Travelling with your BFF: the ups and downs
Traveling with your best friend is one of those things that are likely to be on everyone’s bucket list. To be able to see the world with your BFF by your side, making memories for life in a little Parisian café and taking those Instagram worthy shots.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel with my best friend three times (four, if you include going to Canberra) and these are some things I’ve learnt about traveling together, and still being friends at the end of a trip.
Let’s face it, it’s really great to hang out with your best friend. No one really gets you or your weird jokes like they do, and no one will tell you the truth about your outfit choices like they would.
But, traveling together can be really draining on your friendship. If you’re spending a long amount of time with anyone, you’re likely to fight and have moments where you never want to see them again. This will happen every one to two days, and it won’t even be about something serious. It ends up being about street directions or where you want to eat. My best friend and I had an argument one day about a chocolate egg she bought. Sometimes, it feels like it’s still too traumatic to bring up.
There’s also the fact there will probably be some friction when you have different plans, like when you want to see the sites and your best friend wants to go and see all the homeless cats in Rome.
I think it’s critical that in order to not kill each other, you have to realise it won’t all be fun and games 24/7. Travelling is stressful, and it gets to the best of us. You’re going to need your downtime alone, and you’re going to need to make some little sacrifices. It’s okay to go travelling with your friends, and still be alone sometimes. I honestly believe that when travelling with friends, the key is to be alone sometimes.
It’s like that test they tell couples to do, if you can make something from IKEA with your partner, you’re a match. The same goes with travelling, it has its hard times, but you come out a stronger person. There’s also the plus sides, you can borrow each other’s things, you always have someone to hang out with, you have a wingman/woman around at all times, someone to take those Instagram worthy shots and will always give you the first like.
