I met my Fiji travel mate through gapyear.com

Name: Jenny Dodson

Age: 18

Occupation: Wannabe full time water baby, but for now will settle for being a student!


So, tell us about the first time you met up with Duncan? Did you have to do the whole 'I'll be the one wearing a yellow bow tie thing'?

No, not at all! We'd been talking on the phone, emailing and texting ever since we agreed to be travel mates but it was not until we booked the flights that we agreed to meet up. As he was working in the Lake District and I was still at home in Herfordshire, we decided to meet in Birmingham - as it was a good half way point for the two of us. He got the train down and my dad drove me up. I was so nervous, but once we got chatting I relaxed straight away. I was worried that we would run out of things to talk about but the afternoon went really well. We talked about loads, family, school and university, what we liked and disliked, what we wanted to get out of our trip. We had a great laugh!

We were just walking around the city when we came across this huge map of the world which was laid out on the floor. People were walking over it looking at all the places they wished they had gone to or wanted to go to, so we decied to have a look. It was at this point I had my first doubts. We walked from England to our little Island of Fiji and began imagining all the amazing things we were going to see and do, and then it dawned on me. I am actually going, to this little island, out in the middle of nowhere. Just me and this bloke who I only met today. Was I doing the right thing? At the right time? Should I wait and do it later? Then as i looked down at Fiji and under my feet I saw an amazing picture of white sand, clear blue sea and a native woman with a pot on her head. Duncan and I both looked at each other, smiled and I think we both thought 'I'm going to be spending 5 weeks in paradise!'

Ok, what about once you'd got the ocean breeze in your hair and the sand between your toes? A bit different to Birmingham city centre! Did you still get on well once your trip was under way?

When we arrived in Fiji, we didn't have any problems at all. We got on like a house of fire. However, we have both decided that the friendship we have is different because in a way we were forced to get along. This said, in no way did we ever feel constrained by the other. We were able to have a good laugh and a chat - which was one of the most important things to me. I do believe we were very lucky that nothing went wrong as it could have ended up horrendously. We had a great time together and I'm glad that I had someone to share an amazing experience with.

Did you find that you and Duncan were quite well-suited, that you wanted to do similar things and had few disagreements?

We never had any disagreements on what we wanted to do or not do. When we decided that we wanted to move onto somewhere else, we sat down and talked about what each of us wanted to do and we always wanted to do similar things. Things did not prove too much of a problem, as we talked about things like that before we left to make sure that we wanted the same things from our trip. Also, we both had similar senses of humour and so we had a really good laugh at everything we did. I don't think I could have found anyone more laid back and happy to do things as Duncan. I was very lucky.

If you were to fill out your criteria for a travel mate again - what would you have added or asked for?

I wouldn't change anything. For someone to get on with me, they have to have a very open sense of humour. I tend to say things that are meant as a joke and not to be taken seriously, so I was lucky that Duncan had pretty much the same humour as me otherwise they probably would'Ve been problems. I don't think there is any reason why you cannot get along with anyone as long as you both can have a laugh.

Are you glad that you paired up with a travel mate or do you wish that you had gone solo? Is there anything that you feel you missed out on by buddying up with Duncan?

I have to say that Duncan got me through many tough times. I don't think I could have stuck it out there for as long as I did - especially after the first week of rain. My trip away was amazing, but I'm not going to pretend that I was happy for the whole time. The first week of rain brought me down alot. It was my first trip away and I was extremely down and home sick - all I wanted to do was come home. Even when the weather was beautiful and we stayed on Nananu-i-ra, I sometimes got very home sick and missed my friends and family. Having Duncan there was a great help. He completely understood that the trip was a big thing for me and that I was missing everyone back home loads. He was such a great help - when I was down he would think up a way of getting my mind off it by making me laugh. I will be forever grateful for this. I definitely recommend going with someone rather than by yourself unless you are an extremely strong willed person. Sometimes it's just nice to have the company.

So Jen, you've been, there done that. What advice would you give to those about to head off with a travel mate?

When I think about what Duncan and I did, it could have gone extremely wrong. I only met up with him once before we left!Although we did email and talk on the phone quite a bit, he still could have been any one and I could have been anyone. I think we were extremely lucky. It is commonly thought that meeting up with someone over the internet is a really bad idea, but Duncan and I have proved this to be incorrect. It is important to remember that the system can work if it is done properly and sensibly. When we met for the first time, we met in Birmingham city centre - which was extremely busy - and my dad came with me too. As long as everything is done sensibly, there is no reason why I wouldn't recommend it to other people. I certainly had a great time!