TRAVEL

 

 

Travel buddy

 

 

If you want to understand somebody,

go with him on a journey

 – Abaluyia of Kenya

 

I’ve visited Barcelona four times. Each time I went, I travelled to see a super special friend. She’s a great person. But she’s not a good local guide.

We never went to the UNESCO listed Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Park Güell or Casa Milà, though I would have welcomed the chance to marvel at Antoni Gaudi’s eclectic design. We never made it to the hilltop neighborhood, Mont Juïc, on the site of an old Jewish cemetery. Somehow we never visited Jardines Reina Elisenda, to see Monestir de Pedralbes convent, apparently a fine example of Catalan Gothic architecture. 

No, we never saw any of that. But we partied. And Barcelona knows how to party.

Have you ever travelled anywhere and missed all the top attractions?

At some point, on one of those trips, I met my future travel buddy. Some time later, we had a date at a tequila bar in Bristol. And several months later, we travelled together for the first time. Back to Barcelona.

My travel buddy has been by my side, living in eight countries and travelling through countless others. When we got married, a few years after we had met, I referred to this proverb in my wedding vows:

If you want to understand somebody,

go with him on a journey

It could not be any more true.

And when you pack up your life into a few cases, and move to yet another, unfamiliar country, you are tested to the limit. A person shows their true colours. You see what they’re made of.

What have you found out about another person by travelling together?

Your journey might be a week on the road somewhere, or a fortnight on a beach. In our case it has been many years of adventures, living in different countries. Our journey is ongoing.

When it comes to actual trips, we are very compatible travel companions. We have very particular roles when it comes to travel planning, never assigned ones, just understood.

After deciding on a place to visit, I typically book the flights. I’m somehow more patient with details and websites. He organises a rental car. He is meticulous with the arrival dates and times. I will book accommodation, at least for the first couple of nights. I usually sniff out somewhere unique to stay. He simply looks ahead to going and says “surprise me”, fully embracing the newness, not wanting to know all the details.

What different skills do you and your travel buddy have?

We are in total agreement on some travel stuff. We almost never book a tour. We meander. We roam. There is rarely a plan. There is never an itinerary.

If I was being flippant, I would say that our was a relationship was founded on hedonism. Or tequila. Or both. But in truth, it’s been all about the travel. Wanderlust.

We had both lived and worked in other countries before met. We decided to move overseas together early in our relationship. We haven’t stopped wandering much since then.

It’s 20 years since our first journey together. I could never have predicted all the experiences shared and the countries we have seen in that time. We wouldn’t be without it.

And while life continues to change, one thing remains the same; the desire to experience new places together. Let’s travel together always. Life wasn’t meant to be lived in one place.

Who’s your travel buddy? Why are they special?

Share this post with them.

 

 

©Maggie M / Mother City Time