I love the Group thing

The dynamics of traveling with a group is worthy material for an entire thesis.

I went to Spain with a group of ten. We joined another group of fourteen. So yes, I traveled around the country as a part of a 24 member group.

By the end of the trip- we were family. Yet we knew so little about each other. We spent very little time talking about "real life" stuff like jobs and families. We bonded through this amazing sensory experience we were sharing.

Travel can accelerate any relationship. Casual romantic relationships seemed to progress through an entire cycle: courtship, honeymoon, daily routine, dullness, divorce. Friends went from casual acquaintances to soul mate bff's.

We had the class clown (a couple of them, actually). The class geek came in handy because she had done advanced research on everything we could ever need to know about Spain. We followed our Spanish tour guide, Francesc (very hot), wherever he went. There was one point where we saw a school trip of kids following their teacher/chaperone. We were walking alongside them in very similar fashion. We joked that we needed to pair up and hold hands.

We didn't spend the entire time as a whole group. Sub-groups and cliques formed just like high school. The "party-ers" stayed together, as did the "museum buffs". Leaders emerged. If someone became annoying, it was easy enough to avoid them. Flirtations began. Gossip spread. Any couples that had interest in each other were careful to keep things in check in order to avoid the scrutiny of the others. Seriously!

Upon my return home, my house felt very silent. I actually missed my new family. I've already been contacted by a couple of them to get together. So it seems I'm not the only one.