There is an epigram: "The taste of food may not be as important as the atmosphere and the atmosphere may not be as important as your dining companions." I do not know where this first came from, but I agree that sometimes the great taste of food is useless if you are not in a good mood. Moreover, an ordinary dish becomes an impressive meal if you're with good company.
Travelling, to me, is no different. An exotic trip easily becomes a nightmare if you get the wrong travel mates. Since travelling has become something cheaper that everyone can enjoy, choosing travel companions can make or break the entire experience.
I've had a fair share of good and bad travel mates. Once going to Ayutthaya, I went along with a friend called Tiang. I thought it would be "the more the merrier", but after we set off, I found out I had made the wrong decision. Defining herself as a green traveller, Tiang had an extra-high awareness when it came to environmental concerns. She was of the mindset that every single move throughout the trip should be "eco-friendly".
So when I made a wrong turn or got lost, she criticised me for wasting energy and adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. When I bought something and got plastic bags, she brought them back to the vendors and complained that I was ruining the environment. She insisted that everybody should thank her for doing this.
But Tiang did not realise how she was ruining my day!
On the contrary, another friend of mine claims that he is an easygoing traveller. He says that he can have simple dishes such as khai jiew (Thai style omelette) or nam phrik pla too (chilli paste and fried mackerel), which are basic dishes widely available in most parts of Thailand.
But such dishes and dining behaviour put him in trouble when he travelled out of his comfort zone. He still ordered khai jiew and nam phrik in remote restaurants which didn't even serve seafood.
I cannot figure out what makes people develop such behaviour.
Probably nowadays, people have more chance of travelling and it has just become an extension of their comfort zone -- their usual behaviours -- and in turn they forget to care about their travel companions, or about the different ways of the world that surround them.
Or maybe, they stay too long in the world of social media and they adopt their online behaviour in real life.
On Line or Facebook, you can easily send lovely stickers or press "like" to entertain or impress someone. Friends in social media do not complain when you're late, smell bad or snore too loud -- yet, you can't do that in real life, especially when you're travelling with other people.
If you argue with someone online, you can choose to leave the conversation by just turning off your phone. But during a trip you cannot do that. The trip is a real life situation and every move of your travel mate shapes the entire experience. Your behaviour affects other people in a way that it doesn't do online.
But while weird travel mates can ruin the trip, nice people can dramatically turn an ordinary trip into an impressive one.
Once, I visited Luang Prabang, the former capital of Laos, where I had been many times. At first, I assumed this was another boring and time-wasting trip. However, the travel companions I met were so interesting. They were food lovers who tirelessly explored the old town for fine foods. Instead of following the guidebook to visit cultural attractions like all the other tourists, we roamed the back streets trying to find every interesting restaurant and food stall, one by one.
On the road to Luang Prabang's former palace, we made our way very slowly. While most tourists walk through it in a couple of minutes, we spent over an hour on the short road, wandering through som tum outlets, pho shops, coffee houses, bakery shops, bakers etc. We commented on the food we shared, filling up our stomachs all day long and having a lot of fun. It was a nice and easy trip that one could hardly forget.
When planning trips, I now not only check the itinerary; when possible, I also look out for the types of people I may meet and who I am going to share my travel time with.
I cannot say I am a good travel companion, but I will try my best not to ruin someone's trip.
Peerawat Jariyasombat is a travel writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.