Someone recently asked me what is the one tip id give to a virgin traveller.. well, the thing is, everyone of us will have our own list of preference or order of priority.. but if youd like to know and read about mine, it is this: The number of and companions you travel with matters. A lot. Most people find comfort and fun traveling in a huge group. I mean, even closer to home, staycations and chalets are a perfect example of where youll have more than twenty people enjoying drinks and a bbq together.. but heres the thing - chalets, sleepovers, retreats.. theyre all for just a few hours to 3 days max so there really isnt and wont be a problem (unless you get absolutely wasted but thats a different story). But when youre planning a holiday trip or journey thats going to last more than 5 days and you dont intend to go alone.. choose your travel buddies carefully before you even choose your destination. Seriously. Picking the right traveling companion will make your trip even more memorable and awesome.. going with the wrong one(s) though, can absolutely ruin your friendship, relationship, or worse.. your traveling experience. Because traveling will throw you in a whole different environment that will test and challenge you in many new ways, and really, the last thing youd want is to be in close proximity with the wrong personalities who will, intentionally or not, tip the scale and possibly break you. The longer the days of travel + a lot of people with different personalities and preferences = intense drama. Heres what I personally think is the magic traveling group number.. 4. Yourself, and three other friends. Because 4 is a logistical dream. Taxi? No problem. Hotel room? Well split two or all crash in one. Sitting arrangement at restaurants? Just get a square table; no awkward person left at the foot of the table chairing the dinner. Cos the thing with a traveling party of 4, it usually works out as a buddy-buddy system where all you need is one other to do anything together with without feeling too guilty or making the other two feel left out cos theyve still got each other. Its also why I feel two couples (who should already be close in some way) traveling together, makes the best love and friendship experience. 3s also a good number. But the tricky thing about traveling with another two is.. it become a lot more democratic. Because unlike when youre with a company of four, traveling as a trio usually means youll stick together a lot more closely and be making a lot more decisions together. But 3 is still a good number because when two people argue or fight, there will always be an automatic mediator or swing vote. That said.. if you plan to travel as a trio, travel with your closest friends. Not with a random third person whos a friend of a friend sort of connection. Things will get awkward and complicated even with the closest of friends and trust me, itll be a lot worse with a biased outsider. Again, ill say pick your traveling companions carefully based on how well you already know their personality and preferences - because shit will inevitably happen but if you have more mutual similarities than differences with your buddies, things will be resolved quickly. On the other hand, if youve got someone who wants to shop all day, another who loves going about exploring and a third who just wants to chill at a cafe.. you will hate each others guts at the end of the trip. So know yours and their personality/ style as you consider who to go abroad with. 2. Travel with your best friend or your lover. Itll either strengthen your relationship or tear the both of you apart. Because youll see and be with (and sometimes even dependent on) one another almost every minute and you will share/experience the very best and worst with/of each other that no few hours date will ever be able to cover up a superficial front. Couples go for honeymoons after marriage.. I reckon couples should go on at least a week long trip together BEFORE they agree to marry one another. Because traveling as a couple is not quite the same as living together.. traveling will put anyone in or face situations that will bring out the good and ugly of themselves and each other. And finally.. travelling alone. I would say im now an advocate of traveling solo. Even for girls. We should all do it at the very least once in our lifetime. Because traveling alone launches us out of our comfort zone into a sea of uncertainty and you will have to adapt or only have yourself to blame. But all these decision making will force us to be adaptable and independent. All these interactions with others in an unfamiliar environment will teach us to be survivors and maybe even awaken a new sense of purpose within us. So my one tip if anyone were to ever ask me - travel with the right people and travel alone one day, because.. this, and more which youll discover for yourself along the way. Hmm if youre planning to go on a trip soon or someday, why dont you try sharing this post and tagging your partner, best friend or three other friends that youd love to go traveling with and see what theyd say to that.. ;) - If youve been following my posts on Facebook and Instagram, you might know that ive been traveling quite a bit this 2014; to 16 different countries (and various cities) around the world that includes: South Africa, China, Iceland, Peru.. from Sydney to Vegas, London, Madrid, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur.. and other Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar. Ill be going on another journey again tomorrow morning.. if you want to, you can follow my instagram @mattzachliu for stories and updates on the road.
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 13:51:44 +0000
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