Picking the Perfect Travel Buddy

Who you pick to be your travel companion can make or break your trip. Let’s be real, it could even make or break your friendship. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when choosing a travel companion:  

Can you spend long periods of time with this person?

It might be a good idea to do a day trip with your potential travel buddy first before whisking off on a trip for several days. 

Do you and this person enjoy the same things?

Sharing common interest makes traveling with a companion that much easier and a better experience on a whole. Nine times out of ten, you'll want to do the same things. There's nothing worse than not being able to agree on what to do because of different interest. 

Will they be a bitch when they're upset? Will they ignore you? Will they disappear? Will they get physical? Will they be vindictive?

These are all things you need to think about and determine what your threshold is if a situation like this arises.  

Are you two able to resolve issues quickly?

We all know that no matter how close you are with someone there comes a time where you might bump heads or have a disagreement. What is the recovery time for you and this person? Will the issue be resolved as quickly as it started, or will you spend the duration or your trip ignoring and avoiding each other because neither of you can put your differences aside?

What's your friendship history like?

You can learn so much about the future based off of the past. Look at your friendship history with your potential travel buddy. 

Do you share similar budgets?

Agreeing to a budget is crucial when picking a travel buddy. You don't want to have to worry if the person can afford to do the things you want to do, or whether what they want to do is out of your price range. 

How do they react under pressure?

The old saying is pressure busts pipes. Will it bust your travel buddy? Are they flexible? Can thing go differently from what you planned and they be okay? Are they adaptable?

Are they independent?

Imagine having a travel buddy be your second shadow. I presume that could get annoying rather quickly. Finding someone who is independent and doesn't mind venturing off on their own, makes for a great travel companion. Self-reliant and self-sufficient are both qualities you should look for in a travel buddy. 

Remembering that it’s not just one person’s vacation is key.

This post should give you a gist of what to look for/consider when shopping around for your perfect travel buddy. Good Luck!