The Friend I’ve Seen The World With

Rachelle, after a particularly good meal in Madrid.

Some friendships just… fit.
We don’t need matching luggage or perfect itineraries — just a place to be, a table to sit at, and a moment to exhale.

We never starve on vacation together, that’s for sure.

Traveling with her has become one of the constants in my life. She’s steady like that. The kind of friend who can sit across from you in a café, chin propped in her hand, smiling like she already knows the story you’re about to tell.
The kind who tastes focaccia like she’s grading it, rests deeply when she needs to, and somehow makes stillness look like a form of luxury.

Back home in Chicago with Rachelle.

And even after she moved to Paris to raise her family and build a softer life, we never missed a beat.
We plan our next trips through texts and voice notes, half-serious about the dates but fully committed to the memory we’ll make once we get there.

We’ve covered some miles together:

• Lisbon, where we rode around like we lived there

• Madrid winters, coffee in hand and fountains older than our grandparents

• London for the ATP Finals, yelling like we were on the coaching staff

• Paris, the chapter she lives in but still shares with me

• Italy, where we ate like it was coursework

• Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion, wrapped in vineyards and quiet mornings

• The Paris 2024 Olympics — clay courts and heat that felt dramatic on purpose

“Traveling with a friend is its own kind of freedom.”

Here’s what I’ve learned with her:
You don’t need a romantic partner to move through the world with ease.
You just need someone who matches your pace — someone who makes room for joy without making it complicated.

There’s a different kind of freedom in traveling with a friend.
No pressure, no performance, no silent expectations.
Just two people who know how to enjoy a place, a meal, a slow morning, a long walk — together but not tangled.

She’s proof that companionship doesn’t have to follow a script to be meaningful.
That friendship can be grounding, generous, and unexpectedly expansive.

Traveling Lisbon in style.

Moving through the world with someone like that reminds me to live my life with intention, with curiosity, and with a softness that doesn’t need anyone’s permission.

It’s a reminder that the beauty isn’t in the spectacle — it’s in how you carry yourself, who you choose to share your time with, and the moments you decide to notice.

Because living well is the point.

Charcuterie or whatever they call it in Milan.