Lets say, just for the sake of argument, that youve won the opportunity to spend three weeks in an enclosed space with three total strangers.
During that period, youll be transported through some of the bleakest, most hostile and hottest environments known to man.
Youll share a room with somebody you met only a couple of days before, and youll share a bathroom with that person, which means youll get to know them and their residual hair pretty well.
Lets say, for example, that you won a place on the Fox Road Trip.
During that time, youre going to have a blast. Youre going to drink cocktails with strippers in Vegas, youre going to take early morning hot-air balloon flights, and youre going to get comped tickets to watch live baseball games in great big stadiums.
Hell, theres even an occasional free beer.
But it can all go to hell, and the fun can stop in a second, if you start to piss each other off.
Its going to be TOUGH to not piss each other off. Its an unnatural enviroment, and the hours are long.
So heres three small pointers to keep relationships cordial, tempers intact, and rainbows shining (or whatever):
1. Shut up.
Seriously. Shut up. Spend a few minutes each day with your mouth closed. You might be hilarious, and your running commentary might be unmissable, but its only unmissable in your mind.
Keep your mouth closed, at least some of the time. Silence is golden, and the axe Im going to use to cave in your head is diamond-tipped.
2. Say yes to everything
This means everybody gets to make suggestions and you all get to do cool stuff.
Because youve got nothing better to do, right? I mean, the sheer fact that you took three weeks out of your busy schedule to go on an extended, subsidized vacation means youre basically unemployed anyway.
Keep your travels dull and your travel-buddies silently fuming by putting the kabosh on everybody elses best laid plans. Sit in your hotel room. Surf the internet. Dont let anybody else do anything.
3. Dont get too friendly with each other.
Nothing will turn a trip sour more quickly than getting to like each other too much. Those long, long car journeys will triple in perceived length, and your tolerance for one another will diminish quicker than the gas in your tank.
Put a cork in it and get your rocks off when you get home.
There you go. Simple as those three rules. Ignore them, and youll royally piss off your travelling companions. Stick to them, and youll still piss them off, only it will take a little longer.
***
This has been a public service announcement from Matthew Kimberley, author of How To Get A Grip
Similar Posts:
- Traffic Alert: 405 Freeway Closure in Mid-July
- Attending an Indianapolis Colts Game? Make a Night of It!
- Indiana County Fairs
- The Best Las Vegas Show You’ll Ever See
- WonderLab in Bloomington, Indiana
