The Only Downside of Travelling They Didn’t Tell You About.

It’s the part they don’t tell you about…

We’ve all been there, I’ve been there countless times.

There you are having the best time with your new found friends in a foreign land. You’ve met them over a pint of beer, on a walking tour, or in the hostel lobby. If you met these people back home you might not of ever spoken to them.

You’ve known them for a few days, a few hours, or even a few minutes, but you’re exploring cities together, having a drink (or a few) together, and creating memories that you won’t forget in a jiffy.

You’re experiencing the best aspect of travelling; being completely free and sharing it with the coolest people you could wish for.

Then it’s over.

Just like that.

You’re travelling onto Budapest and they’re going to Berlin.

You exchange numbers and add them on Facebook. However, deep down you know that unfortunately, theres a good chance you might never see them again, normal life might get in the way. Your paths may cross in future. But for now, it’s goodbye.

You feel empty.

No matter how much you have travelled, it’s the one part of it all that you can’t quite get used to — and I don’t think you ever can.

It’s especially hard to say goodbye to travel friends because you’ve met in a moment where you’re completely free, exploring the world. You become friends with them through a shared interest; travelling! You’re like-minded people who identify with each other and it’s rare to find people with such similar interests. Then when you go travelling, pretty much everyone you meet shares these interests with you! You throw caution to the wind and trust people straight away, only knowing their name and what country they’re from.

Even though you don’t get used to it, you come to terms with it and realise it’s part of travelling. Travelling, and hostels especially, are like one big revolving door; when one awesome set of mates leave, another bunch will pop out of nowhere to have an awesome time with.

It’s bitter sweet, but it’s the way it has to be, it’s also the best way for it to be. You’ve met these people, you’ve had the best of times together and you’ve said goodbye as the best of friends. Memories have been made that will stay with you for the rest of your life. You’ve said your goodbyes.

However, you know that if you were to ever meet again… it would be like you saw each other yesterday.

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Travel friendships are different

But the strange thing about travel friendships is just how intense they become in such a short space of time.

Back home friendships take months, sometimes years to properly develop. You see someone occasionally, maybe go for a drink after work, meet up on weekends. Life ticks along slowly and friendships grow gradually.

When you’re travelling it’s the complete opposite.

You can meet someone at breakfast in a hostel kitchen and by lunchtime you’re exploring the city together. By dinner you’re sharing stories about your life back home, and by midnight you’re sat in some random bar in a city you’ve never been to before, laughing like you’ve known each other for years.

There’s something about travelling that fast-tracks friendships.

Maybe it’s because you’re both out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s because you’re experiencing everything for the first time together. Or maybe it’s simply because everyone travelling is open to meeting people.

Whatever the reason, those friendships feel incredibly real.

You might only know someone for 48 hours, but in those 48 hours you’ve walked miles around a new city together, shared meals, shared stories, shared travel tips and probably shared a few too many beers as well.

Those moments stick with you.

You remember the ridiculous nights out. The early morning train journeys where nobody slept. The hostel breakfasts where everyone looks half alive after the night before. The random conversations about life, travel and where everyone is heading next.

These are the moments that make travelling what it is.

But they also make the goodbyes harder.

Because eventually the plans stop lining up.

Someone has a flight booked. Someone else has a bus ticket already paid for. Someone’s visa is running out. Someone wants to head south while the rest of the group is going north.

And just like that, the group splits up.

You might promise to meet again somewhere further along the route. “See you in Prague next week!” someone says.

Sometimes it actually happens.

Most of the time it doesn’t.

Travel has a funny way of changing plans. People stay longer in places they fall in love with. Others move on quickly. Routes change, budgets change, priorities change.

But even when you don’t see those people again, they still become part of your journey.

Years later you’ll still remember them.

You’ll remember the Australian guy who convinced everyone to go out on a Tuesday night. The Canadian girl who knew every cheap food spot in the city. The German guy who somehow managed to organise a group of ten strangers into a perfectly planned day trip (no efficiency stereotype’s here at all).

You might not remember their surnames.

You might not even remember exactly where you met them.

But you’ll remember the feeling.

That’s one of the strange things about travelling. People drift in and out of your life quickly, but the memories they leave behind stay with you for years.

And every now and then something funny happens.

Every once in a while you actually do run into someone again.

It might be months later in a completely different country. Or years later when someone happens to be visiting your home city. Sometimes it’s completely random: bumping into someone in another hostel on the other side of the world.

When that happens it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

Because instantly you’re back in that same travel mindset again.

No awkward catching up.

No small talk.

Just straight back to where you left off – “wanna grab a drink?”

That’s the beauty of travel friendships. They might be short, they might be temporary, but they are genuine.

And maybe that’s why saying goodbye is always a little bit sad.

Because for a brief moment in time, travelling brings together people from completely different parts of the world and gives them the chance to share an experience they’ll never forget.

Then everyone moves on.

Different cities.

Different countries.

Different lives.

But the memories stay the same.

And that’s the part they don’t tell you about when you start travelling.

It’s not the long bus journeys.

It’s not the dodgy hostel beds.

It’s not even the hangovers.

It’s the goodbyes.