Musings, Travel Journal, Write it Now

Are Friends still friends after you’ve travelled together?

It started with a phone call from my sister 10 years ago asking if we could help her get to Rome … Rome? My husband’s career was with an airline and sometimes we can help family members get a better rate … Rome?  Why ya goin’ to Rome?  A Mediterranean cruise, wanna come?  Well!

Suddenly I reeealllly wanted to go to the Mediterranean.  I had passed through 30 years earlier and had such great memories of it.  Of course, the result is , we DID join them and that was the beginning of our travelling foursome.

We have made 5 trips together and have travelled in

13 different countries.  These trips have varied between 3 to 5 weeks – a long time to be in the company of another couple, family or not. We usually share a house rental, and a car so we pretty much live in each others’ pockets the whole time. 

We always say we don’t have to do everything together, we can split up sometimes, but we rarely do.  We’re pretty much in each others’ sight for the duration.  And we remain friends!?! I say this with incredulity because, well, we’ve all got our quirks, right?

A friend once told me that she didn’t know anyone, friend or family, that she would want to travel with for that long.  I guess that included me 😦

That made me realize that we really are very lucky in this, that the four of us get along so well.  Always assured of laughter that will bring tears to the eyes whenever we get together, we have endless remembrances of travels that we hash and rehash and because each of us was there nobody’s eyes glaze over from  repetition of the repetitions. Something that is sure to send a non-travel companion, even the staunchest of friends, into a catatonic stupor or scrambling from the room. (yawn)

Together we have collected stories of travels by plane and ship, ferry and funicular, by automobile, coach, bus, gondola, subway, vaporetto, and  train, trolley, and taxi – we even have elevator stories and all have given us endless hours of amusement.  One of the things I enjoy most about travelling is the memories and being able to endlessly share those memories is a priceless bonus.

Images from freedigitalphotos.net

19 thoughts on “Are Friends still friends after you’ve travelled together?”

  1. I know exactly what you mean about the freedom and joy of being able to rehash travel stories with the friend you went with. I have a couple of friends like that who I’ve travelled with a few times and would love to do it again, although they’ve both turned into dreadful snorers so I’d have to rethink sharing a room with them!

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    1. Lots of benefits to travelling with someone other than spouses, not the least of which is sharing costs but when that means listening to snoring, well, ‘hardship’ certainly needs to be given due consideration 😉

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    1. Amazing actually, Naomi. Sisters may be expected to some extent,
      but the brothers-in-law – that’s amazing. My G isn’t so interested in travelling any more unless my sister’s B is going too. Isn’t that great?

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  8. Oh gosh no. We don’t travel well with others. I can’t stand waiting for Aunt Kristen to finish her perfect make-up and put on her perfect outfit while I want to see Venus de Milo. Solo travelers all the way.

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        1. LOL! You are so funny! Now my sister and I, we are compatible – I embarrass her by calling the bow of the ship the “pointy end” and she turns around and does A over Tea Kettle down the grand stairacase on the way to the formal dinner. That’s what I mean about compatability Robin.

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