter! You will definitely want some space at some point – for a a few hours or an entire day, to rejuvenate alone, refresh and enjoy doing a thing or two by yourself.
…But Miss Each Other During Times Apart
You’ve been apart for almost three hours now and you’re wondering if it’s needy to call your friend up and ask them where they’re at. You have so much to tell them already and you can’t believe how much you’ve missed them!
Your Bond Strengthens
When you go through hard times together, or a range of different situations then it certainly strengthens the relationship you have with someone and traveling is one example of that.
After all, by the end of your trip you will know virtually everything about each other and have conquered a variety of challenges together – from Delhi Belly in India, to learning how to haggle and dealing with overzealous vendors in the Middle East. No matter where life takes you and your travel friends, you will always hold this special bond.
You Get a Bunch of Inside Jokes
Shared experiences together, comical encounters and cultural mishaps mean that you have plenty to laugh about from your travels. After traveling together, you will have a bunch of inside jokes that your other friends back at home, or other travelers you meet on the road just wouldn’t be able to understand.
