Since moving to England, I have (almost) always been travelling by myself. It has become a habit, my lifestyle, the way I choose to travel. I can do whatever I want, making spontaneous decisions every single minutes; waking up at 6 in the morning and walk uphill to see the sunrise, walking nonstop through the city, entering every shop and reading restaurants' menus. I didn't have to ask anyone's permission or opinion, didn't have to care what the other person would think, if he/she would be happy or not.

It might sound like I'm a very independent person who doesn't need anyone else ever, but actually I have always been finding it hard to be by myself, to be with myself. That's why I always use Couchsurfing when I travel by myself (not only because I can't afford a hostel room...) I remember the two nights spending in a hostel room in Barcelona, even though I did went our for dinner with one of my roommates, the whole two days by myself was pretty empty. I did't have a purpose to be there. What was I doing, walking around the city centre of Barcelona? What's the point of travelling? I kept asking myself theses same questions while I was there.

Because when I travel with my family, it was more like being an assisting photographer, the purpose was to take photos. Travelling with friends was to spend some time with people you know well in a different city, discovering new things and sharing your thoughts with someone. But what do you do when you're all by yourself?

It's true, I take photos. But somehow that was not my thing when travelling. The only things I took photos of when I was in Barcelona was food. (and using my small food writing job as an excuse to eat and talk to strangers)

But let's be honest, I'm this small, travelling with a light wallet, how much can a tiny girl like me actually eat? And no matter how good the food is, it can never be as good as when you share the moment with someone.

So that was what I was doing in Barcelona, reflecting on WHY exactly am I travelling?

My answer, I think, is to learn. To learn from the locals about the cultures and food, to get to know families, people, to make friends. Sightseeing was never my thing, at the end had always made my trip so memorable were the people I shared moments with. People whom I cook for, or cook for me, or teach me how to cook, who connected with me, shared a meal together, have random conversations, welcome me into their families. At the end, we become friends

That's also why I often feel so lonely; what else can I feel when so many of my good friends live in different corners of the world?


In the past few months, I also had a chance to travel with a friend (which normally rarely happens) Last week, my linguist programmer friend from Moscow, whom I met 2 years ago through Couchsurfing in London, came for a visit.

Even though it was only for a short period of time, less than a week, I have to admit that it was quite different from the way I normally travel. We had to compromise and sacrifice. Luckily, both of us were quite independent and normally travel solo, so we understood each other's need to be independent. Sometimes we went off doing our own things for a while, and then meet back again later. We didn't have to eat at the same place if we didn't want to.

Okay, but that didn't happen very often, and we still travelled together.



Lena was a straightforward person (which I think is a Russian thing? or at least a Russian stereotype) Whatever she liked or disliked, she said it. But neither of us were offended by each other's direct speech and opinion. We didn't have to be together all the time, to agree on everything. But at the end of the day, it was nice to have someone to talk to while you wander the streets, to share your thoughts, feeling and food, to even to take photos of.

I see travelling with someone a skill which I want to learn, or at least get better at. Learning to compromise and communicate, to create new memories, not only with yourself and strangers but also someone your already know.

To enrich your friendship, I believe that's what travel does, too.