TAG’s tips for travel no.9: MAKE FRIENDS

Summary

The article encourages travelers to embrace making friends while traveling despite the anxiety of temporary connections.

Abstract

The author of the article, who identifies as an anxious traveler, shares their personal journey of overcoming the fear of forming transient friendships on the road. They emphasize the joy and value of connecting with fellow travelers and locals, exchanging stories, and learning from each other. The piece suggests that these single-serving friendships can enrich the travel experience, offering memorable encounters and shared moments that contribute to the soulfulness of travel. The author encourages readers to engage with others, ask questions, and exchange kindness without guilt or fear of future separation.

Opinions

The author, despite being an introvert, values deep conversations and is genuinely interested in people's stories.
Making friends while traveling is seen as an opportunity to learn and grow, with the shared experience of travel creating common ground.
There is an acknowledgment of the anxiety associated with meeting new people, forming bonds, and then parting ways.
The article suggests that the pandemic has heightened the desire for human connection and interaction while traveling.
The author believes that engaging with others during travel is an art form and encourages readers to reach out to people they meet.
The author reflects on personal experiences with single-serving friends and the lasting impact of these encounters.
There is a sentiment that the memories created with these temporary friends are valuable and contribute to the richness of life and travel experiences.

TAG’s tips for travel no.9: MAKE FRIENDS

One of my fears as an anxious traveler has always been a fear of making friends. Not a fear that I won’t make friends! I am afraid of MAKING friends, loving them, connecting and then having to let them go.

Connecting with others is one of my favorite things. This anxious girl is an introvert, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like people. In fact, what that means for me is that I invest in conversation and am truly intrigued and inspired by others and their stories.

I want to KNOW people. I want to hear their stories. I want to laugh with them and walk with them and eat with them. I’ve learned so much from my single-serving friends and I’m here to tell you that our anxiety about meeting people, sharing time and moving on? It can be worked through.

MAKE FRIENDS if you want. Meet them, crack a joke, share a story about your travel, ask them about theirs. The great thing about traveling people? We all have one thing in common: We are traveling! So start there. Ask them where they are traveling to or from. Meet a local? Ask them about their favorites in their city. If they’re worth talking to, you won’t be able to stop their chatter.

So have that chat. Give some love. And then leave them, without guilt.

Especially opening after so long a pandemic closure, people are wanting to experience everything life has to offer, including human interaction! We keep ourselves from our full traveling soulfulness when we close ourselves to those around us in fear of future expectation or the sadness of never seeing them again.

If you reach for people as an art form and they reach back, DO IT. Do it in life AND when you travel! Who knows, you may run into them again. Or, you won’t. But you’ll remember that couple you met on the bay around a firepit in SF, or the kind oenophile pouring you the liquid of the gods who talked you into hiking in wine country. Perhaps the grieving crew of lovers at a soulful bar in Edinburgh asking the local musicians to play a ballad for their lost comrade, or the trio of saucy sisters on your bus tour who got everyone drunk on their spice for life.

Who are your single-serving memories?

Big Love & Happy Travels,

Brett Jenae, The Anxious Girl