What do you get when you cross a long term traveller with a person on a short holiday? Can their needs ever be married in a harmonious fashion? Well I can tell you, because I recently spent a couple of weeks with a friend, who was in much need of a break and had always said she might be up for linking up somewhere on my route. We were texting one day in June and I asked her to join us in Thailand. Like magic, four weeks later she arrived!

Leaving Jean in Pai, I made my way as a solo traveller to Bangkok airport to meet Helen - a journey which involved a 3-hour minibus ride to Chiang Mai, followed by a 9-hour overnight bus, and then a half hour taxi. I'd have balked at the idea of such a long trip before travelling, but I now know it's simply what's required to get to your destination within budget - ce ça!

Helen had done a long journey too - two flights wrapped around a 4 hour stop in Amsterdam - so we were both pretty done in. But it was v exciting to see my buddy, and we fought the fatigue with an afternoon of massage, food and cocktails (with regard to those matters, travellers and holiday-makers tend not to differ!).

The next day I took Helen on a whistle-stop tour of Bangkok (on foot, by boat, by sky train and by tuktuk!), taking in the magnificent Wat Pho temple, a student art exhibition and the enormous MBK Shopping Centre along the way. But our day's tripping didn't end there - in fact, it was only just beginning...

We'd bought a transport package to Koh Tao, an island not far from the better known Koh Samui. The 'VIP' bus set off from its headquarters, close to our guesthouse in the Banglamphu district, at 8pm......and 10 long and uncomfortable hours later (we managed to get lumbered with the seats at the back, which didn't recline for sleeping, unlike those of the younger, slightly less needy travellers amongst us!), we arrived at Chumphon pier.

The sun rose and our moods lifted with it, higher still when the boat arrived and we climbed aboard. One smooth, sunny crossing later, we were deposited at Koh Tao pier. At last, we'd arrived! Well, almost - just a very bumpy taxi ride to go. Oh, and I hadn't booked any accommodation (something which might've suited my laissez-faire ways, but perhaps wasn't the ideal way for my friend to start her 'holiday')...

Our first night ended up being spent in a bamboo bungalow overlooking the sea - with waves crashing against the rocks beneath - on a remote beach called Sai Nuan. The location was idyllic, our lodgings less so - by a holidaymakers standards, that is; whilst I am always happy to get some respite somewhere a bit fancy, I have become well accustomed to sleeping in places made of things we only burn on fires in England.

The next day, we hired a scooter and drove around the island, until we found something a little more conducive to the habits we would sustain for the week - meals out, swimming in the pool, yoga, apéros on the balcony... In the process, we saw much of the island - a neat little trick I picked up from Jean, who's travelled around Asia a good deal more than me and knows how to familiarise himself with a place quickly.

Over several days, we managed to combine our varying expectations of the trip, co-ordinating our routines and negotiating the things we did together, and working out how not to kill Helen's holiday without killing my budget. And we managed it rather splendidly, I must say.

We even ended up taking a boat and a bus back to Bangkok at the end of Helen's holiday, despite her having reacted to the arduous journey to the island by suggesting we look at getting a flight for the return journey! Okay, the decision to take the bus back was mainly to do with the fact that flying would actually involve more jumps and hops, but I also sensed that Helen had absorbed a drop of traveller instinct - she was up for the adventure (she may beg to differ on that, however!).

In fact, the journey back to Bangkok, which we did during the day this time around, was entirely painless - I'd even go as far as saying it was enjoyable. Helen and I chatted (when we weren't chewing on Haribos) the whole 7 hours back, and it was during that time that we came up with this (undoubtedly incomplete) list of differences between short holidays and long trips...

• On holiday, you're travelling without moving - you travel to your destination and then pretty much stay put; when you're travelling, you're on a big journey, sometimes across continents
• A holiday is a break, respite even, from a way of life; travelling is a way of life - and going 'home' can feel like a rest
• A holiday is (hopefully) a break from the s***ty British weather! But travelling means enduring everything from baking heat to monsoons
• Holidays are about luxury; sustained travelling requires a willingness to rough it and live on a small budget
• You can indulge on holidays, let off steam; you have to pace yourself and try to maintain best health when you're travelling - you can't just say "Why not? I'm on my jollies" for several months at a time! Well I can't anyway.
• On holiday, you expect every day to be a brilliant day! But if your trip is longer than a week or two, you can expect some less enjoyable times, too
• For holidays, you pack perfume, high heels and nice clothes; when you're lugging a rucksack about, you pack as little as possible and leave all the good stuff behind!
• For many, a holiday is a brief opportunity to get a tan; but a tan is an inevitable consequence of travelling for longer periods and needn't be encouraged
• During holidays, you see the local sights; you see them when you're travelling too (if you have the budget!), but you also get time to delve a little further beneath the surface of a place
• Although lasting and meaningful relationships can be formed on holiday, it's more likely when you're travelling because you share so much with other people

And those, dear readers, were the differences observed by me and Helen, after ten days together, juggling our varying needs and expectations of the trip. I'd add something to that last point, however. It is true that with more time, you can get to know new friends better and develop romantic relationships. But a short period of time can be enough to allow an old friendship to grow, too - you see each other's quirks ("What do you mean, you don't really eat breakfast, Helen??!" / "Seriously Katy, you're still going to eat the cashew nuts, even though there are ants in the bag?!"), share TMI about your toilet habits, disagree... And at the end of it all, you go your separate ways once again, but feeling closer than ever before.