I travel a lot, but I do not always travel for the same reason—and I definitely do not always travel with the same people.
Sometimes I travel for work. Sometimes completely for myself. Sometimes with friends, my partner, my son or all of us together.
I think all of those trips matter.
Being a family does not mean every experience must involve the whole family. Being in a relationship does not mean you stop needing experiences that are entirely your own.
Sometimes I travel for work
These trips may look like holidays from the outside, but sometimes they are work with an airport in the middle.
A property needs checking. Something needs organising. A renovation problem needs attention.
Of course, I still try to enjoy where I am. That is probably why a work trip can suddenly acquire a restaurant, a detour or another property viewing. I am apparently incapable of simply doing the job and returning. 😂
Sometimes I travel alone
Once, while driving home from Germany, my phone navigation stopped working. Fine—I had the car navigation.
Then that stopped too.
So there I was, somewhere between Germany and home, with two navigation systems and absolutely no navigation.
I did what any sensible person would do.
I left the main road.
I was trying to find someone with a working phone. Instead, I accidentally explored Laufenburg.
That is why travelling alone suits me. Getting lost does not automatically ruin my day. My reaction is often:
Well… I am here now. What is here?
Sometimes you find your way. Sometimes you find somewhere else first.
Sometimes I travel with friends
Friend trips give friendships proper time. You talk differently, laugh about different things and reconnect outside everyone’s normal responsibilities.
Admittedly, the categories do not always stay neat.
I once travelled with my son and a friend. My friend encouraged my son to drink. They both became drunk.
I was so annoyed that, when it was time to leave, I told them: “You got yourselves into this. You can help each other walk.” 🤣
Off they staggered, supporting each other while I followed behind questioning my life choices.
Not the bonding experience I planned. Definitely a memory.
Sometimes it is just me and my partner
When work, properties, children and responsibilities compete for attention, a relationship can become mainly logistics.
Who is doing what? What needs fixing? What time are we leaving? Did you call them?
And, in our case: “Can I still get one hour of sleep?” 😂
Travelling just the two of us gives us time to be a couple again—not only two people running a life.
Sometimes it is just me and my son
One-to-one time with your child is different from family time. You talk differently. You notice different things. You build memories that belong specifically to that relationship.
Family trips do not replace that. They complement it.
And sometimes we all travel together
Those trips become part of the family’s shared history: the place somebody hated, the restaurant everyone remembers and the disaster that becomes funny five years later.
I do not think one version of travelling has to replace the others.
The lesson I carried forward
Different people bring out different parts of me—and different relationships need different kinds of time.
Travelling separately does not mean something is missing. It gives my friendships, relationship with my partner, relationship with my son, family life and relationship with myself room to exist properly.
Those things do not compete with each other.
There should be space in life for all of them.