You say goodbye, I say hello

A few years ago when I was busily over-packing my suitcase for my first big trip to Europe I had The Boy, already a seasoned traveller, give me a piece of advice: when travelling I would make so many friends and develop intense friendships-but I shouldn't be surprised if they lasted just a week.

He went on to say that after this time inevitably one of us would move on and in the excitement of discovering a new place and meeting new people our contact would probably fall away to the occasional email or Facebook message, and in some cases completely disappear. Only a special few would develop into true friendships which last.

I remember being shocked at this and thinking it was unusually callous for The Boy, as we're both people who still call friends we made in high school our besties. So I set off certain he was wrong and discovered as travellers are wont to do that shared kitchens, common rooms, dorms and overnight trains inevitably lead to making friends left, right and centre.

Throughout that first 4 month jaunt across Europe I met so many amazing people but I eventually came to realise that The Boy was in fact correct. Not that these friendships weren’t real or intense, but more because each of us were on our own journey. We travelled together and wondered at the sights in front of us, shared meals and stories and were essentially attached at the hip. We came to know nearly everything about each other.

But then, yes the time would come when one of us would move on and despite swapped email addresses each of us would again be lost in wonder at discovering the next new city and meeting new friends again and contact would dwindle a little.

But far from being depressing I came to embrace these friendships wholeheartedly, just like The Boy said I would. Because one of the best parts about travelling is meeting new people, hearing their stories and tips, having alcohol and food-fuelled deep and meaningful conversations, or just laughing about stupid things, until the sun comes up. What's more the world, which can at times seem big and lonely when you travel by yourself, becomes infinitely smaller and exciting when you're sitting down to breakfast with Canadian buddies, having afternoon drinks with a few POM before heading out dancing with Italians. And, even better, it's easier to believe that there really are good people out there in the world.

Eating home made paella on a roof top at dusk, racing to hot springs in Granada with my travelling bud and some new friends, eating proper Italian pizza until I was nearly sick (although that may have been the accompanying bottles of Chianti) in Florence and dancing the night away on the top of a boat on the island of Mljet. These are the memories I treasure most from my previous jaunts, and the ones I look forward to making at the beginning of my next trip.

But not to contradict everything I’ve just written I do have travelling buddies who I still count among my close friends, and there are even closer friends whose pockets I've been living in for the past 8 months.

But the time has once again come when we are all beginning to move on to the next step in our journey be it to a new country or the long trip back home. And although once again contact may dwindle during our next adventures but I've gotta say, these guys and gals are definitely keepers.

Keep those spare couches kids, you'll be needing them!