Are you an independent traveler who waits for no one? That’s admirable, but sometimes having a friend along on your travels to Eastern Europe can make the experience safer, more efficient, and more worthwhile.
1. Two Helpless Foreigners are Better than One
When it comes to asking directions from the locals, purchasing tickets to an obscure destination, or checking luggage at an airport in Siberia, two pleading, confused foreigners carry more weight than one. Even if she can’t understand you, the person you seek help from will note the despair in your voice when you confer with your travel buddy and, hopefully, take pity!
2. Two Plates are Better than One
Travel in Eastern Europe requires dining on foods you’ve never even seen, let alone eaten. But you’ll want to try everything. That’s why, when you and your friend dine out, you should both order different dishes so that you can sample even more
traditional foods.
3. Two Cameras are Better than One
In the event that one camera breaks, falls overboard on a boat tour, or gets stolen, at least one of you will have pictures of all your adventures.
4. Four Eyes are Better than Two
On the subway, on the train, or in crowded squares, it’s always nice to have someone watching your back. Tourists are easy prey for pickpockets, so it helps to have a friend who keeps tabs on you and your things. Your friend will also appreciate the benefit of having you look out for him.
5. Someone to Catch You if You Fall . . .
. . . literally. Travel sickness is a common dilemma. Unfamiliar (or absence of) chemicals in the drinking water, strange food, or even lack of sleep can cause your body to play strange tricks on you. If you get sick in a foreign country, it’s a precious thing to have someone to watch over you until you get better—or, if something is seriously wrong, call a doctor.
6. Someone to Keep You Out of Trouble
Dangers in Eastern Europe abound—from the speeding Volga about to flatten you when you cross the street, to shady characters in alleyways (pickpockets are sometimes the least of your worries, especially in towns out of most tourists’ way). Social differences or social problems can lead to unfortunate mistakes on the part of a foreigner, and it’s good to have a friend who can prevent you from falling victim to any number of mishaps.
7. Someone to Keep Your Chin Up
Long trips of 2-6 months or more are not only trips of wonderful new experiences, they also require large amounts of adjustment—from jet lag, to food, to social norms, Eastern Europe is different enough from the West to cause some dreaded culture shock. A friend who can help you make the most of the good parts of your trip (and with whom you can laugh with later about the bad parts) will make your adventures all the more worthwhile.
8. Two’s Company
Two people can easily and efficiently travel together. If you have more people, it becomes a little less efficient. The more people, the more individual preferences and levels of stamina you have to deal with. Two people who are evenly matched can travel very happily together.
9. Pooling Resources
Forget individual travel-sized products and pack cooperatively. One of you carries shampoo, the other bug repellent. One carries and umbrella and the other a
phrase book. This helps reduce the size and weight of your luggage. Two people are also good in a bind. If one of you runs short on cash, between the two of you it’s possible that you’ve got enough stray bills to cover cab or bus fare for both of you.
10. The More Memories the Merrier
You’ll want to have someone who was actually
there to share your memories with. Friends and family from home can only appreciate what you tell them, but they can’t be expected to experience the same emotions you do when you recount wandering through the
Hill of Crosses in Lithuania or seeing Dracula’s grave at
Snagov Monastery in Romania. The “remember when . . . ?” is the lasting part of your travels that makes them so meaningful.
