Should you travel with friends?
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Hey Freaking Nomads,
Maintaining friendships when you travel full-time can be pretty hard, as we all know.
So naturally, at some point in your digital nomad life, you’ll probably have this genius idea: “Why don’t we just travel together?”
It sounds like the perfect solution.
You keep the friendship alive, can explore together, split Airbnb costs, and avoid that occasional nomad loneliness.
But in my experience, traveling with friends is amazing. Until it’s not.
Suddenly you’re together 24/7. Breakfast, coffee, work, lunch, plans, dinner. Repeat.
It’s basically a friendship pressure cooker.
And very quickly you realize that although you might love your friends, you might also travel in very different ways.
Some people wake up at 7am, while others prefer a slow morning.
Some people are on vacation, while others (hello digital nomads!) are actually working.
So, should you travel with friends as a digital nomad? Yes.
But if you want the friendship to survive, follow these rules.
1. Do not commit to long trips.
A week together is fun. Three months sharing an Airbnb is a bit of a risk.
2. Get your own space if you can.
I love my friends. I simply don’t need to witness their sleeping habits, alarm clocks, or their 2am snack rituals.
3. Be honest that you’re working.
Nomad life isn’t a permanent holiday. Some days, the most exciting thing you’ll do is move from the bed to the café.
4. Stop trying to do everything together.
Traveling together doesn’t mean becoming a two-person tour group.
“You go explore, I’ll catch up later” is a very healthy sentence.
In my experience, friendships on the road work best when they breathe.
Spend some time together. Then go do your own thing before someone gets annoyed.
The goal is to share a bit of the journey, without driving each other insane.
Until next time ❤️
Irene
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