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| expect an Oscar nomination for this one |
I was slumped against a wall in the Boston Logan Airport last, my laptop plugged into the wall so that I could watch the underappreciated cinematic classic “Step Up 3” while hoards of panicked travelers grew steadily more agitated at our increasingly late airplane when my traveling companion looked over at me and said “Thank God you’re easy to travel with”. I couldn’t help but smile from this compliment. I had never excelled at sports, could not hold a tune to save a life and my artistic capabilities never exceeded the back of the Friendly’s menu, but dammit- I could travel! I had mastered the art of shimmying out of my jacket and shoes before the person in front of me had even finished fully removing his belt. I had dominated the oddly enjoyable trivia-like games the Israeli security asked you at the airport and was especially proud of my capability to know every single item on the Passover seder plate. Sleeping in airports have become natural to me and I have mastered the art of maneuvering around the armrest so as to enjoy my full eight hours. I live and breathe to travel. I devour travel books and regard Lonely Planet as my own personal Bible. So, when I was offered that simple compliment I could not help but be proud.
It also made me think about the various traveling partners that I have had in my life and what makes some of them “good” and others “I rather be strapped down in a Thai prison than here with you right now”. There are certain obvious factors that need to be considered when traveling with someone, especially when you will be traveling extensively with them. The first most obvious one is budget. You both need to be on some sort of understanding so that when you land in Paris and look for lodging, you will not be staying in a hostel with a rat for a roommate in the Latin Quarter while they are enjoying Egyptian cotton sheets down by the Champs-Élysées.
