For those of you who don't know, I lived in the Czech Republic for 10 months as an exchange student after high school, so this idea resonated with me. I'll save my stories of travelling around Europe with some amazing friends for another day, but please stick around and check out Brittany's post. It's fantastic!! And I'm not just saying this because she is a fellow Buckeye...even though I love her for that too :)
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Hello, hello! I'm Brittany and I blog over at Everyday Thoughts, a lifestyle blog about my life as a working mom, wannabe cook, quasi fashionista, book-reading, sports-loving, travel guru. Margaret has so graciously allowed me to take over Life After Athens for a day and I want to share some of my thoughts on traveling with friends.
While I was studying abroad in Spain I heard this quote:
The quote made a lasting impression on me and sometimes I like to envision my life written out on the pages of a book, the best chapters earmarked, like ragged pages because they've been loved so much.
If you were to go pick up my book and read one of my favorite chapters it might be about my time in Spain with my best friend Megan. We studied Spanish together at La Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca but we learned more about ourselves and our friendship during that time than we did about the language and the culture. And we were nearly fluent after we returned, so that's saying something.
One of the things I learned is that traveling with a friend is one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences you can have in a lifetime. If you're anything like me, when you start out planning your trip your expectations are higher than they should be...
The trip will obviously be more epic than our best night out! Plus, since we're such good friends we'll obviously want to do all the same stuff and hang out with all the same people. I'll have a wing-women should I bump into any attractive young men during my travels...just saying. I mean there's no way I won't have the time of my life.
The truth is I did have the time of my life but it definitely had its ups and downs. After traveling with my best friend I learned a couple lessons:
- Set expectations on the front end. You may get along great with your friend but you want to make sure that you're both on the same page about your priorities for the trip.
- Be honest about your budget and how you plan to spend your money. If you plan on staying in hostels but eating at five star restaurants you may not appreciate impromptu shopping trips every afternoon. You're investing time and money so make sure you spend it on things that are important to you.
- Don't get caught up in the details. Have a plan, but be willing to be spontaneous. When you're traveling it's all about experiencing the culture. If there's a concert in the park or bike tour that looks awesome, be willing to break from the plans to try something unexpected.
- It's all a compromise. When you decide to travel with someone else, you have to take their concerns and interests to heart. That doesn't mean you need to be a pushover but you have to find the happy medium to please everyone.
- Arrive and depart as friends. Traveling is exciting but it can be incredibly frustrating. No matter what happens on your travels remember that you've chosen to take a trip with someone you consider a friend, make sure that you return with an even stronger friendship.
It's been far too long since I took a trip with my bestie. Now all I need is a destination. If you have any advice on a great vacation spots, I'd love for you to stop by my blog Everyday Thoughts and share!
Be Blessed and Safe Travels,
Brittany
