Finding The Perfect Travelling Buddy is one of the toughest decisions you will have to make; now I know that statement seems a little dramatic but it is with good reason.

Travelling can make or break relationships; only the tough survive. Travelling is much a magical experience and yet gives people so much anxiety; the fear of the unknown, being out of your comfort zone and being away from friends and family. Then throw in the mix; travel delays, rerouting, missing transport, expectations, non English speaking countries or as we like to call it the CULTURE SHOCK. All of these things combined with lack of sleep causes moods to swing and sometimes tensions to be high; so choosing The Perfect Travelling Buddy to take your trip with is crucial!

Its not easy finding the perfect travelling buddy

I have embarked on many adventures some by myself, some with colleagues, some with friends (now ex friends); and a lot of my trips in the early days were with my mum Renee. It really does affect the quality of your experience if you are not doing it with the right person. The Perfect Travelling Buddy you choose to travel with needs to be similar in personality to you; if you are a go with the flow type person you need to travel with a like minded personality.

There is nothing more frustrating than butting heads; ALL the time to come to one simple decision, it’s human nature to disagree; but when you are travelling these emotions are amplified and seem so much worse. I have been in some pretty miserable situations with the people that I have travelled with; I am organised; strong headed and yet I go with the flow. The one pet hate of mine when travelling is having to baby someone on a trip; if you’re big enough to take the trip you can use common sense to make some decisions. By choosing someone who has the same personality and interests as you do; this will not only make your days flow better; but you both get to share the same excitement for the place you are visiting.

So how do you find the right person to travel with?

That Perfect Travelling Buddy who is of a similar personality to you; is in a similar mindset to you and has the desire to travel like you do. Well; trial and error my friends or you can be lucky like me and travel with your Mum and best mate.  

My Mum Renee

There is one special person I have to thank for my passion and drive; for travel that is my mum Renee. Mum has always been a traveller; she has been all around the world working in various tourism jobs, taking groups, travelling solo; this is defiantly where my passion for travel began.

I am so thankful to have started my travelling portfolio with my mum; who has shown me the mysterious ways of travel and life for that matter. This is a bit of an appreciation post for Renee; if it wasn’t for her I would not be the person I am today. I would not have travelled to 56 countries and learnt about the world through experiences. It is because of Mum I have this passion for travel; and I am so grateful for everything she has done for me. Mum you are my best mate, idol, travelling buddy and most amazing person in my life.

We have done so many trips together; seeing so many fantastic places, met some lifelong friends and have amazing stories to tell. Too many for one post but this was the first trip we took together (apart from NZ)  

Our First Trip – Bangkok Thailand

Bangkok Thailand; I still remember the day we landed; we took our bags off the carousel thinking we were all good then BAM; we were smacked in the face with a wall of HEAT; dry instant sweat kind of heat, the noise was intense; there were cars tooting, people yelling, taxi’s everywhere you looked, animals running around; you name it; it was outside the airport this day.

I remember looking around in a dazed, tired and desperate for a Taxi to take us to our motel. Now this is where I learnt the very important travel lesson; I CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH – Book your dam transfer from the airport to your hotel on the first day. No matter how much it costs it is worth every penny; getting off a long flight to a wall of heat; a scrambling mess with little English is tough and a bit of a culture shock.

Book your transfer, Book your transfer!! Just the first one; you will settle into a country; become more confident and be able to work your way around the taxi or public transport system. (Ok transfer rant over)

We travelled far and wide

From there mum and I travelled far and wide. Thailand, to the Great Pyramids in Egypt, Sailed Island to Island in Greece; Cruised the Seas on various cruise liners; marvelled at the all mighty Machu Picchu in Peru, Climbed the Great Wall of China(I mean climbed ! Not walked haha), Paid a fortune to cuddle a Panda in China; got ripped off by a man selling paintings because he said they were one of a kind; Experienced the beauty of Brunei and its pristine floating city, Spotted Paddington bear in London; up the iconic Eiffel tower in France; ate our way through Italy, Got mum drunk on steins in Germany;Czech Republic, Austria, Russia, Poland, The Netherlands aka Amsterdam; (Yes I took my mum to Amsterdam) and Marvelled at the Northern lights from Norway; the list goes on.

Appreciate who you have in your life

I look back at our photos from our trips and I am filled with joy; that I got to experience these incredible places with my Mum and best mate. When Neil and I first met I was working as a Tour Manager in Europe; he knew how important travelling was to me and embraced it with open arms. We have dragged him around to so many exotic places; in his short travelling portfolio. The first being Peru, South America; how many people can say they went to Peru for their first international trip; read more on our About us page for how our paths crossed. I am very fortunate to have a mum (& best mate) who loves travel; and a soul mate who wants to see the world as much as I do.

In this mad world we live in be sure to appreciate the people who matter most to you; and treasure the quality time you have with them; you never know when that is going to change. Moral of the story is the person who you choose to travel with; can push your relationship to the limits but if you find the right person to do it with; travelling creates memories that will follow through with you for life.