As I was looking through some old pictures, I came across some gems from a trip I took back in 2009 with my best friend. We did a European adventure of a life time, 12 days, 8 countries, countless memories.
The reason for this trip was a last hurrah together before we both went off to university. I was moving from Canada to the US for my studies and knew that time with my childhood friend would be limited. This was a time to really get to appreciate each other’s company.
At first I was a little nervous for this journey. We had never travelled before and I had heard horror stories of friendships ending over a bad travel experience. The trip started off in the airport with my dear friend throwing clothes, underwear, and shoes on the ground because her bag was way overweight. It was only later in the trip did we realize her toothbrush did not make the cut.
Yet it seemed our airport scramble was the only really hiccup we had in our near two-week adventure.
We traveled from Toronto to London to Amsterdam to Munich, to Austria, to Switzerland, to Italy (with stops in Venice, Florence, and Rome) to Paris, back to London. We saw the colosseum, the Eifel Tower, The Louvre, The Big Ben, The Vatican, The Red Light District, and the list goes on.
We laughed at cows being herded in the morning, we cried at Vimy Ridge, we danced on the streets of Munich and drank in their beer halls. But most importantly we helped each other through the lost cell phones, misunderstood languages, and we compromised on activities vs relaxation. If anything this trip actually made our friendship stronger by proving we can survive two weeks together, with no escape, in a foreign land
Needless to say that trip was an unforgettable experience. Not only did I have the opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful landmarks in Europe, but I had the chance to share these once in a life time moment with my best friend.
And so I decided to share with you all why I feel it is important to take that trip with your best friend, even if it scares the heck out of you.
- Your BFF will have the patience to take a million billion pictures so that you can get the perfect Instagram shot
- Speaking of a million pictures, you have someone who is willing to do the totally ridiculous touristy things you are supposed to do in pictures.
- Any tough challenge you may face, you know you have your biggest support system with you, and the two of you will get through it together
- Besties usually have similar interests meaning you can explore those interests together
- And if you don’t have similar interests you care enough about each other to compromise. I will always go see a musical with Randi and she will always come to sports game with me.
- Traveling feels safer when you have someone with you to look out for you. Your BFF will always have your back
- You create life-long memories together. In fact, our friends still hate it when we bring up an inside joke from our Europe adventures.
- Experiencing these moments whether it be the beauty of the world, or the struggles of not understanding the language, it brings you closer together (plus small shared hotel rooms makes you talk out any problems)
So get out there, see the world, and why not share it with your Best Friend by your side!
Xo
Mia
