Traveling for me is my best escape, and it teaches me how I see things around me from different perspectives. As I travel, I learn from every people I meet, from every places that I’ve been to. And that is why I am thankful that I have the chance to fulfill my dream travels one by one, step by step. And speaking of lessons that I learned from my travel experience, let me share to you 5 things that made me change the way I see friendship through travel.

Climbing Mt. Manalmon in San Miguel, Bulacan

1. Stick together as one.

Traveling with friends is fun. But we must always take note that there’s always danger beyond the outskirts that we might encounter. That is the reason why it is recommended if you will stick together as one during your trip so you can have a helping hand no matter what happen.

Just like in having friends. As time pass by, you will experience difficulties. You will sometimes fight one another, encounter misunderstandings, roller coaster emotions and other problems that might affect your friendship. But the lesson here is no matter what happen, you should always stick together as one.

Celebrating End of Ramadhan in Jolo, Sulu

2. Memories live forever.

The experience you gain when traveling is worth remembering. Even if it is good memories or bad, still, memories are still kept and treasured. Bad things might come in our way as we travel, but that’s make the travel fun!

Just like in having friends. Every moment counts with them, so let’s embrace it and treasure it forever. Friends come and go, but true friends stay with you forever. So don’t waste time searching for larger and bigger circle of friends if you are not even sure if they will stay with you during the bad times. Stick with those who will never let you down no matter what.

Itbayat, Batanes - the northern-most municipality in the Philippines

3. Learn from your mistakes.

Traveling is not always perfect. There are times that there are going to be rough road ahead of your path. And we must admit that there are times that we commit bad decisions and wrong choice. But always remember, if you fail, you always have the chance to stand up and correct your mistake. And put it in your mind that having a mistake is not bad as long as you learn from it. What makes it bad is committing the same mistake all over again.

Just like in having friends. There is no perfect friendship. You will encounter different opinions from one another, different beliefs and all. And it might cause you to fight and misunderstood each other. But that’s what friends are for. It understands the differences of one another, forget, and then forgive. Learn from your mistake and move forward. Do not let your mistake and pride to ruin the friendship that you both build.

The Grand Provincial Capitol Building of Sultan Kudarat

4. Trust.

When you travel, you don’t know what will happen next. You don’t know what you will face as you go through your path. You have no idea what are the unexpected things that might occur as you travel. And all you need is trust. Trust who are you with. Trust the place. Trust God that He will guide you the way.

Just like in friendship. You will never know what will happen to your friendship 10 years from now? Do you think they will stay? Do you think they will not do bad things to you? You have no idea what will happen as time pass by. But one thing is for sure. If you trust your friend, nothing will happen wrong. You will survive all the obstacles that might ruin your friendship.

Climbing Bud Bongao, "The Sacred Mountain of Tawi-tawi"

5. Look for the best, and do not settle for less.

Sometimes, when the adrenaline kicks in, and our feet are itching to travel, we forget to think what’s the best thing to do and just travel wherever we like. Traveling is not counting the place you’ve been to. It is reserving the best of the best for you. It is choosing the most worth remembering experience.

Just like in friendship. You don’t need a large circle of friends. What you need are a few friends but all loyal and trustworthy. Few but will never leave your side no matter what.