What do you want when you decide to spend a lot of money on taking a trip overseas? Even if it’s only a thousand clicks away, not to the other side of the world, you’d want the trip to be a wonderful experience.

I would want three things.

1. Simplicity

I hate to spend a lot of time discussing issues that don’t really need to be discussed. Things like should you bring a backup toothbrush or how many panties you need to carry with you. We’re grown ups. We can deal with personal preferences ourselves; no need to discuss it with your peers, or even bring it up in the forum.

2. Independence

Independence here has two meanings, and I think both of them are important. First, I want to be independent to chose where I want to go, when, and for how long. I’m not saying that compromises are out of the question; I’m saying that when talks get really tough, going our own ways is probably the best option. Second, I do not want people to go somewhere just because I’m also going there. If I suddenly change my mind, it’ll all get messy and somebody’s going to get upset. Not nice.

3. Best Value

Now, this is closely related to independence. What people value most will differ. Maybe I prefer culinary explorations and heritage trails, while you can’t think of anything but shopping, hi-tech 3D movies, and exhilarating roller-coasters. Well, in this case, as I’ve said before, going our own ways is probably better.

Again, I am not saying that compromises are bad; they’re just bad if they start to take a toll on the fun you should be having. The trade-off here is getting what you want by going it alone, or sacrificing something in favor of someone’s company.

So, let’s keep it simple, independent, and for the best value. Instead of trying to make everyone else do what we want, why not let everyone decide for themselves and get together only when it’s feasible and fun to do so.

Happy traveling!