📍friends, from all over — There’s a peculiar sense about traveling; when you’re new to a place and haven’t made friends yet, it can be troubling. Friends help make us feel good. They can give us a slight nudge in the right direction, crucial advice for our unbearable moments, and even convince us to get into some seriously impractical shit. But, that’s why we love ‘em. Without someone to share a hearty laugh with over a cold one, traveling might not be nearly as enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about solo travels! Self discovery is undeniably life changing, and I advise anyone and everyone to go adventuring off on their own sometime in their life. Whether that’s a back yard stroll through the trees, or conquering a trail that will bring you some battles like the PCT, the journey will gift you with irreplaceable knowledge and realization. I’ve had my share of solo quests with and without Zenna, and the more I’ve learned on my own, the more prepared I became for those future trips I desired so badly with some buds. I was able to evaluate myself on an “inward-looking” level, where I was able to explore not just what I wanted from life, but what I needed to change within myself in order to get to that destination. Once you do experience traveling to multiple places, and have friends that branch out to new areas of the globe, you begin to making connections; that’s where traveling becomes an entirely new ball game... Check out my blog to read the rest of my thoughts on the importance of friendship! With friends in new places, the upside is having an “excuse” to go on that vacation you know you desperately need! Or in my case, it merely becomes part of who you are and what you annually do. Having friends to meet up with gives you a little bit of comfort when visiting a new area of the world, but remember- if you decided to travel to a place without knowing anyone, you can easily meet new people by casual conversation! Last summer was like that for Seth and I; where moving to California to get a taste of the West Coast lifestyle was something I longed for. We quickly found out living in a melting pot was a tad tricky, and meeting like minded people was difficult due to the lack of being able to go traveling/camping, yet the experience made us better as a team. Now whenever Seth and I travel back to SoCal, it’s more of a lovely reunion with one of my dearest friends, as well as with the beach cities themselves. Having lived there gave us the time to become familiar with the area, and now visiting isn’t so full of question- just filled with excitement and food cravings! Fast forwarding to this summer, making our way West felt natural. We felt completely at ease, considering we’ve been to Moab numerous times, Virgin a handful, as well as Joshua Tree, and Cali. The first couple times are a new sensation, where butterflies are pulling you in every direction at once and a peculiar unknown lingers throughout the air. It can be horrifying when you find out there’s no camping, or you have to pay “HOW much for rent?”, or no dogs are allowed here- but you simply keep moving forward, researching, and trusting that the world is bringing you where you need to be. I’ve always found that the best way to figure a place out is to head to a local-looking bar or entertainment area, and just start talking. Ask questions. Stop letting the little voice in your head tell you that you’re “too nervous” to talk to that guy or girl sitting alone enjoying the sun or a good book. You never know- they may have live in that spot all their life and would love to give you a push in the right direction, or they could be just like you; waiting for an opportunity to come their way to figure this thing out! My main purpose of this blog is to tell you to GET OUTSIDE. Go talk to that random person, introduce yourself and why you’re in the area, get to know people on a personal level. Try to drop the judgements on yourself and others, and just be kind. Be welcoming. Invite in new options, new friends, or old friends in new places! Get your heart racing with excitement, let yourself be horribly uncomfortable. If you’re really unsure of a solo adventure, dial up a buddy and make a plan. Drive an hour away or fly twelve. Go hand in hand with the unknown and feel what it’s like to live in the present moment, enjoying the city lights or the silence of the forest. Whatever you decide to do, just DO.