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Travel is the great compatibility test
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Peru for two: Resting our boots at Machu Picchu.
Who hasn't traveled with friends or family? And who, on those accompanied trips, hasn't gotten immensely annoyed with their companions? I'll bet that if I was in a room and asked for a show of hands, every person would have an arm in the air. Travel is highly personal, and if you're not compatible with your fellow travelers, especially if you're in close quarters, it can result in some sour experiences.
Of course, I've been the jerk before. I look back on a family-and-friends trip to Mexico when I was 13 and become filled with shame. I was petulant, argumentative and tested my parents at every turn, from complaining about a donkey wearing a sombrero to being the only one to refuse to play beach volleyball. I wasn't paying attention to Mexico at all (until we got to Chichen Itza, at which point I had no option but to be awed and stop being such a horrible brat). At some point, the hormones dropped off and I became a good traveler, largely because I realized what an annoyance I was on that vacation.
By the time college rolled around, my wanderlust was full-blown and I grabbed every chance I could get to go anywhere. A two-for-one fare sale over spring break gave me the opportunity, for the first time, to travel with a boyfriend. We went to Amsterdam, along with another couple, and I learned the lesson of a lifetime. While I adored my friends, and still do to this day, we were just not on the same wavelength at all. We ended up splitting off from each other, staying in different locations and only occasionally meeting up for drinks or dinner.
I was delighted to find that my boyfriend and I—or rather, our travel styles—meshed perfectly. Maybe it had something to do with him being so easy going, but we enjoyed the same pace, found the same things interesting and we were able to accommodate each other's specific interests with no annoyance or loss of patience. In spite of the constant damp cold and omnipresent grey skies, I fell in love with Amsterdam and even more so with my boyfriend.
The trip was a big step for us, but one that was important to me—I couldn't be with someone who didn't share my love of travel, and it was necessary that we liked traveling together. Flash forward about three years from that spring break in Amsterdam, and my once-boyfriend and I were traveling together on a more significant trip—our honeymoon. Since then, we've taken in a good bit of territory together, both in the U.S. and abroad. Sure, we have our spats and occasional crossed wires and, please, don't get me started on chasing after trains in Rome. But through it all, there's still no one I'd rather have as my travel buddy.
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