Friends "Take Away"

It’s amazing how you could be in the most wonderful place in the whole wide world, but if you’re with the wrong people it could be a complete disaster. Traveling with someone is completely different than just being friends, and the people you meet on the road might not necessarily be people you would gravitate towards at home. People keep saying that the true strength test of a relationship or friendship is backpacking through Southeast Asia (or really anywhere) for a month.

My brother and I have found our groove. We know each others strengths and weaknesses, and when to back off and when to push each other. We’ve seen other travelling buddies who have not been as fortunate. People have their horror stories, and how they will NEVER travel with the other person again, or how they’ve gone days without speaking. It’s too bad, but I also get it. I have friends who I absolutely adore, but the idea of traveling with them in various capacities would be complete hell.

I love that when you meet a fellow traveler on the road the first topic of conversation is “how long are you traveling for?”, followed by “where else are you going?” and then “where are you from?” We’re traveling for 2 months, and that’s been on the short side in comparison to the majority of the people we’ve met, except Americans. This makes me sad… non-Americans are traveling for at least 2 months, Americans give you this sad look and say, “a couple weeks” and then roll their eyes and say “that’s all the time I could get off work”. My opinion on this topic is for another conversation because I could go on for days, but it’s a bummer meeting so many people around the world whose cultures encourage exploration and for us it’s “here’s your two weeks of vacation a year… good luck with that.” Not cool!

We’ve meet some truly incredible people from all backgrounds and with all kinds of reasons to find themselves traveling in Southeast Asia. We’ve learned so much from people we’ve spent a few days with in addition to just in passing. Traveling shouldn’t just be a bug, it’s a lifestyle that’s worth the investment.