Gettin’ Carried Away

When I’m taking a trip, I prefer to travel with a companion. Why?

Well, for one, it’s easier to document my trip. Sure, I’ve perfected the whole “let’s take a cheesy, Facebook, vanity pic of myself” thing. But if you want to get yourself into an iconic scenery shot, you need another human being to help you out. I suppose you could ask a stranger, but when it comes to that, I always have visions of that camera-stealing French guy (at least, I think he was French) from that National Lampoon movie invading my brain. And I guess a tripod would come in handy for solo adventures, but then I worry someone will run up and take my camera within the 10 seconds I leave it unattended.

~* Carrie in Canterbury, England *~

~* Photo taken by travel companion, Lindsey *~

Secondly, it’s more fun for me to share experiences with someone in the flesh. Yes, I’ll still update my Twitter and Facebook pages constantly. However, there are some moments you just can’t describe well via the Internet. And how many times have you ever said, “You just had to be there” in your life? Yet, I’d still travel by myself. And though this may seem contradictory, I’ll tell you why I would take a solo trip.

Next week, I plan to head out on a road trip through Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky. I’m hoping to hit Charleston, West Virginia, as well, but we’ll see where my car takes me. I planned on taking this trip with my mom. Also known as a workaholic, my mom seems to be the brains behind the computer system at her hospital. She puts in 10-hour days (without getting paid overtime) and she even heads to the office on her DAYS OFF! If she can find the time to leave for five days, we’ll hit the road together. If not, I’m flying–make that driving–solo.

Onto the next problem. When Megabus.com was promoting $1 one-way fares, I snagged two round-trip tickets from Chicago’s Union Station to Cincinnati. What better way to check out one of the 23 MLB stadiums I’ve left to see than to travel there for less than $3 a person? That person I planned on bussing with to Ohio was none other than my boyfriend. However, we both forgot that he signed up for one-day-a-week night classes for the fall semester, so he’s out. While I’m not sure if I can get anyone to take this overnight trip with me, I’m fine going alone.

So you’re probably wondering why I’m OK with going to Kentucky and Ohio by myself, even though I prefer to travel with a companion? See, that’s just the thing… I prefer to travel with another person. That doesn’t mean I have to do so.

I think that part of the reason I like to travel with someone is because my mother worries… a lot. However, she’s still not sleeping much whether I am on a trip with one person or 100 people, so it might not matter as much if I’m by myself. Well, it might matter a little bit, but I call her all the time, so she won’t have to worry too much.

Will I back out of planned trips if my mom or my boyfriend can’t come? No way! I love to travel. I live to travel. I lead a different life than my family, my boyfriend and my friends. So it would be unrealistic to expect to find a travel companion every time I want to go away. Plus, I’m inspired by people like Nomadic Matt and Andrew, the Brooklyn Nomad.

I could list a lot of reasons why group travel is great, and I could do the same for solo travel. Again, it’s really just about preference. Just remember, the world doesn’t wait for you, so why should you wait for travel companions? Keep taking trips with your loved ones, but don’t be afraid to venture out on your own when everyone else is busy at work or school.