The best travel stories are usually the weirdest ones. At least that’s how it is with me! Those when you felt the worse, lost, and hated what you’re doing. The other option is that something so beautiful happened to you, that every time you think back, you can’t help but smile. Each one has always a lesson as well if you’re paying attention.
2017 was the year when I started to travel quite frequently. I’ve been trying to travel somewhere every 3-4 months. Usually, I was going to Rome. But there were some exceptions too.
At that time I was madly in love with Rome, and I’ve been spending all my spare money to visit this city over and over again…
#1 Rome: The beautify of meeting people abroad
During my trips to Rome, I met so many people. Travelers and locals as well. I’ve become friends with some amazing people from around the world, thanks to my trips, and this is what value the most!
Meeting new people, making connections is one of the biggest gifts of traveling. I can’t count how many amazing people I encountered on the road, and how many beautiful stories I heard. And I can just hope, that I’ll have even more similar experiences!
With most of the people, I became friends in Rome, I still keep in touch. There are about 4 friends who we speak on a weekly bases still. And it’s amazing! I’m so grateful to have these friends coming from different cultures. They all taught me so much that I would’ve never had the chance to find out or learn if I don’t meet these locals and travelers.
#2 Venice – Verona – Garda Lake – Iseo Lake – Milan
The very first multi-stop trip I have ever organized! The whole idea of going on this trip came from nowhere. But planning the trip and trying to keep up with the schedule… Well, that was the real challenge!
It all happened in June 2017. We’ve headed with my boyfriend back then on this trip on a Thursday, and we had 5 days to get around. The plan was to start our trip to Venice, and with stops in Verona, the Garda Lake, the Iseo Lake, to end it in Milan.
This was my first trip to Italy that was outside of Rome. It was also the first time, that it came to my mind to potentially move once in this side of Italy.
The miscalculations in the itinerary, getting lost multiple times, in multiple cities… Facing a railway strike on our last day, and having a 3-hour flight delay on our way back… This is just the highlight of the full story. Read more about our misadventures in the North of Italy in my previous article!
The most important thing I learned on this trip was that I need to improve my Italian! With more confidence and more knowledge, I would’ve save us a lot of time. Really, a lot!
As a second, I learned, that in every itinerary we make, be it for a day or a week. Be it in multiple places, or just one city, you always need to be prepared for misadventure, delay, and failed plans. Being prepared, and always having a plan B, even a plan C will come very handy in desperate situations.
#3 Varna, Bulgaria
This trip was organized by the company I’ve been working for at that time as a product manager. Basically they took about 100 workers to this resort in Varna, Bulgaria for a team-building long weekend.
You can imagine, that no one was moaning about it! It’s been my first time near the beach in years! For such a long time I was busy with historical places, cities, my studies as a historian at university, and being involved in a Hungarian cultural organization, that destinations such as beaches didn’t even come to my head.
I felt such a relief over that weekend. Being near the beach… I was actually sitting every day, for hours before sunset, and just watched the sea. Something changed in me there. I didn’t recognize it at that time, but my fast-developing wanderlust had started somewhere at this point.
A weekend with colleagues, friends, great parties, and beautiful sunsets led me to perceive that I wanted to do something more with my life, than already being a manager at a company, doing nothing more than settling down and building up my very comfortable life in my hometown.
I always tried to listen to that inner voice, and I never left for anyone to control me. Considering myself a free spirit, I was always ready to fight back to anyone who tried to stop me from going for my dreams.
It took so much time after this happened, to actually find out and know what is that I really wanted. But Varna was the place where I realized what was that I did not want.
#4 A Roman Holiday story
One of my closest friends, Cristina was my travel buddy at home, and abroad as well. I wrote previously about our short trip to London together, as well as our Roman Holiday Story in Rome, and a couple more.
This trip to Rome in September 2017 was our first trip together abroad. It’s been my 4th trip so far to the Eternal City, and Cristina’s first. Since this, we’ve been back to Rome together in 2019 too!
I got her to meet my Italian friends, so we’ve been hanging out with them in the evenings. During the days, I planned our itinerary for the sights we had to see each day, but there have been complications.
Well, the first thing I learned on this trip, that it’s really not the same to travel with anybody. You have to be very, very patient, and you need to pay attention to the other person.
Why?
How many of you have been on trips with parents, friends, partner, or family and managed to end the trip without a fight?
When people are traveling together, you’ll get closer to that other person(s) and you’ll probably see a different side of them. Many people are a little bit changing when they are on a trip. And each person has its bugs. So it’s hard to navigate through trips without fights.
So what I did, was to try to pay attention to my friend. To avoid those fights, you need to recognize the other person’s weaknesses, turn-on points, and always try to communicate openly, to solve the problems!
I recognized during the years while traveling with others a few common things that can cause tension on trips:
- Mornings: Time of waking up and time spent with getting ready
- Forgetting essentials: Passport, money, uncharged phone
- Not discussing the plans for the day in advance
- Not spending time alone
- Forcing each other into activities that you don’t want to do
And there are many more! But hey! The solution is given! Communicate and pay attention to each other.
A trip can be amazing, with loads of great memories, or can remind you of nothing more than big fights and grumpy walks. Traveling should be about the beautiful gift of the possibility to see a new place, a new culture. To discover.
When you’re traveling with someone, you should be doing it to share that beautiful experience! Enjoy together, live it together. For this to happen, these three things have to apply: communication, cooperation, contribution.
Pin me: Best travel stories 2017 – What I learned this year?
