{"id":111743,"date":"2024-07-15T13:07:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T13:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/15\/traveling-with-friends-how-to-avoid-disaster\/"},"modified":"2024-07-15T13:07:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T13:07:49","slug":"traveling-with-friends-how-to-avoid-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/15\/traveling-with-friends-how-to-avoid-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling with Friends: How to Avoid Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A few years ago, one night over dinner with some friends with whom I shared a love of gourmet food, sushi, great cocktails, politics, and movies, we realized that in all the years we\u2019d known each other, we had never taken a trip together. <\/p>\n

As we all had lots of points and miles saved<\/a>, we thought about how fun it would be to go somewhere spontaneously. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s do it,\u201d we all declared. So we found award tickets to Hong Kong<\/a> for the following week.<\/p>\n

Halfway around the world, we arrived at our hotel late in the evening. After a late dinner, we went back to the hotel, where I decided to go to sleep. As fun as Hong Kong is at night (and it is very wild), I wanted to try to adjust to the local time zone, so I could make the most of the rest of our trip. <\/p>\n

My friends had other ideas: they were going to party. So I said good night and off they went. <\/p>\n

When I woke up, it was still dark out. I looked at the time. It was 5:30am. I found two of my friends asleep; the third was apparently still out partying.<\/p>\n

Letting them rest, I got ready and headed out to enjoy the city before the commuters rose and it became a maelstrom of noise, chaos, and crowds. Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities<\/a>, and I love its peaceful calm in the morning. It\u2019s all grandmothers and grandfathers out for walks, doing tai chi in parks, and eating dim sum. <\/p>\n

With so much to do (and eat), I didn\u2019t want to waste any time. After an early breakfast of dim sum, I wandered around, grabbed some tea, read a book, and took photos of empty streets. <\/p>\n

It was midday when I finally heard from my friends. We met for lunch at a noodle shop and plotted our day. <\/p>\n

Before we booked our trip, I had asked them what they wanted to do. Knowing them, I knew it would involve fancy dinners (Hong Kong has some really fine dining), but I emphasized that as a backpacker at heart, what I really love are hole-in-the-wall restaurants, cheap activities, wandering around, and just enjoying the day-to-day life of a place. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem,\u201d they said. They were travelers too, and they also wanted to get below the surface. The idea of dim sum, markets, and fun local bars appealed to them as much as it did to me. <\/p>\n

But that was not what happened. <\/p>\n

My friends stayed out late partying every night, slept in late, only wanted to eat at expensive restaurants, and didn\u2019t want to do any sightseeing. <\/p>\n

As the days ticked by, we were like ships in the night. Outside a few dinners, I didn\u2019t see too much of them. But, being used to traveling alone, that was fine with me. I can make my own fun. But it was disappointing not to have time with my friends. It defeated the purpose of the trip. <\/p>\n

\"A

On the way back to the airport, they talked about doing it all again someday. But not me. I thought to myself, \u201cWe\u2019re never doing this again.\u201d <\/p>\n

The trip taught me that, while people might like a certain travel style in theory, the reality is often very different. In fact, over the years, I\u2019ve traveled with many friends who have completely different styles than I do. <\/p>\n

As Mark Twain said, \u201cI have found out there ain\u2019t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.\u201d I couldn\u2019t agree more. It\u2019s important to be cautious when traveling with anyone, even your closest friends. It\u2019s a very personal experience, and you\u2019re going to want to make sure their style matches yours. <\/p>\n

After many successful \u2014 and not so successful \u2014 trips with friends (some of whom I count as my closest), I\u2019ve come up a list of questions that I think are important to ask people (of course, you know your friends, but I\u2019ve found this still helpful): <\/p>\n