How to enjoy traveling with friends & family

Whether traveling as a family, with a romantic partner, or a group of friends, traveling with others can be both fun and challenging!

One of our favorite parts of travel at Adventure Life Vans is sharing it with others. Traveling with those we love gives us the opportunity to understand them better and learn more about the world together. It creates lasting memories, shared experiences and new ways to deepen relationships. 

Travel gives us a chance to step back, to pause from the day-to-day of laundry, kid’s sports schedules, meetings and meal planning. It allows us to embed ourselves in another culture or out in nature, and see our lives from a totally different perspective, usually resulting in deep thankfulness for the life we have been given. 

Here are some things we’ve learned along the way about traveling with family, a partner/spouse, or friends that make the experience both more meaningful and more pleasant for everyone:

• Travel can be tiring. Take time daily to recharge with some quiet. Don’t be offended if your travel buddy needs some space. It can be helpful to designate time or specific areas for down time. For example, our kids have their own tents for camping and that is a quiet space when they need to get away from everyone. 
• Listening to an audiobook or a podcast is a great way to pass the time on a long drive. Or when nobody wants to make small talk. It gives another shared experience and a way to learn together. 
• Consider a good mix of structure and spontaneity. Some people like structure while others prefer to see where the wind takes them. Your travel experiences should consider both! 
• Be active! Once at your destination, walk as much as possible to deepen your enjoyment of your new surroundings and reduce the fatigue from sitting on a long road trip. 
• Make connections with people. Our travel interactions with local communities have included everything from taking a cooking class, or finding lunch at a farmer’s market, to visiting the local barber shop. 
• Concentrate travel funds on things you love – which for us means having great food and meaningful experiences. Figure out as a group what things you find most meaningful for your travel experience – is it finding a special piece of art to bring back to your home? Is it having money to hire a guide for a unique experience? 

So no matter who you love to join you for travel, whether it be your best friend, your spouse, your kids, your parents… find the things that increase your travel compatibility with them and leverage those to enhance the travel experience for everyone involved! Want to learn more travel tips? Be sure to check out our series on travel products.