We understand a person by the way he/she dresses, his lifestyle – where he stays, his qualifications, his position in society etc, etc. At the end of the day, everyone strives to achieve the perfect home and lifestyle that not only becomes an extension of his/her personality. The brands and designs that a person uses become intrinsic to his personality. In fact, the way one packs his suitcase also tells his personality. The Bag-packers are adventurous, the over-packers are very cautious about life, they over stack their bags. There are these guys who travel very light, who take things as they come.
If you want to get to know someone, take a trip with him. If you really want to get to know a person, don’t bring anyone else along, don’t take an all-inclusive guided tour, and either go somewhere that neither of you have been before nor somewhere the other person truly loves. It’s been said that if you really want to know a person, travel together. Think about it: not only are you spending a lot of time with someone, but it’s a particularly revealing kind of time. You see a new side of a person because he leaves behind his routines and is pushed out of his comfort zone. You might learn something about this person, which he has managed to hide. The person might be a curious learner, he might be generous, he might be music lover, a singer, a good chef or on the contrast he might be stingy, a backbiter, a gossip monger, a greedy pot anything.
While travelling, sometimes things get stressful: we miss a train/bus/flight, we forget to carry our belongings, and we leave things back in the hotel…..at such time you see just how easily this person can shrug it off, take responsibility, use his sense of humour and still manage to have a good time. You might learn some more facets of his personality. You can also find out whether this person is dependable or not. People say that while travelling they have made new friends, they have strengthened relationships, but many say they have even fractured some relationships. While travelling with someone he/she might reveal things that you simply don’t like and never knew before.
We see a variety of travel companions over the years; mostly good, but a few not so good. Travelling typically comes with difficulties, and you will learn how to adapt in order to make it work. Additionally, by learning how people in different cultures deal with various problems, you can actually see whether your partner is a problem solver. We all have little phobias that we experience in our daily lives; travels help you to overcome them. In the same way that travel makes you more outgoing by forcing you into conversations and human interactions, travelling can help expose you to things that you might normally have an aversion to – such as large crowds, public transportation, unusual cuisine, or even certain animals and insects found in nature.
If you do find yourself in conflict while travelling, it is best to address it as soon as possible. First, identify the problem as you see it. Is your partner being too controlling? Chronically running late? Being a tightwad (miserly)? Complaining excessively about the local culture? Is fussy about food habits, is very self centric? Take a call whether you want to be associated with this person or not.