Finding a travel companion for long trips is not easy. In addition to having common interests, both parties must have experience, commitment, understanding and composure to handle unexpected situations that may arise on the road.
Famous in the backpacking community, the young girl nicknamed Nang Em (Gia Lai) and her lover have been traveling together for 3 years, making many trips to explore famous places from North to South.
She said she and her lover met by chance through a comment on the TikTok platform. When they found out they shared the same interests in traveling and exploring, they became companions on many trips through provinces and cities across Vietnam.
“We went to all the provinces in the South, Central, and part of the Central Highlands. In the North, there are only 3 provinces that we have not set foot in: Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and Dien Bien,” the female backpacker said.
The couple's trips usually last from 5 to 11 days, depending on their free time. Notably, Nang Em said that they both traveled completely on their own without the help of a tour guide because her boyfriend has a lot of experience traveling long distances.
According to the female backpacker, every place leaves its own impression. However, if we talk about the most memorable place, it is probably Ha Giang because of its majestic natural scenery and unique and rich ethnic cultural identity.
In addition, other famous places such as Moc Chau, Binh Thuan, Da Lat... also have attractive landscapes, helping her enrich her valuable travel experiences.
Traveling together for a long time, inconvenience and difficulty are inevitable. Both of them are busy with work all year round, so arranging time and travel schedules is quite difficult. There were even times when, because of work, both of them had to drive through the night to get back to Gia Lai on time.
In addition, vehicle breakdowns on the road are also inevitable: “Once our vehicle broke down in Ta Xua but we couldn’t find a place to fix it. In the end, we had to drive slowly and carefully through Moc Chau, find a temporary repair shop to return home. Luckily, there were no serious incidents.”
One of the things that backpackers are quite afraid of during the trip is arguing and disagreeing with their travel companions. However, this couple believes that when traveling together, they must minimize stressful arguments and always try to understand each other.
“To be together for such a long time, understanding each other is extremely important. Each person has their own job, understanding each other is the only way to be able to go long and far together. For example, he makes the schedule, I decide on the location, he drives and I look at the map...”, the female backpacker shared.
To prepare for the trip, besides time and budget, the most important thing is health. Nang Em also affirmed that without the spirit of discovery and “passion for travel”, it is difficult to conquer long distances and long trips. In addition, the most important factor for couples to have a smooth trip is understanding, tolerance, and patience.
“My only advice is that couples should try to understand each other’s personalities, don’t let arguments ruin the whole trip. When conflicts arise, use the trip as a factor to reconcile everything. Working together, earning money together to have a stable economy is also a stepping stone for future trips,” Nang Em shared.
She affirmed that after conquering all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam, the two will continue to accompany each other, returning to their favorite places once again to satisfy their free souls, their desire to explore and travel.
