Travel Ladybugs: 5 Realizations About Traveling with a Buddy
by Michelle Chan
Upon my recent weekend mini-trip with a friend, I’ve come to realize the true experiences that are innate with having a travel buddy. Whether we bonded over the endless books in a local bookstore or built unspoken tension while trying to navigate through the area, they were these adventures that created such an eye-opening experience that left me a changed person. As a young, curious teenager eager to see the world, I bring you these various realizations you’re bound to experience at least once in your life.
You’ll start to get on each other’s nerves.
I previously imagined this trip as an adventure filled with smooth-sailing happiness and escalating excitement, unaware of the possible (and probable) mishaps that could arise. Obviously, I was wrong. Just to give some context, my friend and I somehow always got on the wrong public bus, couldn’t agree on the same activities to do, and even got separated. As expected, a significant portion of the trip was in fact filled with some “low key” tension between us. But despite these roadblocks, I wouldn’t change it for one bit. Because we could work through these tough situations while traveling, it was an incredibly great learning experience for our next trip together.
You will have many, many disagreements.
Pro tip: to minimize the disagreements between you and your travel buddy, find a balance between the desirable “spontaneous adventures” and actual, hard core planning. Without a plan, you’re bound to waste precious minutes just deciding what to do. One person is going to want to spend the entire day at a museum and the other may want to spend all day at a record store, prompting some serious disagreements up ahead (especially if there’s limited time). The key thing is to compromise. When you and your travel buddy find a midpoint between your two interests, everything suddenly becomes so clear. You’ll be able to make better decisions, and even more, learn to respect and admire each other’s different interests.
Your relationship will grow stronger.
From rising tensions to liberating, exciting experiences, the adventures you and your travel buddy will have will ultimately lead to a stronger relationship. Because these journeys are like a rollercoaster, you’ll have to face both the thrilling and frustrating points in your lives that you’ll only push through by working together and understanding each other. While you may feel like you hate the other person in the midst of a disagreement, by the end of the trip you’ll realize just how much trust and respect you’ve grown for each other’s differences.
You’ll view your journey in a different perspective.
While you may have your own views of the trip from your pair of eyes, your travel buddy may see something entirely different. Being able to understand their perspective and way of thinking will not only benefit you as a person in terms of respectability but will allow you to broaden your mind in terms of beliefs. It’ll be all the more exciting to experience the culture with a different pair of eyes.
You’ll have the time of your life.
Despite the obstacles that may lie ahead, there’s one thing I can guarantee you on your next trip with a travel buddy: you’ll have a blast. Whether it be experiencing a newfound freedom and independence or simply exploring the different cultures that surround you, sharing these adventures with a friend make everything even more meaningful––even the little intricacies.