Our trip felt like something you only see in the movies. We were 17. Looking back at our excitement as the plane ascended into the light blue sky that day in Boston made me feel like I was a kid again. This was the first week-long trip I would ever take with a friend. And it is now one of the best choices I have ever made.
We went to Disney. A place I had been a dozen or so times. But, this time felt different. It was my closest friends first Disney vacation. Actually, it was her first ever vacation. There were a lot of first's for her throughout that week. Her first plane ride, her first time anxiously waiting for the pilot to signal that it's landing time, her first time in an airport out of state and finally her first time smelling that good ole Orlando air.
We stopped at every park, rode almost every ride, and ate enough food to fill up a football team. Capturing as many moments as we could with our then iPhone 5's. We collected pennies from the cute, little machines that are found outside Disney boutiques. We smiled more than ever as my parents can attest to.
Our week was ironically something you could only see in a Disney movie, it was only fitting considering we were visiting the most magical place in the world. But, it wasn't the location that sent us into a complete child-like state of over-arching enjoyment. It was that we were together. A whole week with my friend of over 10 years. Just us catching up on the gossip from our two different high school's, laughing about things that happened when we were just learning how to swim and ride bikes, and making plans for college.
As the trip neared to a close, I feared with our adult lives right around the corner that somehow our friendship would take the backseat. It turns out on our flight back to the bean we would plan our next vacation together.
Traveling has become our way of remaining in contact over the last few years. It has been the glue that holds us together when our lives take us miles away. Traveling has given me and my oldest friend the chance to remain in each other's lives even with the constant uncertainty of our different worlds looming overhead.
I want to leave you with the encouragement to save your change, every leftover dollar, and yes even that Birthday money because there is so much to see in this big, wide, beautiful world and I want you all to be able to experience that trip of a lifetime with your best friend like I was so fortunate to have done. Whether it's a day trip, weekend trip, or week-long trip. Make that extra effort for just the two of you. And remember, it's not where you go it's who you're with that matters.
