Nurture Yourself and Your Oldest Friendships Through Travel

Traveling with friends is a win-win.

Before settling down with a romantic interest, did you travel with friends? It could be as simple as a camping trip two hours away or as grand as a week overseas. Usually, these types of trips are spoken about years later in glowing terms.

I have a group of six friends I met in seventh grade. We have managed to maintain our friendship over forty-seven years. It has been forty-seven years of marriages, childbirths, and divorces.

Every single one of us moved away from the small Northern Arizona town we grew up in. Some of us moved back. Through it all, we have remained friends.

Fresh out of high school, none of us had much money. Travel for our group usually meant some of us gathered at a friend’s home for a few days.

During college, I lived at my father’s apartment, about ten minutes from Disneyland. Two of our group came to stay for a few days. Another was attending college in Long Beach.

We all hung out, attended a concert, hit Rocky Horror Picture Show, and visited our first sex shop. We weren’t buying, just looking with wide eyes and getting an education. I still laugh when I think about it. (The Pleasure Chest is still there.)

I can’t put a price on those memories. It was certainly worth much more than we paid to attend the concert. I lured my friends over with the US Festival in 1983. That concert also goes down as intensely memorable because it was the first time I saw U2 or Bowie in concert. It wasn’t my last.

Do you have those types of memories? I hope so. I hope everyone does.

A lot of years have passed since we were college age, but spending time together hasn’t. I’ve had trips to Disneyland with my best friend as an adult. One of the trips was without my young children. It was a girl’s weekend and it was fantastic.

Last month I took a week and drove over to Los Angeles. One of my friends flew in from Reno to meet me. It was fantastic. This time we hit the Queen with Adam Lambert concert at the Forum.

The next day we drove down and spent time with another friend in San Clemente. San Juan Capistrano is still a great place to visit. We rounded out the week by staying on the Queen Mary in Long Beach for four days.

This trip, too, was priceless.

Married people can feel odd taking a vacation that doesn’t include their spouse. If they have children, sometimes they can justify the money spent by saying it is for the kids. Guess what? Excuses aren’t necessary.

Travel with friends bolsters those friendships, but that isn’t all it does. It allows you to step outside of your normal family role. Falling into old rhythms with people you were once carefree with can help you relax.

Having a fun adventure with a friend, even if is only laying around a hotel pool, can peel away your cares and the day-to-day. Spending quality time talking and catching up can remind you of your past self. The self that existed before carpools and mortgage payments.

I came back with new stories to tell and more memories to hold close. I valued the bonding time. Online messages back and forth don’t replace in-person time with good friends.

In my situation, there is an added benefit. My husband is an introvert and he values alone time. By heading out for a week, he was able to soak in the quiet and refresh.

He enjoyed it. How do I know? By his enthusiasm when I returned. Is it technically vacation sex if you are having it post-vacation? Whatever it is labeled, I liked it.

While nurturing friendships, I managed to nurture my own sense of self.

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