A Road Trip, Both Physically and Mentally

How do you get along with anyone, even someone it can be hard to get along with? You choose to. And you'll probably become a better person for it.

And here I am in Wellington. Despite storms, illegal camping fines, my bad navigational skills, and major differences in personality, my short term travel partner and I finally made it south and parted ways. He is heading back north, and I will be hopping down to the South Island to visit a friend. After that my plans turn hazy.

It's been an interesting week, to say the least. I met Anton the Swede in the hostel in Auckland, and we decided to rent a camper van and road trip down to Wellington. That way I would share the cost of the vehicle with him for as long as we travelled together, and we'd get a scenic route along the island. It seemed like a great choice for me to get to see some of the countryside as I headed south.

Of course, “camper van” is a generous term. Being economical, we rented a car with a bed in the back, which is fine, if a bit cozy for two almost strangers. We lived on instant noodles and peanut butter sandwiches (mostly), and found out that our personalities are almost completely opposite.

I am wildly non confrontational, but also decidedly optimistic. My Swedish companion on the other hand, has no such qualms over confrontation, and we had many a half joking discussion over whether he's realistic or pessimistic. He is also decidedly extroverted, while I am a penduluming ambivert.

I'll admit I swung pretty far into introvertedness during our road trip. We had our moments where I'm sure we both got on each other's nerves, but travelling in such close quarters forces you to get to know a person very quickly. We dove into the trip spontaneously, not knowing how well we would get along or if we would get tired of each other. And upon finding out our opposite extremes in personality (and in many cases also opinion), we learned how to get along.

My first instinct, I'll admit, was to become as introverted as possible--to be quiet, withdraw, avoid.
I wrote a lot in the last week, which is a good thing. Where it initially started as a mental defence, it very quickly became an introspective journey. I wrote everything I was feeling and thinking, and it allowed me to sort out my thoughts and come to kinder conclusions than I might otherwise have done.
I realised that I could either be anti social and not really have much fun, or just do what felt most natural--speak when I had something to say, be comfortable in the situation I was in, and enjoy the trip for the experience and the lessons that it brought. Once I had made that decision I felt much more peaceful with myself and my travelling companion, and as a result, more comfortable mentally.

I've only been travelling for two weeks, and already I feel like I've grown and learned so much. Both from the experiences I've had and the people I've been with. I'll admit there were times on the road trip that I was wishing for it to be over, but by the end, I was (and am) glad I chose to participate in it. Despite some bumps along the way, it was a valuable experience that came with a lot of psychological growth, and I wouldn't trade it.

So choose your travel partners well, everyone. Or don't. You'll learn more that way.