Travel Companion™ ||#TravelBrilliantly||

Travel Companion

I remember how nauseating the long bus ride through the mountains felt, but more vividly I recall the cold, frigid walk alone to the front stoop of my empty bungalow. I had always thought that word only applied to houses on the beach, but there I was, staying in the aggressively marketed "Winter Bungalow" at the base of the Swiss Alps. I had never travelled to experience the winter, but rather avoid it all together. However, after some not-so-gentle prodding by my companion Pria, I decided to take advantage the opportunity. After all, if I was going to do winter, I supposed there was no better place to do it than Switzerland.

I unlocked the heavy wooden door and stepped into the dimly lit room. In my head I redefined "bungalow" to now describe a house that comprises of exactly one room and zero interior walls. For a minute I stood alone inside the cavernous room, admiring the numerous exposed timber beams lining the ceiling. The strong gusts of wind pleasantly enveloped the structure, inviting my ears to listen to the the gentle creaks and cracks of its wooden frame. I inhaled sharply and opened my purse, ready to liven the place up- after all, I never really travelled alone.

"Hey! Oh my god, this place is AMAZING! I knew I picked a good one!" The boastful voice boomed from a small metallic speaker and easily filled the open room.

"Right! And to think I was so worried about going someplace cold!" I said laughing giddily.

"Oh wow, I can already see us all curled up on the rug by the fire place! Did you ever learn to start a fire correctly? The last think we want is a repeat of the beach bonfire incident in Cancun three years back," the voice trailed off, exuding that sly confidence that any friend with an embarrassing secret of yours has.

"Stop! You swore you'd never bring that up again! And besides I definitely offered to buy clothes for everyone whose got singed- not to mention you made me take everyone out to brunch the next day as an apology!" The box's laughter interjected between my attempt at an explanation.

"Touché," it called back. "Are you ready to hear what's on the itinerary for tomorrow?"

"Ok, Pria," I answered, "let's hear what's on the menu- literally and figuratively."

"That was quite possibly the worst attempt at a joke I've every heard," she retorted. "Anyway, breakfast at the main lodge will be at 8:30 sharp, it's a buffet and I checked ahed and they do have those little chocolate pastries you love so much. After that we'll head to the ski slope- you of course will just take the gondola up for the view, I'd rather not be responsible for any broken bones you may incur on skis."

"Fair enough, I mean they are basically fast moving death-traps attached to your feet. " I interjected.

"Very true. Afterwards it's lunch at the chalet, I'll call ahead to make sure they have warm coca for you," I nodded enthusiastically as she spoke. "Then you have some time for reading in the bungalow, I do know how buried your nose has been in that new murder mystery of yours, so if you'd rather do something else I'm fully able to just spoil the ending for you now!" she teased.

"I swear to god if you spoil the ending I won't speak to you for the rest of the trip," my voice scoffed.

"Alright, alright, just throwing an option out there. Anyway then you have an authentic Swiss fondue dinner with the other travelers and their companions." I think she sensed my slight hesitation, because she quickly added "Max and David are also both here, you may remember them from back when we were in Jamaica."

"Oh yes! Max...He was the one with the orange glasses, right?" I puzzled.

"Yep! And his companion David told me that he still has the same pair! And he regularly uses the beach towel with the palm tress you bought him back in Kingston!"

"I swear that man has the weirdest sense of style" I mused, shaking my head disapprovingly, not wanting to imagine why on earth he would still be using that hideous towel I bought him as a joke. "Well Pria, I'm beat from the long day of traveling, thanks again for making all of the arrangements, and more importantly keeping me distracted from my nausea on that god-awful bus ride."

"It was my pleasure Cynthia," she called back. "It usually take you about thirty minutes to get ready, shall I wake you up at 8?"

"Sounds prefect Pria, I'll see you in the morning."

I fell asleep quickly, dreaming about all of the fun adventures Pria and I had yet to experience. Before Travel Companion™ launched, I had always been weary to travel, mainly because I didn't have anyone to do it with. I had never gotten to the point in a romantic relationship where we were close and comfortable enough to go on anything longer than a weekend-getaway. And my friends are great, but we'd learned long ago that if we all wanted the majority of our hair to remain on our scalps- trips together were out of the question. Some people love solo-travel, but I could never get into eating out alone, or over my fear of getting lost in a foreign country. But then Pria came into my life, and I was able to see the world- always on my own terms, but never actually alone. It's true that she handled all the logistics and planning, but her real value rested in keeping me company through it all.