Perks of Having a Travel Buddy

One cold December morning while on a coffee break I was able to contemplate of a gift that will be given on the upcoming birthday of my travel buddy without the use of a single penny. By and by, after hours of contemplation, I was able to come up with a gift which is an article about my sentiments and the perks of having a travel buddy inspired by her. 

To start I met her at Maranat during the celebration of our Team (LCO) 1st year anniversary. Driven by those long talks and steadfast interest about hiking that put us together to venture more mountains and destinations. I'm filled with gratitude knowing her - from a stranger to becoming hiking buddy. Rarely you see an individual who puts so much devotion on her passion and vision in life. That is her, she is my travel buddy - an extraordinary woman distinguishable by her dark skin tone. lol

As buddies, we do have a lot in common and we basically share the same passion - especially on our dedication of hiking mountains and our mission to reach out to the people who needs help. We have been exploring many mountains and several destinations together. And we will continue to do this adventure ceaselessly, to discover ourselves within and to magnify our very purpose in life.

 Buddy Maan

Prior to my write up for the article, I was able to raise a question about the perks of having a travel buddy on one of the facebook group called Climber for me to a accumulate a certain insights from various people. Somehow, their responses were overwhelming, giving me the audacity to start the said article. 

Some of the responses in Climber Page

So, here are my own sentiments about the perks of having a travel buddy which is truly based on my personal experiences with my buddy.

What is a travel buddy?
A travel buddy is someone you are on a journey with; someone of the opposite sex or of same sex who is willing to go on a trip or travel with you. He/she can be your friend, or best friend, your family or love ones, a girlfriend/boyfriend, or a lifetime partner. 

Our Montalban Trilogy

The main motive of having a travel buddy is that you have someone to depend on,  someone who will care for you, someone who will monitor and look after you on and off your travels, someone to talk with, and someone who will be you mentor or adviser about life and travel.

 Mt. Batolusong hike along with our friends

The characteristic of a travel buddy to consider is that he/she is the like of you that you both share the same passion in traveling. So even when you spontaneously decide to travel anywhere within short notice, he/she will be with you regardless of everything. 

Our visit at Dumli-ing Falls

Indeed it is more fun traveling the world when being with someone, especially for the long run. Sometimes, it’s not about the destination you'll reach but the memories shared along the way with someone. Practicality, traveling alone has lots of disadvantage and it’s always merrier to travel with a group or at least with a buddy.

 Tramping at Mt. Palali along with my sisters and our friends

If you prefer traveling with groups or with a buddy, you will need an interminable and life-time travel buddy because once you are hook-up wandering the world, exploring will never stop. It will be the extension of your self-activity.

At the summit of Mt. Tangbao along our many friends  

A quote to ponder - "If you want to go fast, travel alone. If you want to go far, travel together."

Perks of having a travel buddy
He/she can be your photographer along the way. Photographs are memories; they serve as a documentation of every journey. So in every journey, there will always be a buddy who will take pictures of you especially if you don’t have a monopod.

He/she will nurture you. In order to stay fit and healthy, you have to look after each other on and off your travels. In every adventures, always be ready regardless of everything.

Someone you can talk with. Someone who will annoy you; someone you can talk with; someone who will listen to you; and someone who you share your thoughts, laughters, smiles and sentiment relative to what you do. 

He/she is your mentor. In times of depression or discouragement, you have a buddy who will enlighten you and encourage you. Someone who you call as a mentor or adviser.

Traveling expenses will lessen.  You have to team up with someone (buddy) whom you can share the expenses with. Traveling nowadays is financially demanding. It is costly traveling alone, it is advisable to travel with a group or a buddy at least to minimize the expenses. 

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