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The bittersweetness of meeting travel buddies
I travel solo backpacking style for almost 20 years now and one of the best and worst things about it is meeting and parting ways with "travel friends".
Every now and then when I am travelling I meet a person with whom I really hit if off (platonic) and spend a short but very intense time together. You do the whole "friendship" thing in time lapse mode and for a short while you are a huge and very important part of each others lifes. You get used to them being around every day from morning til evening very quickly. Often these people are from different continents or countries and it's obvious you'll never see them again after your journey together is over. I always feel like I am grieving a lost friend for a short time after such an experience. Eventually the impression fades and they become just another part of your travel memories.
Can someone relate?
I experience this thing at the moment so I decided to post about it. Maybe some of you can relate and want to share some stories about awesome friends you met - even if it was just for a short time.
*A few of mine (you might want to skip this):*
*I was not travelling but hosting couch surfers (when couchsurfing was still the real deal) with my former roommate. We hosted Carry from a big US city and she was awesome. She wanted to stay for 3 nights but eventually stayed 7. My roommate and I took some time off work to explore our city + surroundings together. She was at ours during Thanksgiving (which is not a thing in our coutry) and we cooked some thanksgiving foods with her, invited friends and had Thanksgiving dinner because she felt a little homesick because of the holiday.*
*I was couchsurfing with a girl in Norway, Nicky, who was really into metal (just like me) and showed me all the related hidden gems like bars, music shops and even got us into some shows for free backstage because she was working as security in a concert venue that often had metal shows.*
*When I was in Japan I met a guy from Spain, Riccardo, in a small village. We figured that we had the same interests and about the same route planned through the country so we decided to travel together for two weeks through Kyushu before I went back home and he went to another of the japanese islands to continue his trip. It was amazing and together we did some things we both wouldn't have tried alone, like hiking through a thick and ancient cedar forest on a island with one night outside.*
*This time I was in Scotland and I planned to travel around by train (I don't drive in other countries) and at my first hostel I met a guy and he wanted to travel basically the same route but had a rental car. We explored the capital for 1 day together and we had so much fun that he invited me to just share the cost of his rental car and drive together. It was amazing.*
Those people and a few more were at my side for just a very short time but I got so used to them being there when I got up in the morning and then for the whole day that parting ways really hurt for a while. I still remember everyone and think about them when I think about my travels. I am bad at staying in touch so I usually just wish them all the best for the future when it's time to say good bye. I really hope they all live their lifes to the fullest somewhere right now.
#nature #activity
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I travel solo backpacking style for almost 20 years now and one of the best and worst things about it is meeting and parting ways with "travel friends".
Every now and then when I am travelling I meet a person with whom I really hit if off (platonic) and spend a short but very intense time together. You do the whole "friendship" thing in time lapse mode and for a short while you are a huge and very important part of each others lifes. You get used to them being around every day from morning til evening very quickly. Often these people are from different continents or countries and it's obvious you'll never see them again after your journey together is over. I always feel like I am grieving a lost friend for a short time after such an experience. Eventually the impression fades and they become just another part of your travel memories.
Can someone relate?
I experience this thing at the moment so I decided to post about it. Maybe some of you can relate and want to share some stories about awesome friends you met - even if it was just for a short time.
*A few of mine (you might want to skip this):*
*I was not travelling but hosting couch surfers (when couchsurfing was still the real deal) with my former roommate. We hosted Carry from a big US city and she was awesome. She wanted to stay for 3 nights but eventually stayed 7. My roommate and I took some time off work to explore our city + surroundings together. She was at ours during Thanksgiving (which is not a thing in our coutry) and we cooked some thanksgiving foods with her, invited friends and had Thanksgiving dinner because she felt a little homesick because of the holiday.*
*I was couchsurfing with a girl in Norway, Nicky, who was really into metal (just like me) and showed me all the related hidden gems like bars, music shops and even got us into some shows for free backstage because she was working as security in a concert venue that often had metal shows.*
*When I was in Japan I met a guy from Spain, Riccardo, in a small village. We figured that we had the same interests and about the same route planned through the country so we decided to travel together for two weeks through Kyushu before I went back home and he went to another of the japanese islands to continue his trip. It was amazing and together we did some things we both wouldn't have tried alone, like hiking through a thick and ancient cedar forest on a island with one night outside.*
*This time I was in Scotland and I planned to travel around by train (I don't drive in other countries) and at my first hostel I met a guy and he wanted to travel basically the same route but had a rental car. We explored the capital for 1 day together and we had so much fun that he invited me to just share the cost of his rental car and drive together. It was amazing.*
Those people and a few more were at my side for just a very short time but I got so used to them being there when I got up in the morning and then for the whole day that parting ways really hurt for a while. I still remember everyone and think about them when I think about my travels. I am bad at staying in touch so I usually just wish them all the best for the future when it's time to say good bye. I really hope they all live their lifes to the fullest somewhere right now.
#nature #activity
source
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