Travelling with friends

I know of a few friends who traveled together, and came home not speaking to each other!

Quote from liliram


I have heard of that happening too. What happens to cause it?

I moved to London, England at the same time as a friend when I was 19. Travelling together, sort of I suppose. That freindship ended. It was OK in the village we lived in in Ireland and we used to hang out a lot, but things changed in London. She started gossiping about me a lot and she became very unreliable. ie She would plan to meet me someplace and then not show up, and it was always at a place that was inconvenient for me to get to and convenient for her. I put up with it for around 6 months because we had known each other for 8 years before that. Then I decided that I would keep my distance from her. I met up with her a few times since that time in London. I think London was the start of her making a complete mess of her life, and the start of my life getting more exciting. I suppose that just caused us to clash way too much.

I have only travelled with my boyfriend and exs. Those went very well. I think the guys I am in a relationship with make perfect travelling companions. Reply to this

I don't understand how they ever came to be friends without knowing how divergent their interests were!

What I cant understand is why they dont do a few things separately while travelling together. I think doing a few thing separately is actually the reason I got along so well with my exs, when we travelled together. Reply to this

I'm sure I read a blog here somewhere about 2 girlfriends travelling together, even sharing the same TB acct. Too bad I can't recall their names. But they split up in the middle of their trip.............and one of the 2 blogged about it here. Reply to this

Yay! some unbelievable friendship! Reply to this

This has happened to my mom. Once when my mother (she is a single mother mind you) took our family (4 children) to France (a road trip all around France) and invited her friend along. Not only did they stop speaking to each other half way during the trip we had to bear with the awkward tensions in the car while we drove from place to place. The lady didn't want to pay her way and forced my mother to pay for her!

Another time we drove around Spain and Italy for some weeks. (Notice a trend here?) My mother brought along another friend who kept trying to sleep with the locals and spent all her money drinking and complaining that Spain and Italy looked the same and are ugly. This friend also refused to even use any of the local languages and relied on us to translate.

The last time this happened was when we were on a cruise to Jamaica, another friend drank way too much and was left in Cozumel, Mexico and blamed my mother who does not drink for her being left. (Her friend was at Fat Tuesday.)

I personally think you see the best and worst of people once traveling with them. Reply to this

I've traveled many times with friends, and I have never had a bad experience. Maybe I'm lucky.

One thing traveling tends to do is bring out the "raw" nature of people. Being in unfamiliar surroundings attempting to do things that are thought to be entertaining or new or radically different elicits "real" behavior. I remember going to Monterey, CA, in 2002 with a really good friend of mine. This friend isn't the biggest fan of traveling and rarely has positive things to say voluntarily. (That doesn't make him sound friendly, but that couldn't be further from the truth. He's cynical, not negative.) To this day, one of my favorite traveling experiences was when he spontaneously said that he hasn't had such a good time in many years. Coming from him, this was a stunning compliment. I've had many other experiences like this one, in which the vacation brings out the real reasons you are friends with people.

People are going to clash on trips, undoubtedly, but the friends that last are the ones who can laugh about it a couple of hours later.

Traveling with my girlfriend is always entertaining. We never plan for anything, which makes our trips so much better (seriously). Our vacations are exercises in spontaneity, and I can't tell you how rewarding that has been. Planning vacations can be a source of conflict, so I have taken this out of relationship trips. Works like a charm for us. Reply to this

Does it bring out who people really are or how they are under odd circumstances? After all I see myself under usual conditions as normal - rather than other places. Reply to this

I've generally found that people's real personalities are revealed when their environment is unusual. It's easy to create a facade in your "typical" surroundings.

Maybe I watch too much House, though. Reply to this

I've generally found that people's real personalities are revealed when their environment is unusual.

I think a persons character is revealed in adverse situations, but I am not so sure travel could be considered to be an adverse situation, unless something very unsual and maybe threatening happens.

But, rather than revealing the real person, I think adversity reveals another aspect to a persons personality. Other aspects they show before that can be real too.

If me and my buddy have to have a couple of fist fights...then so be it.

I think when a person does not get enough personal space, they can become irritable and maybe even get sharp with the person(or people) who is in their space. That likely happens a lot with travel buddies. Reply to this

When travelling with friends you can't avoid having arguments while on the road it happens but if you and your friends understand each other then this kind of situation can be avoided and enjoy every moment of the travel. Reply to this