Having a good travel partner can make or break your trip.
Truth.
Nothing is worse than being in the most beautiful part of the world, visiting a bucket-list destination…only to be in a bad mood because you don’t get along with your travel partner.
Finding a good travel partner seems like a no-brainer, right? Trust me when I say that it’s not as straight-forward as you might think.
Best friends, no matter how close you might be, aren’t always the best choice. Family members might not be the best travel companions. Your significant other could turn into “somebody that you used to know.”
Why is it difficult to find a good travel partner?
When people are in their element, they are relaxed, calm, and predictable (for the most part). They know how things are supposed to go, have a place of comfort (home/work), and are surrounded by friends, family, and the familiar.
As soon as most people step out of their comfort zone into a new environment, everything gets thrown out of the window.
Everyone reacts to new situations differently, for better or worse. Your best friend at home might be your worst travel companion.
Your friend that you just adore turns into a nightmare traveling companion because *gasp* you’ve never spent more than a few hours together. Now you’re stuck in the same car for a week as you try to make it through your road trip together.
Your sibling becomes the epitome of the worst travel partner because they know how to push your buttons when they’re uncomfortable or sad.
The Crew becomes disbanded because not everyone had the same goals, interests, or expectations on your group trip. Been there, done that, moved on.
Finding a good travel partner is difficult because people act differently and have various expectations when on the road. And unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of this until it’s too late.
So then…HOW do you then find a good travel partner?
There’s hope to finding a good travel partner, but you might have to find a few duds first. Finding that perfect travel companion is worth it. Solo travel is great, but some experiences are made amazing when you have someone to share it with.
If you’re looking for your next good travel partner, listen up! I’m going to explain what you need to look for to find that amazing travel buddy!
Common ground is CRUCIAL
When you’re planning a trip with someone, you need to make sure that you have similar interests. There’s nothing worse than trying to travel with someone who likes everything you dislike.
Activities
Not that you have to want to do everything together, but traveling with someone who likes the same types of activities as you do will help make the trip smoother.
If you like to do extreme activities, it might not be wise to travel with someone who only wants to hang out by the pool all day.
Also keep in mind that just because you’re traveling together, you aren’t joined at the hip. If you want to do different activities, that’s okay. There will be times you might need to take a break from each other for a day.
It’s okay!
Travel style*
Do you like to go Go GO when you travel, rarely taking a break from activities? Or do you prefer to travel slowly, spending a good chunk of time at each destination or activity?
Finding someone who will move at your pace is crucial. You don’t want to feel like you’re having to constantly pull someone along. And then on the flip-side, you don’t want to feel like the dead weight for your travel companion.
*And to be honest, this is one of the hardest things to figure out beforehand. If you know your travel style already, you’re ahead of the game. Speak with your prospective travel companion and see if their expectations are similar to yours.
Your travel partner NEEDS to be a communicator
When you travel with someone, you’re in a brief relationship. You rely on each other, share experiences together, and spend a lot of time together.
Relationships thrive when there is effective communication between the parties.
Do you enjoy this person? Can you carry on conversations about difficult or tricky situations? Are you easily offended by their views?
When you get traveler’s diarrhea, is this person someone that you could confide in or ask them to pick up some medicine for you? Or are they the type of person that wouldn’t care enough to be bothered?
When you have a disagreement on the road (and you will), are they someone with whom you can work things out, without blowing up?
Related: The ULTIMATE Road Trips Guide
Outline a budget beforehand
Money is a hot topic, and for good reason. The amount you want to spend will dictate where you sleep, what you eat, and what types of activities you will do.
Hotel vs. Hostel.
Street Food vs. Michelin-star Restaurant.
Uber/Lyft vs. Local Transportation.
Being transparent about expenses up-front is a great way to figure out if you’re on the same page. Are you a penny-pincher or a spare-no-expense type of traveler? Traveling with someone who has a different budget can lead to many tense situations.
Side note: be upfront about how expenses are going to be paid. Traveling with someone who wants you to pay for everything and then reimburse you after-the-fact is a MAJOR red flag!
Set boundaries with a prospective travel partner
I’m the type of person who likes personal time while on vacation. I’m independent and start to feel smothered when I’m with someone 24/7. When I travel, I need to have someone that doesn’t get offended when I want to go off by myself for an activity.
Setting boundaries before you leave will help smooth out your trip. Having conversations beforehand about expectations will give you insight into how well they might communicate during a trip.
Your travel partner should be someone you enjoy
Depending on your travel style, you might be stuck on a 30-hour bus ride, in the car for hours on end, or maybe even find yourselves in the middle of nowhere with just yourselves to stay entertained.
Above everything else, make sure that your travel partner is someone that you enjoy spending time with. Someone that you can laugh with.
A similar sense of humor.
Similar goals.
Someone that you can reach out to after the trip to relive memories made.
They say practice makes perfect…
While there is no such thing as the perfect travel partner, you can always find a good one out there. Sometimes you’ll crash and burn. You might think you’ve found a good travel partner, only to realize too little too late that they’re driving you bonkers.
I have found out there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.
Mark Twain
Even though Mark Twain penned those infamous words in the late 1800s, they’re still applicable today.
You can do all the planning in the world, prepare everything you can, have all of the difficult/necessary conversations you need to, and still manage to pick the wrong travel partner.
It’ll happen to everyone eventually. Don’t give up. The right travel partner is out there for you, somewhere.
You might just have to wade through a few duds before you find the one.
Set yourself up for success, rather than failure. Give yourself a test run with a potential travel partner. Go on a weekend getaway and see how you do. Try a shorter road trip. Audition each other to see how you do.
How do you look for a good travel partner? Would you add anything to this list?
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