When travelling with my best friend also means travelling with my mom

Although I am primarily a solo traveller, I often say it’s not about what you see when travelling, but who you see it with.

I’m a pretty passionate traveller. So much, in fact, that I’ve made it my career. After five years spent in university learning, I decided that making a five-year plan to learn about the world by travelling was just as appropriate. And somehow along the way, I became a travel blogger, freelance writer and videographer.

Six years ago, there wasn’t the big cultural movement of millennials travelling, and people were surprised by my choice. After a few trips, they wondered when I would start “real life”. They didn’t understand that this was my real life. But the people who endlessly supported me and didn’t question my motives also happened to be my parents. I have a very close relationship with both of them, but my mom also happens to be my best friend. We can spend hours on the phone together, and call back five minutes later with one more story that turns into another half hour of chatting.

That’s why I feel so lucky that she loves to travel too.

I grew up in a farming community, which makes it difficult for my parents to travel during the long growing season, but they always seem to make time for it. To date, I’ve been fortunate to visit five continents with my mom and four with my dad.

My most recent trip with my mom took us to the plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania, and the turquoise waters of Zanzibar. It was my mom’s dream to go on an African safari, and something she thought would never happen. We planned the two-week trip to take place over her 61st birthday and spent five luxurious days spotting the Big Five in the savannah. We were even so lucky as to watch two lionesses take down a wildebeest.

I also introduced my mom to one of my biggest passions: the sport of scuba diving. While in Zanzibar, she fearlessly geared up in a wetsuit and jumped in the tropical water for not one but two dives along the reefs of the Zanzibar archipelago. I don’t know if there’s anything cooler than a mom who supports her daughter’s adventure-junkie personality by joining her in those adventures.

Although I am primarily a solo traveller, I often say it’s not about what you see when travelling, but who you see it with. I couldn’t be happier being able to share such incredible moments around the world with someone who means the world to me.

To my mom: thank you for instilling me with the most passionate curiosity and courage, so I can make my dreams of a career in travel come true and in turn, share it all with you.

Author - Ashlyn George

Ashlyn George is a travel blogger from Canada. She has travelled to all seven continents and is most passionate about promoting exploration in her home province of Saskatchewan. You can follow her adventures online at The Lost Girl's Guide to Finding the World.