how clean their bathroom is???  Remind me to inspect yours next time we meet  :-)

Life is not black or white. Of course traveling with someone is not the only way to get to know them better; their choice of movies, how often they shower, what they eat, how they deal the person who cleans the car, living with them, how clean their bathroom is, etc., and traveling with the, also helps.

I agree with Alma;

the thing is; all people are bound to be different when travelling.  Move anything out of its element and subject it to new rules and it will react differently.

No more society restrictions/expectations...  a short breath of fresh air... a heightened sense of adventure...  all add up.

As alma said, you are simply getting to know the person better by looking at a new dimension.  this may or may not impact your direct relation with him under your usual circumstances.

Most interestingly about travel is you get to discover your own new dimension ;-)

hmmm so what I understand from this thread is that when we travel for short periods of time we are more ourselves vs putting on a show for the months and in some cases years we spend in between trips. What about people who never travel?

Also I am more likely to suppress certain feelings, behaviours and such on a 3 day business trip or a weekend away or even a week's vacation. And thus be on my best behaviour.

I agree that travel is a great way to know people and learn more about who they are. But because we are never perpetually on vacation or traveling both contexts are needed to know someone.

I think travel allows us to dedicate time and energy to the persons you are with and it is an intensification of contact with the other. Life doesnt take over your time with work, family, social and personal needs pulling at you in the same way. And so I think it is not a truer self that is more apparent but rather a more dedicated one. If dedicated is the right word.

During travel our relatiohsip to money and time and self come into play and are more visable. Our value system comes into play and that is how we get to know people more.

I also want to say about traveling that when I travel with people I am very clear before we leave about my needs and expectations including those about time, space and money. Its like a disclaimer I make. It makes my travels more rewarding and everyoen knows where they stand so to speak.

Razano living with people and traveling with them are great ways to know people but are very very different experiences.

Alama do you think a week is enough to really get to know a person? I would say 2 to 3 weeks away from your natural environment allows for more experiences  which illustrate various stresses and highs and lows within a person.

Very well said, Alma. It seems that in travel (the different contexts of it: fun, eating, tolerance, etc) more of the person personality is more probably to be exposed, as if the person is trying to be himself/herself much more than in non-travel contexts... and that's why his/her personality is much revealed. It is as if his/her preferences tend to be realized (actualized) in a more natural way... as if his/her "control" over his/her "original personality" becomes weaker..