Travelling in a foreign country can often be quite a challenging experience — you’re vulnerable, away from what is familiar, and may not speak the language. Add in friend that you’re stuck with 24/7 for the entirety of your trip, and let’s just say you might find yourself presented with some tricky obstacles.

If you’re fortunate, or just happen to be travelling with your BFF/soul mate, you’ll overcome the following challenges together and return with a strengthened bond.

#1 Having Different Priorities

It will start to become quite obvious when the two of you have different priorities. One of you might like hikes, the other might prefer long walks through museums. One of you might be a breakfast person and the other a brunch person. Perhaps you like to splurge on tacky souvenirs, but your BFF prefers to go on long shopping sprees in foreign malls. Are they a morning person and prefer to get the touristy stuff done early, while you’re a night owl and would rather party until late?

There will be hundreds of things you’ll disagree on when travelling together. If you guys are truly committed to your friendship, you’ll learn how to compromise like pros. Breakfast one morning and brunch the next? Hiking on Wednesdays and museum-ing on Thursdays? Early rises every other day? Go team BBFs!

#2 Going Over Budget

Running out of money can be quite a stressful situation to face overseas. Are you finding yourself covering all the evening sangria bills in Barcelona?

If your friendship is truly indestructible, you won’t have to drain your own funds in fear of awkwardly starting an argument. Instead, you’re not afraid to pull you bestie into line and ask them to chip in. You two have grown together overseas and are able to let each other know when one of you isn’t playing fair.

#3 Getting Annoyed With Each Other

Are they a loud snorer? Do they clap when the plane lands? Are they a shy tipper? Do they pronounce gracias like grassy-ass?

You guys are stuck together pretty much 24 hours a day on this trip — you’re bound to get irritated with each other. Sure, maybe they have to continually ask you to repeat what the tour guide said on account of their non-existent listening skills — but if you guys are true best friends, you’ll learn to love each other’s flaws. Embrace the claps and sloppy accents — you’re in this together.

(Though I would advise you to purchase some ear plugs if your BFF happens to be the loud snorer).

#4 Running Out Of Things To Talk About

You’ve gone from seeing each other twice a week in psych lectures to spending every single day together for a few weeks. If you guys are meant to be, you’ll rarely find yourself short of conversation topics. You’ll probably invent fun/weird/daggy games to play while waiting for your food. Even on the days where you guys have just run out of words (probably used them all up during karaoke in Tokyo), your silences are still not awkward — you two can comfortably sit together in silence without feeling the uncomfortable pressure to talk about the weather.

You will see them at their worst, they will really irritate you with their loud chewing, and you’ll most likely encounter some financial disputes. Learn how to argue effectively and don’t let the not-so-great moments ruin your once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Treasure the good and bad moments, and if you guys are true BFFs, this trip will only bring you closer together.

(Lead image: Gossip Girl/The CW)