There’s nothing like spending time with a good friend on a new adventure. A few years ago, I had an amazing “friend-cation” with my Filipino bestie, Binky. We have known each other for over a decade and live on opposite sides of the globe. Over the years, we’ve seen each other at various conferences and meetings, and no matter how much time has passed, we light up when we see each other and then we’re glued to one another’s sides.
Fall of 2019, I was in the Philippines for a meeting, and Binky and I intended to spend some time together. In February of that year, Binky lost her husband, Ian, to cancer. She wasn’t even fifty years old at the time, and she had become a widow. Over the course of the year, I skyped with Binky and chatted with her much more frequently than ever before. I wanted to be a friend to her in her grief, even though I was so far away.
When I planned my trip for November, my main motivation was to spend time with her. I extended my trip over a week longer than our larger meeting just so we could hang out in her part of the world. We started in Cebu at one hotel for our meeting, went to a very nice hotel for a few days to have a mini-vacation together, and then we journeyed to see our church friends in Manila.
My two weeks with Binky were easy and joyful. I could tell that just hanging out was bringing her relief. Obviously, this was not a cure for her grief, but I could see in her eyes that it was a much-needed reprieve. There were actually times when we were just enjoying the beach or a lovely meal together, and she was fully present and not buried by her loss. She was coming up for air, even if only temporarily.
I was so grateful to have the time with her. Binky and I made some great memories during the trip. We enjoyed new restaurants, drank some funky-colored Starbucks Frappuccinos (funky for those of us in the USA, anyway), we swam in a beautifully warm infinity pool that overlooked the ocean, we attended a cultural show together, and we watched Living with Myself episodes on Netflix in our hotel room. We endured Manila traffic, rode horrifically overcrowded elevators, and she listened to me whine about my horrible mosquito bites when I ran out of Repel.
Traveling with a good friend can be so fulfilling and rich. It can deepen our relationships like nothing else. Do you have a friend-cation story? Do you have a friend that you just love to travel with? Tell us your stories! We want to hear them…
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