Traveling is more than just what fancy hotel you stay at, the amount of money you spend or how many beach selfies you post — it’s about the life lessons you learn. I’m not talking about resort style living kinds of vacations. I am talking about true, real adventure — the kind of vacations that make you grateful for your life and the people in it. Traveling has opened parts of my heart and soul that I never knew existed and made me a better person. Girls who travel are the most complete, humble human beings on the planet, which make us the best girlfriends. Here’s why:
- We’re spontaneous. Life can get so boring and predictable sometimes, and while it’s an unavoidable side effect of responsible adult living for most of us without unlimited funds, girls who travel know how to live in the moment. We’re up for anything at any time and the idea of spontaneity excites us, so we’re always up for an adventure either solo or with the people we care about. It’s those moments that make our bonds with the people we love even stronger, and we live for it.
- We know the value of a dollar. Although fancy dinners and front row tickets to see our favorite band are nice, we are perfectly fine with a home cooked meal and a binge watching session. We don’t need extravagant things, but when we do get them, we really appreciate it because we know money doesn’t go on trees. We’ve spent a lot of time in broken down hostels and taking long bus rides instead of trains or planes to save a few bucks and see more of the world, so we’re totally down for budget dates.
- We’re laid-back and easy-going. We’re probably the easiest people on the planet to get along with. Traveling gives us the ability to roll with the punches and be okay with the unexpected. Things often don’t go to plan while traveling (or just in life in general), so if something comes up or goes wrong, we don’t let that ruin our day. We accept it, move on, and never let stuff that won’t even matter in the long run deter us from having a good time.
- We’re grateful for the little things. Traveling to places much different than where we grow up and seeing how people live around the world has made us appreciative of what we have and grateful for the little things many people take for granted. We don’t need diamond rings or dozens of roses — we live for the little moments that make our relationship special because we know those things are what mean the most in life.
- We stay calm under pressure. Because we travel a lot, we’re no strangers to delays, cancellations and disasters as we hop from place to place. At first it feels like the world is ending but we end up getting used to it and even learning to expect the unexpected. We no longer freak out if things don’t go exactly to plan — we stay calm, take a deep breath and make alternate plans. We’ll get where we’re going in the end, in every sense of the word.
- We can step outside our comfort zone. Living in a bubble is no way to live. Every once and a while, it’s nice to let go. We don’t mind if it’s something we haven’t done before or a place we’ve never been — we’re down for the ride. Going outside our comfort zone is the only time that we truly feel alive, which is one of the reasons why we love to travel so much. We love waking up in a new place and seeing what adventures we can find. It’s the unknown that excites us, which means we’re always down for a good time.
- We know how precious life is. Life is great! Girls who travel feel like this everyday. We may get frustrated or mad, but the minute we see the people we love, that all goes away. We don’t let our bad moods dribble into our relationships because we know how lucky we are to have met a guy who loves and appreciates us. That means everything.
- We’re totally independent. Because we travel a lot, we’re masters at doing things on our own. Yes, we miss our friends and family back home, but we love the feeling of venturing out into the world all on our own and being totally and completely free. We love finding new places to eat, shop and explore and we love that if we want to do something, we can just go out there and do it, no questions asked. Because of this, we’re not clingy in relationships. We know how important it is to have our own lives and we’d never expect anything less for the people we date.
- We truly live life to the fullest. Though it may be a little difficult at times, we try to live in the moment, loving all the little surprises that life can bring with it, good and bad. Sure, relationships can be hard, but being in one with someone who truly lives every day as if it’s their last is a blessing and anyone who’s with us should consider themselves very fortunate.
