short term friendships

Tourist town friendships have an expiration date, and peak season produces the most number of farewells. I never realize that until recently. I am usually the one who leaves.

Do you guys feel oblidge to be more honest with people you like, who are only staying for a certain number of days or weeks? It is strange to get too personal with people who are only staying for a week, while you are as indecisive as the weather about your travel plans?

Are people just cooler, when they know they are not staying long enough to get really personal? It aint easy to be congenial when you are practically living in a place, while other people are reading guide books and booking flights.

It sucks, I am leaving and somehow, I managed to make new friends, which will expire in a matter of days.

Well, the friendship doesn't have to expire... leaving a location and moving on to the next one or going back home doesn't mean that the acquaintances that we had along the way are finished. It can still be the beginning, although, there are a lot of times when I have to leave a certain place that I really feel sad, but happy at the same time cause of the great memories that I had with new friends.

Do we ever become less friendly or people are just not interesting?

I think the greater/more intense the experience shared, the higher the chances of the friendship standing the test of time (and geography). And of course, it makes a helluva difference if both parties were willing to make the effort to keep in touch/meet up/travel together again.

Quoting SuperBrat

I think the greater/more intense the experience shared, the higher the chances of the friendship standing the test of time (and geography). And of course, it makes a helluva difference if both parties were willing to make the effort to keep in touch/meet up/travel together again.

more intense? like if you sleep with them... one of my best friend is coming back to Asia, and I'll probably go back home to my country just to show him around town.

I am travelling to meet friends next week... Its nice to make statements like, I am just visiting Shanghai and Hainan to see my friends, which I met as a traveller.

Intense... as in sharing a cowshed or footrot. Or a kayak and a beer followed by deep philosophical alcohol-induced chats until sunrise. The same dorm maybe, and watching people come and go, with you and the one other being the only constant. And then proceeding to travel for the next 4 weeks together. Climbing Everest. That kinda "intense"

Is it cool to be too honest with people you meet while travelling. Apparently, the truth is not always binding.

Bump into someone recently, and as always its AMAZING, how you meet someone you met before in another country or city and they are in the same bar. Then you get drunk and too friendly and sentimental, so uncool. Ofcousre it depends on the situation and the people.